[JeffMann]

I recently purchased a Wyred-4-sound 2V2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition DAC and it has transformed the sound of my headphone-based audio system to such a remarkable degree that I have finally achieved a 50-year old goal of owning an audio system that is "musically accurate" and that can very accurately reproduce the sound of classical music instruments and opera voices.

Some background history that will describe my personal history as an audiophile.

I first became an audiophile in 1968 when I was 19 years old. In the 1970s I didn't have enough money to purchase an expensive high-end audio system, but that situation changed in the 1980s when I owned a speaker-based audio system that cost about $50,000. I owned both a fully-loaded Linn Sondek LP12 LP-turntable and also a VPI TNT turntable with a Graham arm and a $3,000 cartridge. I only used tube pre-amplifiers and amplifiers - manufactured by companies like Audio Research, Conrad Johnson and Cary Audio. I owned about 3,000 LPs (mainly classical music and opera music).

In 1986 I moved to northern New Jersey and I lived about 50 miles outside New York City. I started to go to opera performances at the Metropolitan Opera House and classical music concerts at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall at least once per week. My constant exposure to "live" classical music and opera made me increasingly dissatisfied with the sound quality of my high-end audio system because it couldn't come close enough to accurately reproducing the sound of "live" acoustic instruments. I eventually stopped listening to my audio system and I finally sold all my audio equipment and my entire LP-collection in 2001 just before I moved to Salt Lake City. I had given up on the idea of being an audiophile (although I remained a music-lover) and I simply purchased a Marantz CD-player and a Sennheiser HD600 headphone (which I plugged into the CD-player's headphone jack) so that I could episodically listen to classical music and opera. The sound quality of my headphone-based system was mediocre, but I didn't expect much from a digital-based audio system that used a headphone (rather than a speaker) to reproduce music. I only realised that a headphone-based system could possibly satisfy a disgruntled audiophile (like me) when I upgraded my headphone to a Sennheiser HD800 headphone and when I purchased a Violectric V281 headphone amplifier. That combination re-awakened my latent audiophile inclinations, and I started to regularly upgrade my headphone-based system - hoping to finally achieve my life-long goal of owning an audio system that could closely reproduce the sound quality of "live" acoustic musical instruments and opera voices. I subsequently purchased a PS Audio PWT CD-transport and an Anedio D2 DAC and I replaced my HD800 headphone with a HiFiMan HE1000 headphone. These changes made significant improvements in my audio system's ability to mimic the sound of "live" acoustic musical instruments and opera voices, but there was still a significant gap between the sound of my audio system and "live" classical music instruments. Replacing my HE1000 headphone with a Susvara headphone, and replacing my Anedio D2 DAC with a Matrix Sabre-X Pro DAC, made my audio system even more "musically accurate" but my goal of owning an audio system that could accurately mimic the sound of "live" acoustic musical instruments remained elusive. That situation serendipitously changed when I recently replaced my Matrix Sabre-X Pro DAC with a Wyred-4-sound 2V2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition DAC.

I was not even aware of the Wyred-4-sound company and its DACs until I read John Grandberg's very positive review of the Wyred-4-sound 2V2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition DAC at https://darko.audio/2017/12/wyred-4-sound-dac2v2se-10th-anniversary-review. The review was so effusively positive that I decided to purchase the DAC. It only took one day to realise that this DAC was much better than my Matrix SabreX Pro DAC and that my audio system's sound quality was much better. Within a week - after listening to a large variety of classical music recordings (eg. string quartets, violin/cello/piano concertos, and symphonic/opera music) - I serendipitously realised that I had finally achieved a decades-long goal of owning a "musically accurate" audio system that could very closely mimic the sound quality of "live" classical musical instruments and opera voices. I then decided to post my positive personal impressions in a hifi.org forum owners thread devoted to that specific DAC, but I discovered that there was no thread devoted to the Wyred-4-sound 2V2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition DAC. I therefore decided to start this appreciation thread because I am curious as to whether other owners of this remarkable DAC have the same positive impression of this DAC (as described my John Grandberg in his audio equipment review) and whether they also believe that it is has made their audio system much more "musically accurate" (as described by me in this thread).

