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PS Audio PWD II opinions?

I'm suddenly seeing quite a few of them for sale on Audiogon these days, some at a pretty attractive price. My question is whether this would be enough of an upgrade from my present DAC, (PS Audio Digital Link III with Cullen mods) to justify the expense. Reviews have been pretty enthusiastic, but it's really hard to judge without actually hearing one. Or should I wait a while for a DSD capable DAC, which I think might be the wave of the future? Budget will not stretch to PS Audio's DirectStream DAC.
cooper52
6 responses Add your response
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
To get the most performance out of any of PS Audio's DACs, you need to get a Perfect Wave Transport and connect them via I2S. Otherwise there would be other DAC's to consider, like one by Wyred 4 Sound.
kettle7830
31 posts
 
I went from a Cullen mod PSIII to a Nuwave with great improvement. Soon after I bought the PWD II. The PWDII is a very significant improvement and well worth the investment.
oscar44
130 posts
 
I don't know what the Cullen mods offer but I thought the PWD was a significant step up for me when I got it and the PWD II upgrade was instantly, noticeably better again. I still have it and consider it a great DAC. Agree, some are dumping them now to move up to the Directstream version but the price gap is too much for me so I am waiting it out. In the interim, I'd put a PWD II on any digital rig and expect it to work well. I have to believe it is way better than any Dig Link, no matter the mods.
cooper52 OP
156 posts
 
Thanks for the responses. It really does sound as if the PWD MkII is a big step upwards from my present DAC. Still thinking of doing this since the price range of the used ones is so tempting.
erikminer
433 posts
 
No brainer.. PWD MKII way superior
johsti's avatar
johsti
102 posts
 
I previously owned a PS Audio DLIII, a Cullen Stage 4 DLIII and a PWD mkII. The PWD mkII using the nativeX mode was a big improvement in my experience compared to both DLIII's. I sold my first PWD awhile ago to try out other sources and just recently purchased another PWD (this time in silver) because I haven't found anything better for the money. It is a fantastic dac in my opinion if you don't need DSD. I'd consider the PWD mkII a bargain at the current used prices for a dac of this quality.
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