Ok, so the Sonicweld is pulling away nicely from the Tos using glass cabe (I keep mentioning the glass part because it really does make Tos quite formidable as a choice).
In direct comparisons the Tos is very languid and smooth, rich sounding if you will. It is only in direct comparison to the Diverter HR that one begins to see the fine cracks to use an analogy. The glass sounds very good, but it is lacking something very fine.., a sense of overall gentlenss is not there. The Diverter offers that last bit of an organic quality to the sound. The glass never sounds digital, it is very very analog, but perhaps like a $10k analog rig compared to a $30k rig.
Both are great (speaking of the hypothetical analog rigs) and should be for the money but typically that extra money will buy you something and it usually comes across in increased refinement and musicality. The way the diverter finishes notes is really quite something!
I would suggest that the diverter deserves a well sorted out and highly resolving system. If you value everything you can get out of your Dac buy the diverter HR it is really worth every penny! |
audiofun I understand your point too. I am sure that one day I will enter the world of hi res digital but for the moment when I sit in the chair I usually spin vinyl. :) |
Carl23, I totally understand your point! I've said it before; if it were not for me wanting access to hires files I would probably have kept my Bidat forever :) |
Interesting to read this old thread about the venerable bidat vs. some newer dacs. I don't think that I will ever sell my wrighted bidat. Its wonderful and bests every other dac i have tried in my system when fed by the cec tl 1, which I can't imagine selling either. |
Tos with a real glass cable sounds awesome in my system. Most people commenting about the sound of Tos are possibly basing that on one of two thing; regurgitating what they have read or heard from others or they have listend with a plastic fiber Tos cable. I have directly compared my "real glass fiber" Tos to my former $1.7k FIM Gold digital out of the John Wright nodded Bidat and my MSB Power Dac. While I agree that as far as bandwidth goes (6.xMHZ for Tos if memory serves) Tos is the lowest on the totem pole, in my system it was fully 97% of the coax connection.
I did compare the glass fiber to the plastic fiber and the plastic is horrendous and completely unlistenable, but the glass will shock you.
Now having said all that :) I use the Diverter HR now so the point is moot, but blanket statements seldom cover all the permutations thus my pontification on the Tos connection. |
Toslink is the worst connection u can use |
I receive the Diverter HR today. I am using it with my Mac mini, pure music 1.8a ( soon to be 1.82 soon as i download it:) my Graaf Modena and MFA Ref passive attenuator. The Dac is the MSB Power Dac. I am using a Grover huffman RCA spdif cable and a standard USB cable. The sound out of the box was quite good, if a bit thin. The thinness almost immediately went the way of the dinosaurs (about 20minutes of play/power-up time) and it is now sounding very full and full of information retrieval. I find that it is better than my "real" glass Toslink from the Mac mini to the MSB. The glass Tos is very very very good and rivaled my former very expensive FIM RCA spdif cable which I still think may be the finest spdif cable i have ever heard.
The Locus Design Cynosure cable will be in my possession sometime next week and will replace the generic USB cable now employed.
The unit is beautiful and has a dot matrix display which indicates the sampling rate.
I have it burning in for the next 5 hours and will do a little more listening tonight. I was told by Josh at Sonicweld that it will need to run in at least a week to really open up.
I sold my EVO some time ago and may get another in order to do a head to head comparison. At this point a comparison would be from memory only but I would say it appears to be (at this point) at the very least every bit as resolute as my former EVO. That is big for two reasons. My EVO was more run-in and I was using my former FIM gold spdif from the EVO to my MSB.
This may not seem like very much info but please standby; as the unit breaks in I will report my findings but it certainly appears tobethe real deal! I feel I made a very good decision.... Oh and HRx recordings?!? Sound spooky good! |
The Absolute Sound Golden Ear was awarded by Anthony Cordesman and not Peter Breuninger as previously posted. There was some confusion because of pre-publication posting of the information. |
I apologize for the garbled post. I swear my iPad keyboard as a mind of it's own. ;-0 |
I wonder why it wasn't included in the Dagogo piece? A DAC I found interesting was the DaVinci($15k)USB DAC that's made locally(Sacramento). It's optimized for USB, but is supposed be quite good with standard connections. |
Peter Breuninger of The Absolute Sound just give his 2011 Golden Ear Award to PS audio's Transport/DAC/ Bridge combines Golden Ear Award.