Jeff.

 

[snapple10]

In the market for a new dac and became aware of this few days ago. Thanks for taking the time to share
Going to check out the article you referenced
Happy listening and what a journey it has been!!!

 

[Mudshark]

I was interested in this DAC when I first heard about it, but this warning on the W4S website scared me off:

"Note: Due to the expensive specialty parts and the extensive labor involved, DAC-2v2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition orders are non-refundable/returnable."
​

https://wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/dac-2v2se-10th-anniversary-limited-edition

Glad you are enjoying the DAC, Jeff, I imagine it sounds amazing. But without an opportunity to try it in my system before committing, the $4,500 price tag is just too steep.

 

[JeffMann]

I was interested in this DAC when I first heard about it, but this warning on the W4S website scared me off:

"Note: Due to the expensive specialty parts and the extensive labor involved, DAC-2v2SE 10th Anniversary Limited Edition orders are non-refundable/returnable."
​

https://wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/dac-2v2se-10th-anniversary-limited-edition

Glad you are enjoying the DAC, Jeff, I imagine it sounds amazing. But without an opportunity to try it in my system before committing, the $4,500 price tag is just too steep.

I can understand your concern about that warning about the DAC being non-refundable. I had the same concern and I personally contacted the company and they stated that I could have their standard 30-day home trial and that I could return the DAC within 30 days if I didn't like the DAC. However, there is a 15% restocking fee, which means that one would lose $675 if one decided to return the DAC. That option made me decide to take the chance of a home trial audition, which worked out very well for me because I decided to keep the DAC.

I think that they are a small company and they presumably do not want to offer a 30-day home trial without a restocking fee charge - because some people may decide to choose that free home audition offer just to hear the DAC even though they are not potentially serious customers who are genuinely interested in the idea of purchasing that DAC.

Jeff.

 

[Mudshark]

Jeff, I am sure you are right about W4S's motivation for the no-returns policy, but I am not sure how many people would put down $4,500 on a new DAC if they weren't potentially serious customers. W4S's no-returns policy and 15% restocking fee policy might avoid unwanted returns, but those same policies also cause W4S to lose out on sales that would not end in a return. In my opinion, system synergy is so important that I would not buy a new high-dollar source component at full MSRP unless it came with an unconditional return policy from the manufacturer or vendor.

 

[JeffMann]

Jeff, I am sure you are right about W4S's motivation for the no-returns policy, but I am not sure how many people would put down $4,500 on a new DAC if they weren't potentially serious customers. W4S's no-returns policy and 15% restocking fee policy might avoid unwanted returns, but those same policies also cause W4S to lose out on sales that would not end in a return. In my opinion, system synergy is so important that I would not buy a new high-dollar source component at full MSRP unless it came with an unconditional return policy from the manufacturer or vendor.

I can readily identify with your opinion because I harbor the same opinion. I think that W4S should modify their policy and adopt a 30-day unconditional return policy (like PS Audio). They would probably be able to sell more 10th anniversary DACs if they adopt that more liberal policy that will significantly allay anxiety in their potential customers who worry about the "real life" synergy of that DAC in their audio system.

I will send an e-mail to W4S with a link to this thread, and we will see if they decide to comment.

Jeff.

 

[JeffMann]

I contacted W4S and they have decided to modify their policy for this 10th anniversary limited edition DAC and they are now enabling a potential buyer to try it risk-free for 30 days by offering the buyer a full refund if he decides to return the DAC.

See this page for their comment regarding a risk-free trial while supplies of this limited edition DAC lasts.

https://wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/dac-2v2se-10th-anniversary-limited-edition

Jeff.

