PS Audio PerfectWave DAC Upgrade


Paul McGowan has leaked some information about a major upgrade the perfectwave DAC that will be coming out within the next few weeks. Pricing as of yet unknown, but current units will be field (DIY) upgradable.

Apparently, major changes were made to the digital processing board, involving changes in the powersupplies, and replacement of CMOS switching for the gates and clocking with analog switches.

Second, new jitter reducing circuitry called NativeX was implemented.

There are more as of yet unannounced new features.

Apparently, SQ on all inputs will benefit, including the bridge. Exciting stuff.
edorr

Showing 7 responses by mrtennis

beware what you want, for you may get it.

i have the pwd, and called the company about the upgrade. from what i understand, the upgrade will give you more resolution and greater separation.

this approach seems to be their gestalt for designing most of their products. i have owned many ps audio gear and ever since they introduced their first digital cable , lab cord and other power cords, their subsequent products, have become more resolving and less warm.

i would want to hear the new version before i consider the upgrade, especially, since "cloud" computing is irrelevant to me.
for those who have ordered the upgrade, what sonic benefits do you expect to achieve ?

i have the pwd, and i am concerned that the upgrade will increase resolution, which i feel it is not lacking. i use the pwt with the dac, via hdmi.

i have tried other digital interfaces and consider the hdmi mode the warmest of all. yet, the combination is not tube like at all. i prefer my audionte , a 1992 cd player.

i don't think the pwd needs and more resolution, dynamics, lowering of the noise floor or reduction in inaccuracy. so, what is to be gained by upgrading, considering the cost of doing so ?
regarding jitter, i have an interesting experience to report.

several years ago, a friend of mind and i compared commercial cds with the same titles mastered by bmg.

we both heard differences between the two masterings.

the bmg version was less dynamic, less focused, softer, but more listenable, as a slight veil, mitigated the nastiness of some poorly recorded cds.

i preferred the bmg version.

we sent the bmg discs, to chesky, to be analyzed by dick katz, who was, at the time, the recording engineer.

he sent back the discs with a note suggesting that the bmg discs had more jitter.

this experience led to conjecture that more jitter is not always more unpleasant than less jitter.

in addition, when using the term more analogue, it doesn't necessarily mean more tube-like, softer in the treble and less focused.

the term, "digital" may refer to frequency response aberrations, especially in the treble.

in additiopn, as i have said, having followed the evolution of the products of ps audio, they tend to make improvements in the direction of greater resolution and transparency.
an example will illustrate my thesis.

my friend purchased ps audio's first, top-of-the line digital cable (coax), while i purchased the second version, also, top-of-the-line.

when comparing the digital cables, both of us preferred the earlier version, as it was more full bodied and balanced.

while many appreciate such an approach, i am concerned that if i am accurate in my prediction, the upgrade may improve the sound of well-recorded cds but reveal the flaws in poor quality discs.

thus, a trade-off will be created giving the listener some improvements, but perhaps, also including some degradation in sound, depending upon sound quality.

in any case, i have received good advise to wait for reports from those who have acquired and listened to the affects of the upgrade, before considering purchasing thee upgrade.
several months ago i inquired as to the sonic benefits of the upgrade.

i received , essentially, two answers.

the first, "analogue" sound, the second, a suggestion to try it for myself and return it if i wasn't satisfied.

i wonder if someone could be specific in rwo areas, namely bass and highs.

do the highs seem more extended, or do they sound less sharp ? perhaps almost rolled off ?

does the bass sound deeper or have more impact ??

considering the cost of shipping, twice if i don't care for the upgrade, i would like to have some confidence before i consider the upgrade.

as many know, i prefer a darker sound, and so i wonder if the upgrade goes in that direction ?
hi mcondon:

i appreciate the distinction between the two versions of the mark 2 upgrade.

the question is will i prefer the 2.02 upgrade to not upgrading at all ??

i know that question cannot be answered definitively, but i notice significant changes accruing from varying digital cable.

the cost of the upgrade may be better allocated to another area in the stereo system.
hi mcondon:

are you suggesting that the only benefits from the 2.02 board are bass definition and an improvement in staging??

i use either i2s or coax as my input from the pwt to the pwd.
does anyone have a theory as to why there are so many pwds, for sale, given the availability of upgrades ??