Bidat vs Perfect Wave vs Weiss and others


This is thread I started a while ago and promised in February i would start doing some real world comparative testing using the Bidat (Plus Mod) as the ref. The units under test are to include in no specific order the MSB Platinum Dac, the Weiss Minervera and the Playback Design player. I posted this under the follow-up of the original thread and it is there is you do a search under Digital for "ps audio perfect". I can't understand why it did not 'promote' to the top of the digital section as it did in the past whenever there was a new contribution, so I have started a new related thread with the first entry of my fun (and I hope edifying comparative experiences).
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Ok, I just got a broken in Weiss Minerva (several hundred hours at least). It has been in my system burning in for about 18 hours (18 hours since arriving in my home, time to come to thermal equilibrium). I have done some comparative listening to the Museatex Dcc-1 (a rarely known digital preamp 19 bit dual differential type) using glass Tos on both and then glass on the DCC1 vs a very expensive (can't name it yet as the manufacturer has not released it...sorry :( ) Firewire on the Weiss. I have a Mac Mini (2007 model) 2.0 ghz Core2Duo with 4Gig of ram running Leopard (although this model can only see 3.01 gig of that (I used 4gig as the memory transfer is optimized when the mem modules are the same). I also have a 1TB NAS (all over wifi). I am of course going to reserve final judement until a bit later.

I will be comparing the Museatex Bidat with the Plus Mod later this weekend. As a teaser, I will go on record and say that honestly at this point I don't agree with the stellar reviews concerning the Weiss Minerva.

It is resolute, almost technicolor but just to give you a short glimpse of what I am hearing, I could imagine a well healed vinyl person listening to Holly Cole on vinyl and then listening to the Weiss (playing the same in CD format) and saying "this is why I will never leave vinyl". Now that may sound harsh, but this is a hobby and I don't have a dog in the race, I am just reporting my ears findings.

I listened to a few high resolution files 176.4/24 and 96/24 but what I heard was a really clear highly resolved soul-less rendition of the music. It never ever made me smile or relax into the music the way the DCC-1/Bidat or even my former (when I actually spun cd's...wow time flies) stellar Dynavox Dynastation 2 (the finest CD player I have ever heard).

In a nutshell (at this point) it just sounds like digital and that aint good in my camp because I am not forgetting about the gear and just listening to the music. I don't like syrupy or dark, I have heard plenty of players try to use that trick to sound musical. No, I look for something that is more elusive and few their be that find that magical combination when forging through the nether regions of the digital domain. I will continue listening to see if the Weiss surprises me :)

More to come...
audiofun
The Weiss 202 dac and the Weiss Minerva. Europeans are claiming that they hear little benefits in moving from the Minerva to the 202.
Take it all with a grain of salt and bias. The minerva is fantastic, anyone saying otherwise has bias of some sort. It's always great to hear those that say what they own is the BEST. I own the DAC2, not saying it's the best, but it is fantastic. Some posters have proclaimed the perfection of their products...
Hatari: This whole thing started out as my quest for (as mentioned above) to find a 24/192 dac that could at LEAST match the sound of my Bidat. This has been friendly (in my opinion) and as the one who started the thread I have to say telling me that I have a 'bias' because I found the Minerva sterile and a-musical is not in keeping with the spirit of the thread. This was to share my quest with others as I knew I would have a lot of gear in my home to test side by side. You seam tp like the DAC 2, I am glad. I OWN the Bidat and the DCC-1, I am shopping for the others. The fact that AMR 77 sounded as fantastic as it did made me think that maybe 24/192 should not be my immediate goal.

As I stated many times before I still have to test the MSB which I should have tomorrow and I will be getting a Playback Design to test at a later date... so I do not understand your entry to this thread.

I do think the Bidat is one of the best dacs extant and so do a great number of people which is why you rarely see them for sale some 10 years after their introduction and then I believe the ones you do see are mostly a result of hard financial times forcing the sale.

As I said earlier I have taken photos of all the gear I have tested in the same rack with the same gear... i.e. I know of what I speak.

I am not selling anything and I work for no-one except my own software company.

Lets keep this fun. I am not saying the Minerva is not amazing for you, I am saying it can not remain in my system.

Please re-read your statement. I am a Porsche fan and owner, I am not super fond of Ferrari's but what if I made a statement that anyone who says that Porsches are not "Fantastic" has a bias....perhaps they don't like Porsches :)

This post is for those interested in my ongoing real-world non-biased (non stock holding status in any of these companies) opinion. And I am going to buy the one that sounds the best to my ears while being honest about what I hear from the others regardless of what the magazine reviewers may have to say ...

Keep'n real
no worries Audiofun. i'm looking forward to you're thoughts and see them for what they will be.....your thoughts. it's great that you have an opportunity to do such well controlled comparisons of such cutting edge digital gear. it's even better that you're taking the time to share what *you think and hear*. i for one really appreciate it.

that said. i won't be chiseling your opinions in stone =). no doubt they will be of value but they will always be your thoughts. i'm sure others can/will legitimately hear things differently.

now get busy and don't forget the cables!
Levy03: Thanks for appreciating what I am doing for what it is; my opinion on sundry digital gear. Also I am glad you realize that I do not expect my opinion to be chiseled in stone :) Like I said this is about fun and enjoyment, but I also want to truthfully report what I hear in an unbiased and truthful way...which I know will not please everyone.