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DAC Pairing with Woo Audio WA22 - Page 2

post #16 of 25
5/1/10 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikemalter View Post
Are you driving your WA22 with balanced interconnects? I have the same DAC as you and am wondering how you think the combination DLIII & WA22 perform together?

Thanks.
Yep, my setup is completely balanced. I've gotta say that the WA22 & DLIII are a great combination. This is my first real headphone setup so I don't have much experience, but in my opinion it's pretty much perfection. It handles anything I throw at it, from movies to music to games, and has never let me down.

One of my goals was to buy my first and last headphone setup, and I think I did a pretty good job of attaining that goal.
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post #17 of 25
5/1/10 at 2:25pm
I am another user that can vouch to how great a Cullen DL III is! I had previously compared the stock form and the modified version and though the upgrades were worth the price in my book. The stage 4 Cullen had more body and depth to the sound and made it a little less analytical than the stock version. My only concern with the DL III is the slightly outdated USB connection which only goes to 44/16.

I am currently an owner of a Perfectwave Dac and do feel that there is a bit of an improvement from the Cullen DLIII, but not a massive leap in SQ when connected to USB or Toslink. The reason I upgraded is the the upcoming Bridge that will eliminate all the deficiencies of using Toslink / Coax / USB and stream music from a UPNP through I2S. Now if you have no interest in using it as a networked DAC, I would stick to the Cullen DLIII as it is truly world class. When going into exotic DACs, I feel that they aren't necessarily 'superior' in terms of sound quality, but instead at the own special sauce to the sound signature, which is what people go after.
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post #18 of 25
5/1/10 at 3:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by monsieurguzel View Post
The reason I upgraded is the the upcoming Bridge that will eliminate all the deficiencies of using Toslink / Coax / USB and stream music from a UPNP through I2S.
I'm planning to upgrade to a PWD for the same reason; the bridge. I've always been interested in how the DLIII with the level 4 mods stacks up to a stock PWD, so thank you for the comparison.

You probably already are thinking about this, when the bridge becomes available, it reduces the need for a usb connection. You can connect the DAC through the bridge to your computer and bypass USB.

Currently I'm living in Apple's walled garden as all of my music is on a iPod (lossless). At work I have a Wadia i170 and stream music to the DLIII. I can also listen to Radio Paradise over the internet the same way.

With the bridge and PS Audio's Apple app, I'll be able to get to my (future) music server at home which will have a lot of FLAC and other music that is impossible to get to because of iTunes limited ability to import.
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post #19 of 25
5/1/10 at 8:26pm
Technically, once you have the Bridge installed (it is a card that slots in the back of the PWD), you don't need a computer at all. The only thing required is a NAS with all the music stored on and organized however you want, which can be streamed through wireless or ethernet. As for itunes, the PWD will be able to even read your iTunes library and automatically update when you add new songs to your library. In terms of FLAC, there is actually a hack so that iTunes can read flac files, but I find it easier to convert all my music to ALAC with a program called MAX, which solves all my problems and allows me to load up the same files on an iPod also.
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post #20 of 25
5/1/10 at 8:40pm
how would you describe the interface for the PWD, in terms of accessing music and playlists over network from a NAS?
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post #21 of 25
5/1/10 at 8:46pm
The wa22 has kind of a relaxed presentation. A dac with a little aggressiveness might do well with it. Maybe a dac1 or lavery unit.
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post #22 of 25
5/1/10 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by El_Doug View Post
how would you describe the interface for the PWD, in terms of accessing music and playlists over network from a NAS?
It's an iPhone (iTouch) app. It's very easy to use. Here's a link to a PS Audio newsletter that has a screen shot of it along with a description of how it would work. PS Audio - December 2009 PS Newsletter : Fresh & Informative Stories of High-end Audio, Video & Music.

Also, PS Audio is building their own NAS so that there is a really easy way to get it all hooked up. Some NAS' are harder to setup than others, and this one will be more plug and play than plug and pray.
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post #23 of 25
5/1/10 at 10:25pm
I tried the prototype WA22 in my home with a DLIII last summer, and thought it was a good pairing. The tubes were upgraded to a pair of Sylvania 7236, with Sophia Princess 274B, and it was the early model with RCA 12AU7 and not 6SN7 tubes.
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post #24 of 25
8/9/10 at 4:08pm

Its seems the DL3 is a hit with the WA22, especially with the Cullen mods. Speaking of Collen mods, I am intrigued about the idea of pairing Rick Cullen's W4S DAC-1 with the WA22. These dacs are at the forefront of my "must have list," but I'm also considering the audio gd ref5.

 

Too many options!!!

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post #25 of 25
8/9/10 at 5:43pm

FWIW, I recently ordered a WA2 and will be pairing it with my DL III.  Jack had some great things to say about the DAC and thinks it pairs very well with his amps.  Even in stock form, you can't go wrong with the DL III.

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