Perfect Wave DAC Owner Unite - Page 3

using the front panel power switch is really just turning the display off, all other circuitry remains powered up. To truly turn the unit off you need to use the back panel switch. Since it takes a while to warm up I'd only turn it off when going away for a few days.

I'd still be surprised if it starts shipping before September. Apparently the Beta's start in the next few weeks. My guess is that Beta testing will take at least two months, and that's if there are minimal problems.

Here's to a fast and trouble free beta test

Sorry, with the heat and everything I actually haven't been doing much listening, so I haven't done the comparisons between my Exemplar DAC and my PWD. Someone asked me about the USB input; I replied  -  I don't use USB. It is a flawed format. It was not engineered with high performance Audio transmission as the goal, SPDIF and AES/EBU were. I am 100% convinced that the headlong plunge that DAC's are taking towards the USB interface is Marketing driven. End users who want to use their computers as a source want it to be High Performance, but more importantly they want it to be easy, and magically low and behold USB (Which certainly is easy) suddenly becomes good, I don't buy it.

 

Of course the new USB DAC's are better than they were before, but that doesn't mean that the USB interface matches the performance of the older but DEDICATED digital audio transmission methods. It just means that they are getting better. So eventually I will do some comparisons between my DAC's, but not with USB. I have no interest in pursuing a flawed format. I anticipate that for Computer based audio I will be using PS Audio's Network Bridge (If it lives up to expectations (Hype)), and for spinning Discs I'll be using my Exemplar BDP-83SE (Which is still breaking in, but already sounding great).

The Network Bridge Beta Testers have been chosen, and the units are suppose to start shipping soon (Next week?). I wonder if any Head-Fi members are Beta Testers?

Please let me know how it goes with the bridge. Right now I have an Electrocompaniet ECD-1 and a Sonos ZP-90 which I'd like to replace with a PWD and bridge.

I'll be sure to post links to the Bridge Beta Testers blog.

I'm still waiting on the Bridge, so in the mean time a little comparison is in order.



The PWD is running SPDIF in via a Illuminati DV-75 digital cable being fed my Exemplar Audio modified Oppo BDP-83SE (My albeit biased choice for best mod of the Oppo player). The sampling rate of the PWD is set for Native which is just fine considering that the disc being used for this quick comparison is the Classic Records HDAD of Alan Parsons "I Robot" this is one of the Classic Records fantastic rare DVD-A discs that takes advantage of the seldom used 24/192 Stereo capability of DVD-A. The Filter option is set for Auto, to match volume the PWD has been turned down 1 click on it's volume control to match the output of the Exemplar exactly. Cables are SE vs Balanced Siltech's (otherwise identical). The outputs of both are running into my Parasound JC-2 preamplifier then my JC-1 Monos to a set of Usher BE-20 Loudspeakers. Power for both sources is coming from a PS Audio PPP.



I'm sorry but for those of you looking for me to declare a definitive winner in this contest are going to be disappointed. Both sources are uniformly Outstanding! The PWD has perhaps the smallest degree of extra warmth in the lower midrange, whereas the Exemplar BDP-83SE is perhaps a slightly bit more precise sounding, and I'm talking about degrees that are so small that with multiple auditions of the same tracks the differences are still nearly inaudible.



Both players as configured are world class, and I do mean world class sources. Both will retain places of pride in my He-Man Speaker Rig. The Exemplar will see duty playing all SACD's, and occasional duty playing DVD-A's. As far as Redbook 16/44.1 files are concerned that comparison has yet to be made, and it'll have to wait fot the Bridge to come in a week or so.



I'm truly excited about the prospects of the PWD/Bridge system, if it can maintain or possibly even improve on the sound quality that I'm currently getting feeding the PWD via SPDIF and add the functionality of computer sourced UPnP playback it will be a revolutionary product. Which takes nothing away from the Exemplar Oppo BDP-83SE Player. It gives world class audio play back of every silver disc that I can throw at it, and it's an awesome Blu-Ray player to feed my 1080P Projector. With either of these sources it looks as if you get to have your cake and eat it to.



The one thing that this comparison has reiterated for me is that everyone interested in achieving the best fidelity from your system needs to snap up as many of the Classic Records HDAD High Resolution DVD-A discs as you can before they totally disappear. I've got a dozen or so, and they are among my most prized discs in my collection. It's a massive shame that Classic Records has closed up shop, they were the only label that saw and took advantage of the best aspect of DVD-A discs (24/192 Stereo).



Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the 24/192 files onto my computer for playback and my personal archive of course.



Happy Listening -I'll add more once I get the Bridge.
Edited by Yikes - 7/17/10 at 12:31am

My understanding (and benefit) of the PWD (w/bridge) is the ability to play 24/96 audio files wirelessly from a connected network ext. HD.  I'm assuming this sound quality would be pretty much state-of-the-art.

 

That's what I would be expecting (and saving for).

 

Thoughts?

 

CJ
:)

Not entirely. The PWD IMO stands on it's sonic merits without considering the Network Bridge. Yes the Bridge if it lives up to the hype will make the PWD the goto DAC for high resolution Network streaming (supposedly up to 32 /192 files, even wirelessly). The PWD sounds great being fed 24/192 from my Oppo BDP-83se, or files from my dedicated Exemplar Music Server.

It's a breakthrough product as far as performance and flexibility goes. Are there better sounding DAC's? IMO, sure for much more money, but there are no other DAC's at any price that offer the complete feature set of the PWD.

If you don't want or need all of the features then the decision get's tougher. With the heat I still haven't gotten around to directly comparing the PWD to my Exemplar XD-1 DAC ($2500), but I can tell you they are close enough that I haven't been driven to take the PWD out of the system.