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Weiss DAC 204 hiccups

I very recently acquired a Weiss DAC 204 which I am streaming Amazon HD Music to via a Bluesound Node 2i.  The DAC sounds great and is a huge improvement over the Bluesound and Hegel H190.   However, I am getting hiccups once in a while.   I have connected the Bluesound to the Weiss using a Cardas Parsec Coax cable.  Unfortunately, I do not have a choice but to use WIFI.  I have had no WIFI stability issues in the past.  Seeking help.  Would a streamer like a PS Audio Airlens solve the problem.  I do not want to spend much more on a streamer than an Airlens.  I have been very pleased with Amazon HD, but recognize I might have to switch to Qobuz since very few streamers support Amazon HD.  Thank you in advance for advice.

ga_audio
cleeds
6,164 posts
 

ghdprentice

Streaming takes almost no bandwidth. The problem tends to be in wifi receivers inside of streamers.

+1. The streamer in my audio system is connected by ethernet to the network gear located on another floor. The results are better than anything I get with wifi, which I use only for control.

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,543 posts
 

When you use coax the clock in the streamer is responsible for clocking the signal. With toslink I think the DAC will take over and reclock the signal. With USB you also rely mostly on the clock in the dac. 
That’s why I suspected either a faulty coax or a clock in the BS Node. 
If you have an option to use USB I would highly recommend going that route. 

mojo771
75 posts
 

The Bluesound has a DAC and never experienced the 2 or 3 times per song that the music stopped for a second, until I started using the Weiss.  I have the Vault plugged into input 2 and the Weiss into input 3 so I can switch back and forth.  I get the hiccup/skip only when I use the Weiss.

The sound is better with the Weiss, but the skipping 2 or 3 times on every song makes me want to get something else.

cbrez
93 posts
 

My issues were very intermittent (more so than what you describe). I could have no issues one day and then several the next. It was very frustrating. I had no issues either with a Bluesound and a much less expensive Cambridge DAC. My issues started when I got the Weiss. I did reach out to Weiss and they got back to me suggesting a firmware upgrade, but that required sending the unit back to them, which I thought was ridiculous. I tried different cables, different types of cables (usb, coax) and a different Weiss and Bluesound.

Like I mentioned, I did fix my issue using the iFi device to essentially “break” the USB, cutting the 5v coming from the Bluesound and replacing it with a much cleaner source of 5v power.

I don’t mind troubleshooting things, but this was sort of ridiculous. Had it not been for truly liking how the Weiss sounds in my system, I definitely would have gotten rid of it. Fortunately now it has works fine and I have since added a ModWright PS as well.

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