[BoogieWoogie]

Just to make it clear. I'm talking about the northstar 192

 

[colinharding]

Ahhh my misunderstanding, the Northstar is very nice as well

 

[Lazyboy_sg]

Quote:

Just to make it clear. I'm talking about the northstar 192

I am using the same DAC as well....for almost 4 years now....loving it...it's feeding my Quad Pre-34 and Quad Power 606 driving a pair of Harbeth M30s.

 

[colinharding]

That's about as analogue as it gets for solid state haha, I like it!!

 

[complin]

Yes they are available in the Uk @ £2314 so equivalent to approx $3400
Quote:

I definitely plan on taking one for a spin. I'm unsure of EU availability, but the pro shops here all carry it. The matching Burl B2 Bomber ADC is very popular with the pros. Interestingly the DAC seems tailored more to audiophiles than studio engineers. Burl could probably put it in a nice enclosure and sell it for $4K if they wanted to. The word clock I/O is also a nice feature at this price level.

 

[Rumbleripper]

Just recently received my PS Audio PWD II with bridge. It is replacing my Calyx 24/192 DAC with dedicated PSU and it has been burning in since tuesday and without question it is a very musical DAC and a step up over the Calyx which was a very nice DAC in its own right. Haven't tried the bridge yet, just Async USB out of my Mac Mini and it sounds very nice with the Liquid Lightning and SR-009's.

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Just recently received my PS Audio PWD II with bridge. It is replacing my Calyx 24/192 DAC with dedicated PSU and it has been burning in since tuesday and without question it is a very musical DAC and a step up over the Calyx which was a very nice DAC in its own right. Haven't tried the bridge yet, just Async USB out of my Mac Mini and it sounds very nice with the Liquid Lightning and SR-009's.

What does it do better than the Calyx comparatively? 

 

[Rumbleripper]

Quote:

What does it do better than the Calyx comparatively? 

Always thought the Calyx was an excellent DAC, and I still think it is, but after listening to the PWD, it sounds a bit more "digital" than the PSA offering. When I first got my SR-009's I found them a bit bright (coming from the LCD-3's) and that's when I decided to try another DAC. I was contemplating the Femto DAC from Calyx also, but its price was a bit steep, and being such a new product, it is difficult to get a hold off. After some research, I settled on the PWD and have been very happy with its synergy with the Stax, taming its slightly bright sound coming from the Calyx. With the PWD, there is no brightness issue at all, just pure musical enjoyment. I also find the soundstage to be expanded with the PWD slightly.
Also the PWD perfectly matches my PSA P5.

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Always thought the Calyx was an excellent DAC, and I still think it is, but after listening to the PWD, it sounds a bit more "digital" than the PSA offering. When I first got my SR-009's I found them a bit bright (coming from the LCD-3's) and that's when I decided to try another DAC. I was contemplating the Femto DAC from Calyx also, but its price was a bit steep, and being such a new product, it is difficult to get a hold off. After some research, I settled on the PWD and have been very happy with its synergy with the Stax, taming its slightly bright sound coming from the Calyx. With the PWD, there is no brightness issue at all, just pure musical enjoyment. I also find the soundstage to be expanded with the PWD slightly.
Also the PWD perfectly matches my PSA P5.

 
hey rumpleripper, very interested in your findings. may I ask what other DACs were at the top of your search list before you eventually settled on the PWD? I'm in the midst of doing the research for a new DAC as well - would be interesting to hear what you you were seriously considering and then decided would be bested by the PWD. I also use the 009

 

[Rumbleripper]

Quote:

 
hey rumpleripper, very interested in your findings. may I ask what other DACs were at the top of your search list before you eventually settled on the PWD? I'm in the midst of doing the research for a new DAC as well - would be interesting to hear what you you were seriously considering and then decided would be bested by the PWD. I also use the 009

Hey Athenaesword:
 
I was initially looking at the Femto, as I really liked the Calyx 24/192. The Femto only had a couple of reviews out that I could find and although very highly praised, were not as reviewed as the other DAC, that and its price and availability kind of ruled it out for me. Also read reviews on the Weiss DAC202 and the Zodiac Antelope Gold. After reading all the reviews on the Weiss, Zodiac and PWD II I started shopping for pricing and found a very good price for a new PWD II on audiogon. If you are interested in the price I paid and the seller (he may still have more) PM me and will get you the info. 

 

[complin]

Yes i've been looking at the PWD too.  However; I am a little concerned that many of the dealers are offering quite large reductions and freebies to get people to buy.  So is there some sort of problem or is it about to be replaced by something new in the near future?  I know they are launching an entry level DAC later in the year, but not as functional as the PWD.
 
Quote:

Hey Athenaesword:
 
I was initially looking at the Femto, as I really liked the Calyx 24/192. The Femto only had a couple of reviews out that I could find and although very highly praised, were not as reviewed as the other DAC, that and its price and availability kind of ruled it out for me. Also read reviews on the Weiss DAC202 and the Zodiac Antelope Gold. After reading all the reviews on the Weiss, Zodiac and PWD II I started shopping for pricing and found a very good price for a new PWD II on audiogon. If you are interested in the price I paid and the seller (he may still have more) PM me and will get you the info. 

 

[Rumbleripper]

Yes i've been looking at the PWD too.  However; I am a little concerned that many of the dealers are offering quite large reductions and freebies to get people to buy.  So is there some sort of problem or is it about to be replaced by something new in the near future?  I know they are launching an entry level DAC later in the year, but not as functional as the PWD.

Hey Complin:

I did not know dealers were offering huge discounts. I was able to pick one up new at a substantial savings. I have no problems with it and is definitely better than the 24/194. Not sure why the reductions? It seems to be quite favourably reviewed in the PWD thread here on head-fi.

 

[Solude]

The PWD2 is pretty much $2700 all day every day.  About the same used with a bridge.  Now if only one would pop without the dang bridge

 

[preproman]

Are the Audio-gd DACs held in high regards?  They have a new release out it seems.  Master 7
 
looking at:
 
Calyx
Ayre QB-9
Master 7
PWDII?
The new ECD-2 from Electrocompaniet?
 
If needed the:
 
Alph USB from Berkley.

 

[Radio_head]

PWD2 = $2700 new with bridge if you know where to look.