 

[Mudshark]

Good news, Jeff, thanks for your efforts. Looks like W4S may have forgotten to set a time limit on the risk-free trial, though:

 

[JeffMann]

Good news, Jeff, thanks for your efforts. Looks like W4S may have forgotten to set a time limit on the risk-free trial, though:

I have also noted that W4S has not set a time limit for the free trial, which is a very liberal attitude that allows potential buyers to have a very long time period before they finally decide whether they want to keep the DAC. It is possible that W4S may limit the length of the free trial period in the near, or distant, future.

Jeff.

 

[JeffMann]

Regarding the free trial period's duration limit, W4S has informed me that they forgot to add the time period of 30-days in their original "risk-free terms and conditions" message, and they have now amended their message to include the time period of 30-days.

Jeff.

 

[boivinm]

Someone have the chance to compare this DAC2V2 10th anniversary to Chord TT2?
I have for now a DAC2DSDSE.
I don't know if i will trade it for a 10th anniversary
or
sell it for buying a second hand chord tt2.
Thank's
p.s. i use my dac2dsdse with:
preamp: conrad johnson preamp ls17
amp: conrad johnson mv60se
speakers: totem Forest.

 

[Spektrograf]

@boivinm, I have the W4S DAC-2v2SE (not the 10th anniversary edition), as well, and recently picked up the Chord TT2.

In my speaker rig (LFD Zero Mk III > Harbeth SHL5), the W4S has been a perfect match to my ears and to my taste—i.e. detailed, quick, slightly warm and musical. I'd liken it to listening to Sennheiser HD580/HD600's through one of Craig's Eddie Current Zana Deux. Swapping the TT2 in, the TT2, transients and textures gained greater fidelity (incisiveness?), but the system overall tilted too sharp for my tastes. It lasted only for a few moments before I put the W4S back in. Granted, that was right after unboxing, so no break-in time. I'll probably try the TT2 in the speaker rig again in a few months.

In my headphone rig (Zana Deux > 30 year old HD580's), the W4S doesn't have the detail and air as it does in the LFD/Harbeth's rig, however, the TT2 in this headphone rig is magical. In the weeks that I've had the TT2 in, there has not been a moment where I haven't been wow'd on my headphone rig. I've gotten lost on nights spinning up my favorite albums. Cliche, yes, but it's been an undeniable treat.

The relative contrast that I'd say is common regardless of rig is that the TT2 has incredible transient and textural precision, whereas—relatively speaking—the W4S is more relaxed. The TT2 has better control in bass response, and reaches deeper than the W4S. Image precision and stability is locked on with the TT2, whereas the W4S has good imaging, but does not have the pinpoint precision and isolation of the TT2.

For me, the upside has been TT2 makes critical listening a truly enjoyable pursuit in my headphone rig, but demands attention. I have difficulty multi-tasking (say reading) when listening through the TT2. It is not inherently a relaxing experience. It's only relaxing when the music itself is intended to be relaxing.The W4S is a joy to be attentive to, but is also a joy playing music as a backdrop for doing other activities in the room. I am just happy when the speaker system is playing no matter what I'm doing. (The W4S is feeding the speaker rig at this moment as I write this.) The W4S DAC-2v2SE is staying in the speaker rig, and I'll probably upgrade to the 10th anniversary at some point in time, but I'm really not found wanting with the non-10th anniversary edition.

I've had a lot of DAC's trialed through these systems, and I've just thoroughly enjoyed the W4S DAC in this particular speaker system. The components just synergize well.

I've never heard the CJ's with the Forest, and it's been too long since I've listened to the Forest's in general to be helpful, but hopefully some of this relative descriptions in 2 rigs might give you some guidance.

Someone have the chance to compare this DAC2V2 10th anniversary to Chord TT2?
I have for now a DAC2DSDSE.
I don't know if i will trade it for a 10th anniversary
or
sell it for buying a second hand chord tt2.
Thank's
p.s. i use my dac2dsdse with:
preamp: conrad johnson preamp ls17
amp: conrad johnson mv60se
speakers: totem Forest.