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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
earflappin
87 posts
 
Apology accepted.... :-) BTW, John Keny (jkeny alias) offers a mod for 50 euros for the HiFace where he uses two outboard lithium batteries to provide the 3.3V to the clock and output stages versus using the stock regs which convert from the incoming 5V from the USB port. I'm getting one. I have to believe it offers a very nice sonic improvement over the already good stock version.

Audiofun - do you have the BNC HiFace or RCA? If your DAC has a BNC input and you are using the RCA HiFace you will be leaving some performance on the table. Check out Mike Galusha's review on Enjoy the Music. He tested both versions.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
I did buy the HiFace with the BNC connector. I use bnc/rca adapters. I will await your modified hiface review before opting for this option. As a user of the batter powered Power Dac I can attest to little if any difference when operated on battery vs AC power. Not saying there won't be a difference but as one who has designed power supplies, the differences in my opinion can be nill. If good quiet regulators are used the battery option should make very little difference. If they are noisy, it may add a noticeable benefit to the sound.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Ok, just got and installed the latest HiFace driver for OSX 10.5.X and I am happy to report that it is 100% bit perfect (pops and ticks are gone!!!) and sounds FANTASTIC!!! It has edged out the built in Tos output (using real-glass Tos).

I am very very pleased and I think I will be purchasing a few more of these units. This is the device we have been waiting on... 24/192khz capable (FAR FAR better than any USB dac I have heard) and for $180.00 (BNC).
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Final word on the MSB, this has been the MOST difficult digital product I have ever judged.., whew!!!

OK, on the right vibration control equipment (you must experiment) under and on top AND with the right interface feeding it...I now love it. I am using the HiFace with the unit with the latest drivers and it is so good I pulled the ad of off Agon (yeas I was going to sell it, but no-longer).

I highly recommend it, but it takes a bit of care to ring the best out of it. In my opinion this is not a plug and play dac. One must 'tune' it so to speak. When it is burned in and paired with the right source it is an awesome sounding device. I am keeping it :)

Oh, I am still purchasing the Playback Designs MPD-5. I don't think I am opting for the SACD version as I don't own any (sold them a while ago) and I don't really spin physical media.
earflappin
87 posts
 
Audiofun, I am enjoying living vicariously through your DAC reviews. I have heard great things about the MSB Platinum and the Playback Designs - it will be interesting to hear your impressions of how they compare.

One red herring for me in this thread is the comment that the Weiss and Berkeley sound similar and that if one isn't impressed with the Weiss then they won't like the Berkeley. I think you will find Chris Connaker's review on Computer Audiophile to confirm this point. Now, that being said, as good as the Berkeley is to my ears it does have a HF "zing" on CDRB.

The other thing about the Berkeley, which may be true on other DAC's as well, is that it is sensitive to incoming jitter and noise. In other words, to hear the Berkeley at its best one needs a very high quality AES or SPDIF interface. The Lynx AES16 is nowhere near good enough IMO. As I posted above, a Legato async USB-to-SPDIF converter made a dramatic improvement in sound quality. Berkeley is coming out with their own async USB-to-AES converter which I suspect will produce the best sonic performance.

Anyway, keep us posted on your continuing quest. Have you thought about trying a Metric Halo ULN-8 DAC? This unit has gotten tremendous praise from both the pro audio and audiophile worlds. You need a Mac with a firewire interface and a DB25-to-XLR or RCA converter. The ULN-8 has a built in pre-amp and can function as a digital cross-over.
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