Here's the text:
Here's the text:
"This combination may not equal a handful of
units that cost far, far more (like the Meinter
XDS1 or the Meridian 808 Signature), but it
comes so close that differences are as much
matters of taste as of the finest nuances of
sonic detail. The sound is extraordinarily live
and detailed, and capable of getting the best
bass response out of digital. The PS gear is
detailed without any without hardness or edge
that is not on the recording. A must-hear
unit if you are trying to scale the heights of
digitalparticularly if you are not operating
on an unlimited budget. It is in the process
of becoming a full music server with its own
music-management system, and it can handle
even the highest sampling and frequency rates
with easemaking it one of the few buys with
full growth potential for the future. (Review
pending)" |
I read the Daggogo review of the Emperical Audio Overddrive and it sounds like a contender. I was struck by one comment the reviewer made when comparing it with several very pricey DACs, including dCS's latest. He said the differences were "subtle" and "subjective". I keep hearing this from reviewers I trust about the differences between the top 10 or 15 DACs out there, MSB and the PW DAC among the list. Anthony Cordesman wrote recently that when he listened to the latest from Boulder, Meridian, and PS Audio that each one had it's strengths. While both of these reviewers had their preferences, they were quick to caution readers that the differences were NOT dramatic once you enter this pantheon of high end DACS. Some would argue that the major differences have more to do with the analog stages than the chip sets. I bow to greater minds on that subject but I suspect we may be reaching the outer envelope of what is currently understood when it comes to digital sound reproduction...until another "Ed Meitner" comes along....not that the living one is resting on his laurels. ;-) the trickle down is resulting in some mighty fine cheaper DACS. Good news for everyone. |
Though this may be off topic a little I figured you guys might like to hear about my diverter. I have just purchased the 24/192 Sonicweld Diverter. It is supposed to ship in the next couple of weeks.
The plan is to do a head to head with the EVO into my MSB Power Dac. I will keep you posted. I've owned the HiFace which was bettered by the EVO and now I will find out if the Diverter is as good as I have read.
One Dac that I would love to try is the Empirical Audio Overdrive.., I am thinking of arranging an in home demo of the Dac. If I do I Willie course report my finding right here :) |
no doubt Vhiner...i agree 100%. when i took my pwt/pwd to a friends house last year, my psa I2S-AC12 sounded a bit harsh with his krell amps. he had a $25 monster hdmi laying around that we tried and it sounded better.
hdmi is no different then any other connector imho. gotta find the "right one" that works with your gear. |
I completely respect audiofun's observations and enjoy the thread as well. One final comment on the HDMI cable as it relates to the PW DAC. Many people are not satisfied with PS Audio's HDMI cable because, in their opinion, it over emphasizes the DACs upper register,a making it sound somewhat harsh. I agree and find the Harmonic Twch Audio Only HDMI to be the perfect match. Several leading dealers recommend it as well. |
Thanks Lev:). I appreciate all you guys for appreciating the spirit of fun with which I started on this journey. As I stated before, this is just one mans opinion on a bunch of gear :) they're toys and it's fun to play with all this stuff! |
Yes, i (wrongly :) assumed people would realize when i mentioned the bridge that I used cat 5 or 6 cabling. Also I do remember that I briefly used the Tos on the PWD..., was not impressed, the bridge was slightly better :)
Now I did have the transport at my diposal for a short time and I used it with a silnote coax and a synergistic research balnced as well as the top of the line ps audio HDMI cable. It was.., ok. I think the HDMI was a bit more detailed but the XLR was a little fuller.
I did not mention this as I did that testing in my uncles system and NOT directly against the MSB :)
Again, not knocking anything, just saying that for my ears, i heard nothing that would caus me to desire this unit. I did install the eLyric software.., so I certainly tried to give it a fair shake.
