Weiss Minerva Dac

If what Drubin says is correct, then USB / Single Digital Cable from Transport to DAC should be possible for 24/192.

Is that so ?

What I am interested in learning is if any person has compared a Weiss DAC against a 'respected' CD Player & can write some comments on it.
I am more interested to learn how a CD Player performs against a computer / firwire DAC.
Thanks.

The DAC is 'Minerva' & not the Medea !

The Medea is an older DAC & is much much more exp.
This is a 'new' DAC & it is relatively 'cheap'

The greatest usp of it is that it can connect to the Mother board of a Computer / Music Server with a Firewire - 13944 - 6 pin cable.

No Sound Card is required.

HDD - CPu - RAM - Firewire Port - Minerva

http://www.weiss-highend.ch/minerva/index.html

This is the product.

Basically in the HRX - Ref Rec CD [DVD] it is 'miles' ahead of anything I have heard.
dCS / Teac Esoteric / EMM etc. etc.
There is just no comparison.

However, I still need to listen to this DAC [with a computer as a transport] against 'respectable' CD Players in my set up, before I pass any judgement.
That will happen after 1 month.
Shall post again.

schwinnaudio

13.01.2009.

Mumbai - India

"Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC can lock @ 176KHz"

I am sure it can;
CES 2009 had a lot of guys using the B.A.D. - Alpha DAC.

However, I have not heard it, so cannot comment on its performance.

The Minerva 'locks' @ 192 - If I remember correct;

01-14-09: Alexsee
this is all a bit confusing...

aren't AES/EBU, SPDIF Coax, & Toslink cables limited to 24bit 96kHz bandwidth, & USB 2.0 cables limited to 24bit 48kHz bandwidth?

how does one feed raw 24bit 176kHz (&/or 196kHz) data into these DACs with just a single cable?

Hello Sir [Alexsee] !

You are correct;
SPDIF & AES/EBU cannot carry more than 24/96.
Hence, top end Transport & DAC's [Esoteric & dCS] use 'dual' connections. Left & Right from Transport to DAC. Even Chord has 2 cables & that too can only transmit 176 Khz.

Basically, to send 24/192 from a transport to a DAC either a 'firewire' has to be used or a 'proprietory' cable like what is used by Accuphase.

However, all those DAC's [Teac / dCS / Accuphase] cannot accept digital inputs from a computer, since no computer sound card gives you 2 digital outs [192 KHz sampling].

USB too cannot support sampling frequencies of 192 Khz.

Basically, one needs to get 3 things sorted out.
A - Digital out from a 'source' [computer or CD Transport] @ 192 Khz.
B - DAC that can accept 192 KHz & 'lock' @ that rate.
C - Word Clock [master / slave]

Yes, the HRX recordings from RR are from a 'different planet' Just too good. No CD / SACD can come close to it ! All must hear them. Keith Johnson has done a great job !! Bravo !!

btw, is anyone currently using the Lynx AES-16 24/192 digital I/O? what kind of cables/connectors does this btw the I/O & the DAC?

Sir,

This still clocks @ 24/96
Cannot do 24/192
The Digital Out on the Lynx Card cannot give 192 Khz out on a SPDIf - AES / EBU.
So any External DAC only gets a 92 KHz input.

Forget RR HRX recordings.

This Minerva can accept 24/192 output from a computer. That can only happen via firewire. This is its biggest USP. Even dCS has the same cable connection format for its Scarlati System.

Sir [Luvwine],
We have the same CD Player.
Mine is Black - Serial # 08306PV6044 - Black.
This is a superb CD Player. Great VFM !!!

Your question is valid & I do not have an answer for it.
My 'technical provice' is rather limited; so I too ask for forgivness - in the event of some misrepresentation, however, from what ever little I know, 24/96 can go on SPDIF / AES-EBU.
However, 24/192 needs 2 cables.
This is done in Chord [Blu + 64]
Teac Esoteric - P3 + D3 & P0 + D0 etc.
dSC Scarlatti
etc. etc.

USB can do 24/96. Again 24/192 is not possible.
Except for Firewire nothing I know that can transmit 24/192.
Can your Oppo DVD give a 24/192 output ?
24/92 - yes I can accept, but 24/192. I do not know....

Thanks,

Cary Audio CD 306 SACD Professional [Serial # 08306PV6044 - Black]
Meridian 808i.2 Signature Reference CD Player [Serial # 808-200379]
Bow Technologies ZZ Eight - 2008 Version - V8 [Serial # 1528] - Signature [BT]
Weiss Minerva - 1394 Firewire DAC - Black [Serial # 1118]