Interesting. However, I'm not so sure this generalizes to the Ref 7.1. I owned a balanced Buffalo32s, a highly modded EE Minimax, y2 and a bunch of other mid-end modern DACs. None of them had the detail of the Ref7.1.
I did find though that the Ref7.1 sounded very mediocre without a good USB transport. It was crippled when I fed it with a Musiland 02US and Asus STX. Reminds me of your experience with the Metrum.
Part of that can be attributable to the EE being mid-fi and the Ref7 being hi-fi The same can be said for my previous W4S, its modern but its no PWD2. The other side is the last old school DAC I had would have been limited to old school SPDIF receivers
Probably, though with $800 worth of mods in my EE DAC, it was probably a bit above mid-fi (stock was deemed equal to the W4S DAC2).
I'd still like to get a comparison between the Ref 7.1 and PWD MK2. It's entirely likely the latter outclasses it significantly, but I can't be sure and would like to know. Fair comparison with the same transport.
My software to control the PWD from Windows based PC via Bridge, and You're welcome to try it.
Later, I'll add source library for those who want to write his own UI.
Although it is a beta, I think it's pretty stable and safe, just missing some features, but try it at your own risk. I think it is not necessary to add that program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY ... Those, who have more than a single PWD (connected to the same network) , I would be happy to hear your feedback how it works (choosing of device via the combo). After installation I recommend to restart the PWD (Reboot button).
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I appreciate that the PWD mk2 sounds great via USB, not much need for 3rd party spdif to usb adapter tomfoolery for galvanic isolation, asynch mode, etc. Hopefully we'll see more dacs like this in the future.
The MK2 uses an XMOS async solution thus the need for special PS Audio software drivers (repackaged XMOS). Any adapter tomfoolery will probably yield subpar results.
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Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Probably, though with $800 worth of mods in my EE DAC, it was probably a bit above mid-fi (stock was deemed equal to the W4S DAC2).
I'd still like to get a comparison between the Ref 7.1 and PWD MK2. It's entirely likely the latter outclasses it significantly, but I can't be sure and would like to know. Fair comparison with the same transport.
The MK2 is very different from the MK1. At this level, transport becomes very crucial. And as I think someone else indicated, transports do very much have their own sound outside of DACs or data transfer mediums (coax, USB, optical, AES, I2S, etc.) So lots of variables. The Ref 7 (I haven't heard all iterations), is probably more laid back and forgiving than the PWD2, especially if the PWD is running 2.10/2.20 firmware. It's very much a personal thing. Are you a tone/PRaT guy or ultimate resolution guy? Not that these qualities are mutually exclusive to either DACs. Personally, I've moved on from the PCM1704/PCM1702/PCM064 chips however great they were back in the day.
There was also a lot of hype on the AGD Ref1/7 stuff back then, propped up by a handful of rabid fanboys who upon close inspection really had not heard very many (of any) other mid-high end DACs. It was like Kingwa was the Hand of God himself or something like that. But it's not like Bryston is all that great either.
Just jumped on a great deal for a Like New 10/10 rating PWD MKII on AudioGon. Should have it in sometime next week. Good deals really do happen from time to time.
Does anyone have any experience with the pre amp section on this DAC?
Hi all, this is my first post on Head-Fi, though I've been reviewing many of the threads for a few months now. I barely had the listing for the MK-II up on Audiogon when I heard from preproman. It was a great transaction and am happy to see that I was able to transact with someone from Head-fi!
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