The transport is really really nice and I personally ( don't laugh) like it more than the $16k MBL 1611 that it replaced in my uncles system :) |
i'll just reiterate how vital the hdmi connection is for the pwt/pwd combo. i will agree with Audiofun that without the hdmi, the combo is just "good". the "right" hdmi cable is a must if one expects the psa gear to compete with these big dogs imho.
will also chime in regarding the pwd/bridge combo. although i use it 80% of the time, the pwt/pwd combo still sounds better to my ears, in my system. more layers, more depth, better imaging and above all....more like live music. this coupled with the rather inconsistent sound quality of various firmware updates make me think the pwd didn't put it's best foot forward for your comparison. no doubt it's a long shot but the psa might have been in the same league if it was operating at 100%. however...same league and sounding as good are two different things.
regardless...this thread has been very enjoyable. some great info here and your time/effort is much appreciated. trying to do a comparison like this with all parties tweaked to perfection would be near impossible. it took me 6 months to get my pwt/pwd hitting on all cylinders. expecting this to be done for a comparison is a stretch to say the least.
thanks again
cheers
Lev |
Have to agree with Vhiner. It seems everyone who as heard the PWD says that it is apples to oranges with the right HDMI cable.
I was about ready to give up on the PWT/HDMI/PWD/ due to an upper mid-range glare. But after hundreds and I mean hundreds of hours, the glare finally went away. I then inserted a Fusion Romance IC between my PWD and my amp and you couldn't prior the the PWT/PWD/Fusion Romance out of my hands now.
The PWT/PWD is considerably better than my Forsell Air Reference Transport/highly modified Audio Note DAC combo. |
You wrote in your previous post:
"I had a PS Audio Dac about a month ago with the bridge installed. I did a head to head comparison with the MSB on RB and hiRes. I used glass tos and the Bridge."
I think you can understand my confusion. No mention of CAT 6. I'm sure it was an oversight. |
Touche' my friend. However I was referring to your comparison of the PW DAC and the BIDAT. I guess mileage does vary. |
Hey man good to hear from you and see that found my update to this old thread :)
Your points are well taken.., but... I used the VERY good glass Tos on the MSB and the CAT 6 cable from my airport extreme into the bridge of the PWD. I never tried the Tos into the PWD.
Mileage may vary.., but those were my findings :) |
Audiofun,
Great to hear an update! Glad you're happy with the MSB.
I have to put in my two cents about a few things. I've never used the Bridge, but I have extensive experience with the Bidat (sold mine a few months back) and the PW DAC and PW transport. When used with a Harmonic Tech HDMI cable, the PW DAC and PW transport SMOKE the Bidat. With all due respect and in the spirit of lively debate, I wouldn't use a glass toslink to drive a radioshack cd player through a $200 DAC; every good DAC system requires the right digital connection and the PW DAC works best with the HT Audio only HDMI or CAT 6, something many users will attest to. BTW, I just heard the latest Bel Canto DAC hooked up to an Computer source via toslink and it was NOT pretty. So, I'm not prepared to say I know what that unit sounds like. The Bel Canto is best with a SPDIF or CAT 6 connection, according to those I've spoken with.
You've found just the right wire and connections for your MSB. Comparisons with other DACS will only be fair if those units are similarly set up with wire that serves those units best. The MSB may well be a superior DAC, but I just wanted to voice a caution to those who haven't made the comparisons themselves or who may plan to. For example, wouldn't predict my old beloved BIDAT would place well if it were hooked up to a lousy power word and an ordinary Canare digital cable any more than i would put crappy tires on a Porshe and expect it to go the distance.
Again, I'm not commenting on whether the MSB is better than the PW DAC 'cause I haven't heard that particular MSB, but I do know how a super modded Bidat sounds compared to a properly set up PW DAC. The PW DAC is just as musical, provides more detail, has a more analog top end, deeper bass and a much wider soundstage. At least that's what my ears tell me. ;-)
Once thing I *do* agree with you about with respect to the PW DAC is that the volume control is not optimal, but neither was the Bidat's and neither is any DAC volume fix I've ever heard. I ALWAYS prefer a good tube preamp with my musical meal. |
Hi guys, I know it has been along long time since I posted on this thread. Some things have changed. I still have the MSB power Dac and i sold the Bidat. I reluctantly sold my Bidat but... the MSB with the new m2Tech EVO was sooooo good I found myself listening to the MSB 90% of the time.
