New from Weiss - the DAC 204 IN STOCK A TTVJAudio.com

[driedbeef]

Got my DAC204 two weeks ago, a very musical DAC, a pleasure to listen to, even with the stock SMPS.

However, when playing DSD files natively, there always is a "popping" sound the same time the DSD indicator on the front panel turns on. The popping sound increases as the system output volume increases on my preamp.

Already tried Foobar2000, Audirvana Origin, JRiver on Windows 11, and Audirvana 3.5 on macOS Sequoia, all having that annoying popping sound.

Not sure it is just my unit or the inherent defect of all DAC204. Have you guys got this issue?

 

[Highfive99]

Got my DAC204 two weeks ago, a very musical DAC, a pleasure to listen to, even with the stock SMPS.

However, when playing DSD files natively, there always is a "popping" sound the same time the DSD indicator on the front panel turns on. The popping sound increases as the system output volume increases on my preamp.

Already tried Foobar2000, Audirvana Origin, JRiver on Windows 11, and Audirvana 3.5 on macOS Sequoia, all having that annoying popping sound.

Not sure it is just my unit or the inherent defect of all DAC204. Have you guys got this issue?

Gotta be something with your system or possibly your 204. I'm running my 204 from a Lenovo mini desktop with Win 10 and Roon and have never heard anything like what you're experiencing with DSD. You could reach out to Daniel at Weiss for his thoughts on the issue. He does respond. The only anomaly I have ever experienced on very rare occassions is there is no audio when switching between toslink and USB. Power cycling the 204 fixes that. In over 19months of ownership that has happened maybe 3 or 4 times at most.

On an unrelated note, I contacted him about the possibility of producing a dac board for the 204 with a newer generation of ESS chip as the dac board in these is easy to replace and the fact the 204 is using an ESS chip that is a couple generations old now. I noticed on the site his 5 series dacs are mentioned as having the ability to be upgradeable with future hardware upgrades. So I inquired about a possible upgrade path for the 204 for people who just can't swing the cost of their higher end products. He says he will be giving it some thought. As happy as I am with the 204 it's always kind of bothered me a little it was produced not using the most current top end ESS chip at the time it was introduced to the market. But I understand the dac board itself in the 204 was developed using the ESS 9018 which was the top end chip at the time the board was developed which was before the DAC204 was introduced to the market.

 

[driedbeef]

Gotta be something with your system or possibly your 204. I'm running my 204 from a Lenovo mini desktop with Win 10 and Roon and have never heard anything like what you're experiencing with DSD. You could reach out to Daniel at Weiss for his thoughts on the issue. He does respond. The only anomaly I have ever experienced on very rare occassions is there is no audio when switching between toslink and USB. Power cycling the 204 fixes that. In over 19months of ownership that has happened maybe 3 or 4 times at most.

On an unrelated note, I contacted him about the possibility of producing a dac board for the 204 with a newer generation of ESS chip as the dac board in these is easy to replace and the fact the 204 is using an ESS chip that is a couple generations old now. I noticed on the site his 5 series dacs are mentioned as having the ability to be upgradeable with future hardware upgrades. So I inquired about a possible upgrade path for the 204 for people who just can't swing the cost of their higher end products. He says he will be giving it some thought. As happy as I am with the 204 it's always kind of bothered me a little it was produced not using the most current top end ESS chip at the time it was introduced to the market. But I understand the dac board itself in the 204 was developed using the ESS 9018 which was the top end chip at the time the board was developed which was before the DAC204 was introduced to the market.

Thanks for the tip, is weiss@weiss.ch the correct email to reach out to Daniel Weiss?

About DAC chip, personally I don't think changing from ES9018S to ES9038 Pro would make too much difference in terms of perceived sound quality, even though the latter is superior on paper.

Further more, since you have been using DAC204 for quite a long time, I wonder have you replaced the stock SMPS with LPS, like Weiss PSU102? What difference did it make, for better or worse?

 

[LoveKnight]

Thanks for the tip, is weiss@weiss.ch the correct email to reach out to Daniel Weiss?

About DAC chip, personally I don't think changing from ES9018S to ES9038 Pro would make too much difference in terms of perceived sound quality, even though the latter is superior on paper.

Further more, since you have been using DAC204 for quite a long time, I wonder have you replaced the stock SMPS with LPS, like Weiss PSU102? What difference did it make, for better or worse?

