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Transport for PS Audio PW DAC

Hi all, a few months back I decided it was time to upgrade my digital system... ended up buying a PWD to replace my Exemplar-Denon 2900. To be honest, it wasn't a huge change but I kept the PWD because it also helped out with the sound of my DirecTV and PS3.

Since I was wasting the great tubed analog output of the Exemplar, I sold it and bought an Oppo BDP-93 to serve as a true universal transport. Unfortunately it sounds a lot worse in this role than the Exemplar (it does, however, destroy my PS3 for blu-ray picture quality).

Anyway, I'm considering finding another player to use as a CD transport... I've thought about just buying an unmodified Denon 3910 (available for $150-200) and also the old Pioneer Elite PD-65 which is somewhat famous for it's transport abilities(also available under $300). Any other suggestions in this price range for a pure transport to pair with the DAC?

Thanks for the input... it's appreciated.
128x128cal3713
cal3713's avatar
cal3713 OP
1,421 posts
 
Am I right in assuming that the MKII upgrade has very little effect on bridge playback?

If I go the music server route I could either stream over usb or use the bridge (which I don't currently have), so I don't think I would upgrade both. Since you can pick up used bridges, that's a little cheaper of an option...
sgr's avatar
sgr
689 posts
 
The MK II has just as magical an effect on the PWT as the Bridge or any other digital input. All inputs must go through the PWD MK II.
briang
25 posts
 
There is a new review of the MK II linked in the community section of the PS audio web site. This review might be helpful because it talks about the various inputs.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713 OP
1,421 posts
 
After mulling over a lot of options, I ended up buying a 2010 MacMini with a built in optical drive (the newest ones need an attached USB drive) for $500. I figure that setting the mediaplayer's options to include a very long buffer will get me some of the benefits of the PS audio transport. And if I set it to autoplay, I think I can use it as a dedicated player without having to turn on a screen. Added benefits are the ability to also use it a media server and remotely controlling it so we can choose music from another room.

I really decided to go this route after using my girlfriend's old macbook to play a couple disks (on the PW Dac) and felt that that was at least the equal of my older Exemplar/Denon. It certainly killed both the Oppo and my PS3 as transports. For the sake of documentation/education, I will report back when I get it next week... even if this is a dead thread.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713 OP
1,421 posts
 
Just an update for those who find this thread in the future... I also don't really like the MacMini as a transport (or as a hard-drive based music server) with the PW Dac. I feel that it performs quite a bit worse than my Lenovo X201 as a USB source and my girlfriend's MacBook as a CD transport. I guess there's a reason it's less than 1/2 the price of either of those. In any case, the transport troubles eventually convinced me to try out the PW Dac Mark II upgrade. I'll find out in a week or two whether the asynchronous USB and digital lens features really do reduce the impact of transport quality. I still miss my old Exemplar every time I try to listen to a disk.
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