I have since sold the EVO which was noticeably better than the HiFace :)
Actually so much better, I could no longer listen the HiFace, thus I sold it.
I have now sold the EVO and I have just paid for (waiting on delivery) the new 24/192 Diverter.., can't wait!!!!!!
Do I miss my Bidat? Yes and No... I miss some of the vinyl like things it did, but in the end as the MSB continued to break in, the musicality with the resolution was just too much to ignore. I still use PM as the audio engine along with iTunes as the jukebox, BUT!!! I bought a Music First Audio Ref passive Pre and let me tell you.... That combination is killer!!!
Smooth and resolute with some ineffable quality which is akin to the beauty of the Bidat without any coloration.., just a marvelous piece of gear.
I had a PS Audio Dac about a month ago with the bridge installed. I did a head to head comparison with the MSB on RB and hiRes. I used glass tos and the Bridge.
The PWD is very nice and especially when you look at what you can pick them up for, it can be the center of a very nice system.
Now to the Guts of it.... The built in volume control of the PWD simply does NOT cut the mustard! It is ok if you're in a pinch but it would NEVER be my choice for long term. The volume control in PM (I have found that no dither is FAR FAR better than using dither) is so far beyond the PWD's volume control words will not do justice :)
How didit compare to the MSB? In a word... It got SMOKED!!!!!!
It simply is not in the league of a Bidat/AMR77/AMR777 or obviously a MSB.
Now having said that, it was listenable and with the right ancillaries.., probably very livable (that is if you couldn't hear the other units).
I will say this, it was no where near as awful to MY ears as the Weiss Minerva was. If you recall from way back when I started this thread I flat out HATE the sound of that Dac.
The PWD is certainly NOT bad, it just isn't on the same level as the other dacs I mentioned.
Until next time.....
Perhaps I'll have a playback design Dac in the near future :) |
Mike1000,
I think it's a very fine DAC for the money and certainly better than some out there that are going for a lot more. I never heard how it handled hi rez, though. Based upon what I've heard, I doubt there are many (any?) sub $5,000 players, DACS or combos that soundly beat the Bidat on Redbook. |
Vhiner, I also own a modified Bidat and a Bitstream DAC. They were modified about two years ago, so they don't have teh very latest upgrades, but they are very nice. I just can't help but wonder how good the new chip set is in the new W4s DAC-2... |
I've had the chance lately to listen to the PS Audio Perfect Wave and the Weiss DAC 202 both in my own system. To cut it short: I preferred the Weiss hands down. The sound of the Perfect Wave was on a high level of performance but still a bit edgy while the Weiss showed more of the relaxed, yet detailed sound I've come to get used to. As I am not sold on computer-based reproduction this opinion is based on my CD-Drives (Resolution Audio, Wadia) as the source of the "digital datafeed". I tried different filter settings with the PS Audio but still the Weiss has the upper hand in sheer musicality. |
I've recently compared a friend's modified bistream to the Wyred 4 and the bistream was more musical on Redbook. I own a fully modified Bidat and it is better than the bitstream, so logic would dictate that it probably bests the Wyred 4 DAC. This is not to say the Wyred is not excellent. It just doesn't have the bass and sound stage of the Bidat based upon my having heard both, albeit at different times. The comparison with the bitstream was a bit closer. The advantage of the Wyred is that it handles hi Rez (if you can find any material worth listening to in that format LOL) |
Has anybody compared a recently modified Bidat to the new Wyred 4s DAC-2? |
Lush,
Thanks for the fascinating post. Given the 512's $15,000 price tag, I imagine you'll be keeping the bitstream? |
I did an 'sighted' A/B comparison today: Museatex Bitstream against a No. 512 Mark Levinson CD player. We used the Levinson as a transport with the Bitstream vs standalone Levinson. Van Den Hul cables and a Moray James digital interconnect. Pre amplifier was Levinson No. 326 with a No 532 Power amplifier. Speakers were F52 Revel Speakers.