I can answer this question for you. Replacing the stock SMPS with other LPS do make the sound of Weiss 204 and 205 different. I tested with 2 LPS such as Ferrum Hypsos and Farad Super 3. The Farad makes the sound more organic and little warmer compare to Hypsos makes the sound more spacious, linear, neutral. My Farad Super 3 is just a basic version with cheap DC cable and normal fuse so I think about upgrade to better things. However my Weiss dac 205 really reveals the sound with everything I upgrade in the audio chain like cables like FTA sinope, FTA Thebis, Mutec MC-3 USB. Hopefully my post can help your question.

 

[driedbeef]

I can answer this question for you. Replacing the stock SMPS with other LPS do make the sound of Weiss 204 and 205 different. I tested with 2 LPS such as Ferrum Hypsos and Farad Super 3. The Farad makes the sound more organic and little warmer compare to Hypsos makes the sound more spacious, linear, neutral. My Farad Super 3 is just a basic version with cheap DC cable and normal fuse so I think about upgrade to better things. However my Weiss dac 205 really reveals the sound with everything I upgrade in the audio chain like cables like FTA sinope, FTA Thebis, Mutec MC-3 USB. Hopefully my post can help your question.

Thanks for sharing.

I have tried Weiss PSU102 for my DAC204, the result was disappointing.

Comparing to the stock SMPS, the differences PSU102 made was obvious: closer soundstage, fuller sound body, much prominent bass.

However, to me the sound with PSU102 was harsh, pushy and jarring. My ear was fatigue so quickly it was like being in a cinema where the sound system was overloaded with distortion.

With the stock SMPS, DAC204 was musical, detailed, balanced. With PSU102, those nice attributes are no more.

I had to return PSU102 to my dealer since I could not enjoy the music with it.

 

[LoveKnight]

Because you did not mention about your full audio chain so I do not know but the Weiss 204-205 and PSU102 are very neutral. If something wrong with the sound when you using PSU102 I think you should upgrade the upper chain too.

 

[driedbeef]

Because you did not mention about your full audio chain so I do not know but the Weiss 204-205 and PSU102 are very neutral. If something wrong with the sound when you using PSU102 I think you should upgrade the upper chain too.

My full audio chain is pretty simple:

Foobar2000 (Windows) or Audirvana (macOS) -> DIVINI UM-3 USB Cable -> Weiss DAC204 -> Mogami 2549 XLR Cable -> SPL Volume2 -> Mogami 2549 XLR Cable -> Genelec M040

DAC204 with stock SMPS was indeed very neutral, so you can imagine how shocked I was after adding PSU102 to it without changing anything else.

 

[LoveKnight]

Your music source is a problem I think. You might borrow some better music sources from someone I think like a music server or streamer and if possible try the coaxial port than the USB port. Mogami cables I have some around but I find them have pretty dry sound compare to FTA is another league.

 

[Jacks0n]

HI All,

The newest creation from the Swiss company Weiss is now in stock at TTVJAudio.com. The Weiss DAC 204 is a more affordable way to get into an outstanding Weiss DAC. Price $2895





The DAC204 is the most versatile and affordable USB DAC offered by Weiss. It can be permanently connected to multiple digital units and the user can easily switch between them with the front-mounted Input Selector switch.

The DAC204 has three digital inputs; USB, Toslink and S/PDIF and two analog outputs; balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA. It accepts all standard sampling frequencies from PCM 44.1kHz up to 384 kHz plus DSD 64x and 128x, and it can convert DSD to PCM. It employs no less than four oversampling sigma-delta D/A converters per channel, operated in parallel for enhanced signal-to-noise performance. Several signal reclocking schemes are combined for a high jitter attenuation.

An external power supply is included with the unit. All sensitive voltages have their own linear regulators. The result is an analog output free of “digital noise” and channel crosstalk. The DAC204 delivers a clean, neutral presentation with a high degree of musical integrity and excellent detail and separation of instruments.

The DAC204 is housed in a simple black chassis with a silver faceplate and delivers outstanding sonic performance for the money.

Call us to order at 406-285-3910 or order online here!

Todd

Weiss dropping the DAC204 kind of flew under the radar, but it looks like a solid piece of gear—especially if it carries over some of the character from the DAC501/502. Anyone tried it yet in a headphone setup? Wondering how it stacks up against something like the RME ADI-2 or even the Gustard R26 in terms of detail retrieval and tonal balance.


Also cool to see full USB, AES, and SPDIF support—seems pretty versatile for the size.

 

[Naimmuso]

Weiss dropping the DAC204 kind of flew under the radar, but it looks like a solid piece of gear—especially if it carries over some of the character from the DAC501/502. Anyone tried it yet in a headphone setup? Wondering how it stacks up against something like the RME ADI-2 or even the Gustard R26 in terms of detail retrieval and tonal balance.


