Weiss 501 DAC

Agree with the other owner thoughts in this thread (clean, clear, dynamic). I listened this morning to the Weiss 501, Igor Levit's Piano Sonata No. 30 (Beethoven), which I just heard Levit play at Carnegie the other week. No stereo is going to match Carnegie acoustics, but in terms of musical engagement, the Weiss is delivering. I agree with the Stereophile review's comment to the effect that it's as if you're looking at a picture that just has more pixels -- that's what's giving you the additional musical detail, not artificially upping the contrast settings on the picture. 

Love the small form factor as well -- ergonomics on this are perfect, as I personally don't want a hulking 20+ lb. box for a DAC.

@celtic66  said ”In my estimation I did not overpay for Swiss engineering, design and manufacture”…. Agreed, and in fact I’d say it’s a bargain.  Some of the other DACs or CD players I’ve owned also required a good streamer to get the best out of them.  I had the Luxman D08u with a Lumin U1, a Mojo Mystique with an Aurender N20, etc.  I went with Weiss to eliminate two boxes and so far this is at least as good using as a Roon endpoint, at half the price.  It’s just delightful to listen to.  Still early but after 100+ hours the detail And precision I heard at the beginning is now complimented by more natural presentation and tone, and a little more warmth.

@celtic66 

i too have ATC speakers, albeit scm19v2’s and am considering a streamer dac. the Weiss has entered my view, though it’s stretching the budget and may prevent an upgrade to scm40 passives.  
 

I was wondering if you’ve found the Weiss to be too cold with the ATC’s?  
 

thx

admranger  Not in the least is the Weiss 501 analytical.  It is simply magical in its ability to organize the whole affair.  As far as budget, I cannot speak to anyone’s financial affairs.  

I will submit that purchasing once with great satisfaction, enjoying that purchase for years, is fiscally better than years spent sneaking up on the prize with multiple purchases on the way.

My years experience with ATC includes ATC 19As, ATC 40As and now ATC 50As.  Sense a theme?  Active is where I live.  The very best of luck sorting the whole thing out.  Doubtful you can make a mistake here.  Ciao

Thanks @celtic66 !  I do sense a trend with your speaker selections.

What streaming app are you using with the Weiss?  I currently use the Lumin app to stream from my NAS.

While not as robust as Roon, it works and I don't really need all the features Roon offers.