My first impressions: You have to level match, the gain output on the Bitstream was much higher, we didn't have an SPL meter on hand so we did it by ear, trying to level match as best we could the Bitstream appeared more lively, big and bold with more punch in the bass. Having said all that I actually preferred the Levinson's neater presentation, in some respects. The Levinsons's soundstange was narrower but I thought it was more refined, the Bitstream was big across the board but I felt it was EVER so slightly smeared. The two were closer in sound then apart. It was a neat test. |
Audiofun, are you still planning to test out a playback design? |
Glory,
Perhaps I responded to harshly, but I just wanted us to stick to the point of the forum. If you're ever in the St. Louis area, bring your dac over and I'd be happy to let you listen to it compared to mine. Most people who own the fully modded bidat would be eager to show up for a dac shoot out in their respective neighborhoods. Personally, I'm always open to hearing anything that can "best" it at a comparable price. I have no brand loyalty when it comes to the absolute sound. The problem is that many people simply don't want to have their own assumptions about equipment challenged or even questioned. There may well be a better $2000 dac on the market. I simply haven't heard it yet. There are certainly some $5000 dacs that aren't as good because I've heard them in my own home.
One reason I've appreciated this forum is that someone has taken the time to actually LISTEN to gear and compare them...as opposed to the typical "theoretical" discussions in which people talk about what they've "heard" others "say." |
Vhiner and all other Bidat owner. I stepped out of line and do regreat I typed what I did.
I am sure your cables are fine and doing their job.
Maybe one day I can here a fully modded Bidat and have a good time with it. |
Glory,
You clearly know your audio. What are these incredible cables that you've found? I'm sure they'll impress everyone on this forum because, obviously, no one who's posted here, me included, would have ever tried any esoteric cables. We're just a bunch of shiftless old farts, happy to play around with digital relics until someone with your insight comes along and sets us all straight. Or maybe it's that my and everyone else's cables are all too expensive. I'm sure you'll know. |
The Bidat is old stuff upgraded to the 90's old stuff. Get some good cables and you will get rid of the Bidat. |
I wanted to also back away from something I stated earlier concerning iTunes down-sampling. It is not nearly as bad as I mentioned when the Bidat first arrived. I can only hypothesize that the pre-broken in Bidat and the down-sampled files didn't have simpatico :) Now that the Bidat is broken in my down-sampled files sound stunning with the Bidat via iTunes... so many variables :) |
Wanted to clear something up, in speaking with John Wright at Museatex he made me aware that I had been incorrectly refering to his "Factory Upgrades" as mods. He does not do modifications to the Bidat they are factory updates, which makes sense as Museatex is the company which produced the units :)
If you have a Bidat, then you already know it is better that the vast majority of what is being offered, even dacs with very high price tags... but you owe it to yourself to have the latest factory upgrades performed on the unit. |
Also, I have found out that M2Tech will be releasing a higher end product sometime in the future (I don't have a time-line as yet) which will also have a AES/EBU connection. I am completely sold on the HiFace which IS Asynchronous. Guys before you drop major coinage on some of these other USB to SPDIF converter, try the BNC $180.00 24/192khz capable HiFace, I think you may find it as great as I did. |
Ok, so I can say that now the Bidat is one of the finest 16 bit dacs I have ever heard or owned!!! Having said that, MSB's latest gear is better when playing 24 bit material (as would be expected) but only when one has gone to significant lengths to configure the source optimally. In this case that involves a mac mini, channl D's Pure Music software (which must be setup just right) and other little things.
The Bidat still sounds more ravishing than the MSB, but the MSB simply gives you more information and resolution. Even on 16 bit material the MSB tells you more about the event while being very musical and is the antithesis of the majority of digital I hear out there today. The Bidat is just simply beautiful to listen to; I would say that the Bidat can be plugged into nearly any amp directly and simply allow you to melt into the music, whereas the MSB will need coaxing and perhaps the "right" preamp to ring the best out of it.
Either way they are both fabulous for what they do...the Bidat for rendering the BEST 16 bit music I have ever heard, and the MSB for being nearly as beautiful sounding but with more information being passed along in the process. I see the MSB being my preference when I am listening to complex orchestral pieces or jazz ensembles. Not that the Bidat does not excel at this too, it does but the added information of the MSB lends itself to these formats.
This is the most difficult comparison of 2 products I have ever been involved with...(and you may have noted that at times my statements appear contradictory which attests to the difficulty these two pieces have presented me with) I am keeping both and maybe moving up the MSB line (I have the Power DAC, which is a non modular Platinum DAC 3). I also want to try the Playback Designs MPD-5.