Also cool to see full USB, AES, and SPDIF support—seems pretty versatile for the size.

I have owned Al of those DACs and in my headphone set up the 204 was my fave I preferred it to Rme ,benchmark dac 3 ,Laiv harmony ,chord tt2 gustard r26 ,I currently use Ifi audio idsd signature which is a great dac but not better than 204 ,I only sold 204 as it looked a bit ugly in my system but great sounding ,204 was used with Ferrum hypsos

 

[Highfive99]

Thanks for the tip, is weiss@weiss.ch the correct email to reach out to Daniel Weiss?

About DAC chip, personally I don't think changing from ES9018S to ES9038 Pro would make too much difference in terms of perceived sound quality, even though the latter is superior on paper.

Further more, since you have been using DAC204 for quite a long time, I wonder have you replaced the stock SMPS with LPS, like Weiss PSU102? What difference did it make, for better or worse?

I'm using a Keces P8 LPS. To my ears it's a very good combination with the 204. Nice improvement in overall sound quality. To me, in my system, it blows the stock SMPS into the weeds. It does, however, have 2 fuses. First one at the AC mains input where I swapped in a SR Master fuse after burning it in for about 200hrs. I wanted to hear if a burned in top line SR fuse would make a difference and it did. I have used SR fuses in the past in my amp, prior DDC and DAC. The 2nd fuses is located on the PCB board in the P8. That was a replaced with a burned in SR Black fuse. It also helped improve SQ.

As confirmation of the improvement, I went back to stock fuses after a month for a couple of days and noticed a dullness almost like a veil was in front of the speakers. The SQ just wasn't the same. And one nice thing about SR fuses whether you believe they affect SQ or not is that they come with a 30 day no questions asked return policy. Your ears don't notice a difference then just send them back to where you purchased them.

And, yes, that is email addr Daniel responds to. He might take a couple days but he's always responded to any email I've sent him.

Also, speaking of burn in, you should hear the 204 just get better as it racks up the hours.

About the 9018 vs 9038 chips, Weiss could have a bit of a marketing issue as buyers can see much less costly DACs and DAC's in it's price range are using the newer chips. To alot of buyers I'd think they'd see that and shy away from a fairly pricey DAC using a chip that's older than lower priced units are using. Hell, my Gustard X26Pro uses 2 9038Pro chips and was less than 1/2 the price of the 204. People see 2 newer chips in a less costly DAC vs an older chip in a pricey DAC. It's all perception to alot of buyers.
Also the 9039Pro chips are double the price of 9018S and a decade more developed(9018S was introduced back in 2013 so it's a 12year old chip now) so I'd think the difference in SQ would be fairly noticeable.

 

[driedbeef]

Your music source is a problem I think. You might borrow some better music sources from someone I think like a music server or streamer and if possible try the coaxial port than the USB port. Mogami cables I have some around but I find them have pretty dry sound compare to FTA is another league.

I'm not sure about that. The same music source with DAC204 alone did not have this problem. The same music source with other DDC (via USB) and other DAC did not have this problem. The only variable here is the PSU102.

 

[LoveKnight]

I'm not sure about that. The same music source with DAC204 alone did not have this problem. The same music source with other DDC (via USB) and other DAC did not have this problem. The only variable here is the PSU102.

Do not know if you change your mind or not but I leave the clip here to let you know what experts think about Weiss dacs and other equipments when pairing with them.

 

[driedbeef]

Your music source is a problem I think. You might borrow some better music sources from someone I think like a music server or streamer and if possible try the coaxial port than the USB port. Mogami cables I have some around but I find them have pretty dry sound compare to FTA is another league.

It turns out you are right, the problem is the music source.

After returning Weiss PSU102 to my dealer, later I still find the sound harsh and fatiguing, just less that way.

Then I realized that for convenience (switching between PC and MacBook), DAC204 was not connected to the computer, but connected to the USB hub of the Dell monitor, which is connected to the computer.

After I connect DAC204 to the computer directly, the sound was totally different. It was warm, neutral and well balanced, no more harsh and fatiguing sound.

Looks like there is a lot of noise and interference in the USB hub of Dell monitor that affected the DAC via USB connection, resulting severe sound distortion and degradation.

 

[Highfive99]

DAC204 was not connected to the computer, but connected to the USB hub of the Dell monitor, which is connected to the computer.

Had we known that upfront, connecting right to the computer USB would have been the first thing we would have suggested. Guess it was just assumed it was. Glad you got to the bottom of it though. Enjoy that 204 and get a good PSU for it! You might want to try that 102 again.