John, the Bidat is a wonder and one of the finest dacs (with your' mods) extant.., well in my listening experiences anyway :) |
Thanks for the info guys. Well I better get my Bidat ready for shipping then. :) So it sounds like the latest break through in upgrades happened early this year? The only problem now is I don't know how I"m going to live wthout Bidat in my stereo setup. In the past I had Bitstream and Idat-44 to rely on while Bidat was traveling.
Friend of mine brought his Bitstream over to my house as its been a while since I have listened to it. His unit was upgraded at the same time as my Bidat. It does sound good but very distant from Bidat. Line out is much lower (I use passive preamp) so its hard to say why it didnt impress me. Also it was sensitive to the choice of digital cable. I could hear the difference between toslink and coax, but Synapse wasnt making such a dramatic change as with Bidat. When I purchased my Bidat it already had Ed Meitner's Plus update (add-on vertical PCA attached to the main PCA). The sound of Idat-44 (battery powered in stock form) in AB comparison was realy close to Bidat. Though I realized what I was missing very shortly after I shipped Bidat to John to get the latest mods installed. Bitstream sounded very different from idat-44 and bidat. Line out on Bitstream prior to updates was higher than on Bidat, with Idat-44 being the quietest. I heard Idat-44 past Johns2008 upgrade only briefly. It wasnt broken-in yet, so it sounded harsh. I sold Idat-44 before it had the Johns updates installed and the guy who bought it asked me to get the latest mods from John before shipping it over to him overseas. I should have kept that little unit, but it was sitting and collecting dust I figured I should let someone else enjoy it instead.
I use M-Audio Transit in asynchronous mode with my PC laptops. It doesnt sound horrible, but nothing special whatsoever. I read about its hidden asynchronous mode of operation. If you connect toslink input it will lock to sampling frequency of the clock extracted from the stream. This is not as good as having a good clock on the board but typically better then synchronous mode of operation. I was planning on buying Empirical USB-SPDIF converter but changed my mind several times. Now Im happy Ive done that as there are new generation converters from wavelength, empirical audio, as well as hiface, musicaland and such
|
Tpaxadpom,
I have a Bidat that has gone through two sets of Mods; one in late 2007 and one in December of 2009. Audiofun's unit was done in 2010, shortly after John made a power supply breakthrough. The difference between the first and second mods, for me, was that the unit's soundstage was deepened and the whole presentation was made more "analog" and more "musical," which is saying quite a bit when you consider how musical the Bidat already was. I have heard the results of John's power supply innovation on my Museatex Bitstream, so I plan on getting the same treatment performed on my Bidat. Certainly, the latest mods are a quantum leap ahead of the 2006 mods. |
FYI, I want to be clear that the Bidat DOES work incredibly well with the HiFace unit when listening to music maybe even sounds a tad better on some material (perhaps due to the memory mode buffer) than the built in Tos (tlaking Tos with a superb glass cable). But is you use the Bidat for audio when watching movies or actually ANY dac the Hiface will cause lip-sync error i.e. the speech will lag the video by about .25 seconds or so (timing is a rough guess I did not measure it :) |
Tpaxadon: Well this is my 3rd Bidat :) My original Bidat was purchased around 1997 when I heard from a reputable source that a number of the bigger reviewers of the day were using Bidats on the hush hush for their personal syste, (regardless of what they were writing of the +$30K dac crowd). It was a SuperBidat. Now in November 1998 I sold it when I bought the Sony SCD-1...selling my Bidat is what I consider the biggest mistake since getting into this hobby :)
I had another Bidat (owned 2 at the same time) which was a plus but done earlier by the fellow who owned it before me so I don't know when it was modded, I do know it was at least 2 years ago because I bought it from a friend who had it for that time and it was modded when he acquired it. I sold that unit, as my current model was being finished up by John. This unit will have 3 weeks on it come this Wednesday :)
I will purchase and try one of the Belkin digital cables. I use a Monarchy Audio Glass Tos which is absolutley fantastic and as I have stated elsewhere in this thread the only digital cable I have tried which can match the FIM Gold Coax digital cable. I have to use Tos with the Bidat for now, because the Bidat takes up residence in my bedroom system connected to a Mac Mini. Whilst I do use and love the HiFace by M2Tech (I use in "Hog Mode") with the MSB, I can't use it with the Bidat because the Bidat currently does double duty when watching movies. The HiFace uses a big memory buffer which cause lip Sync issues (with video) thus I use the Tos.
"Hog Mode" is a feature of Pure Music which allows me to permanently anchor one output to iTunes. Thus when I play songs from iTunes whichever dac is plugged into the Hiface will play while the Audio Midi setting are set to "System Output" and everything else will be played out the built in output of the mac mini. This works well and I think it was ingenious of the ChannlD folks to come up with this.
The Bidat is still one of the Finest 16 bit playback machines extant and a permanent resident in my system... Heck im still thinking of picking up a second one... again LOL!!! |
Audiofun, I'm a big Bidat fan, so it's very entertaining for me to read your thread. When was your Bidat upgraded the last time prior to sending it to John? I had mine upgraded to latests form back in 2006. I wonder if you can share your thouhgts on John's latest upgrade.
As far as digital cables going I've been using ebay version of glass toslink with my Bidat for several years. It's a unique glass toslink that outperformed Wireworld Super Nova 5. It's directional and sound very different from other dozen of identical cables I bought from ebay. I have no idea why though... Anyhow this toslink was not quite in the same league as Marigo Apparition 5.7 or Reference 2 cables (though it outperformed Apparition 3A) it had a very interesting midrange that added some special touch to female vocalist, something that I couldnt live without. Ive been using this cable as my main digital interconnect until I discovered Belkin Digital Synapse cable. It's so good that I don't think I will ever replace it with anything else (I mean with Bidat DAC). It acts as some sort of filter that get's rid off high frequency noise and allow you to hear recording the way it was intended to be heard (isnt what we always say when we try to justify the purchase?). It's like highest quality analog playback without any digital emphasis. The most interesting part is that I never felt like I had a digital flavor in my system until I heard this coax. You won't know that until you hear it. Another interesting aspect that worse mentioning is upper bass and lower midrange. I think this is the most critical frequency spectrum that adds body to vocalist and controls my comfort level. Bidat has this range covered better than any other DAC Ive heard. |
Lev: Thanks man... I am having fun and I am very glad some people are enjoying my quest/endeavor. Like I said when I started this thread it was about comparing dacs head to head and reporting what "I" heard ... unbiased.
As I have found many dacs don't stand up to muster, but for a currently available dac I do think the MSB gear (when massaged correctly :) is in the top echelon. I still have to get the Playback Designs MPD-5 which I am really looking forward to. I'll report more as I hear things worth a blurb or two. |
I have a power dac which is according to MSB is a Platinum without the modularity. The power dac has the 16x filter not the 32x filter and it has the second gen dac modules not the signature. I have been told by unnamed persons at MSB that it is very very close in sound to the Platinum Signature dac but the signature has more detail. More was said but I don't want to put it on this forum, hope you guys understand.
The testing was on redbook but honestly as the bidat has broken in, 24 bit material down sampled sounds very good, but head to head on Diana Krall Quiet Nights 24/96khz : the MSB playing at full resolution vs the bidat playing the file being down sampled by iTunes ... The MSB is noticeably better and not by a little. |
this thread has be fantastic. much appreciated Audiofun!. those of us who can't delve into the upper echelons of digital (but dream anyway) have been enjoying it greatly. although you've made clear these are only your thoughts/opinions, they've seemed very honest, clear and helpful. man i'd love to be you!!! =)
thanks again
cheers
Lev |
Audiofun,
Is the MSB unit you have the company's top-of-the-line configuration? Additionally, I'm assuming your most recent post applies to redbook only? |
One other thing concerning the MSB, you have probably read people describe its character (sound) as laid-back. It is... it is a very languid sounding unit, and if you decide to team it with a preamplifier, I suggest you do NOT use a laid back euphonic warm and fuzzy pre. Something a bit on the concise and fast side of the track would probably work better. I could imagine the Sonic Frontiers 'Line' series would be a good match as well as others. |
