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Bidat vs Perfect Wave vs Weiss and others

This is thread I started a while ago and promised in February i would start doing some real world comparative testing using the Bidat (Plus Mod) as the ref. The units under test are to include in no specific order the MSB Platinum Dac, the Weiss Minervera and the Playback Design player. I posted this under the follow-up of the original thread and it is there is you do a search under Digital for "ps audio perfect". I can't understand why it did not 'promote' to the top of the digital section as it did in the past whenever there was a new contribution, so I have started a new related thread with the first entry of my fun (and I hope edifying comparative experiences).
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Ok, I just got a broken in Weiss Minerva (several hundred hours at least). It has been in my system burning in for about 18 hours (18 hours since arriving in my home, time to come to thermal equilibrium). I have done some comparative listening to the Museatex Dcc-1 (a rarely known digital preamp 19 bit dual differential type) using glass Tos on both and then glass on the DCC1 vs a very expensive (can't name it yet as the manufacturer has not released it...sorry :( ) Firewire on the Weiss. I have a Mac Mini (2007 model) 2.0 ghz Core2Duo with 4Gig of ram running Leopard (although this model can only see 3.01 gig of that (I used 4gig as the memory transfer is optimized when the mem modules are the same). I also have a 1TB NAS (all over wifi). I am of course going to reserve final judement until a bit later.

I will be comparing the Museatex Bidat with the Plus Mod later this weekend. As a teaser, I will go on record and say that honestly at this point I don't agree with the stellar reviews concerning the Weiss Minerva.

It is resolute, almost technicolor but just to give you a short glimpse of what I am hearing, I could imagine a well healed vinyl person listening to Holly Cole on vinyl and then listening to the Weiss (playing the same in CD format) and saying "this is why I will never leave vinyl". Now that may sound harsh, but this is a hobby and I don't have a dog in the race, I am just reporting my ears findings.

I listened to a few high resolution files 176.4/24 and 96/24 but what I heard was a really clear highly resolved soul-less rendition of the music. It never ever made me smile or relax into the music the way the DCC-1/Bidat or even my former (when I actually spun cd's...wow time flies) stellar Dynavox Dynastation 2 (the finest CD player I have ever heard).

In a nutshell (at this point) it just sounds like digital and that aint good in my camp because I am not forgetting about the gear and just listening to the music. I don't like syrupy or dark, I have heard plenty of players try to use that trick to sound musical. No, I look for something that is more elusive and few their be that find that magical combination when forging through the nether regions of the digital domain. I will continue listening to see if the Weiss surprises me :)

More to come...
audiofun
vhiner
544 posts
 
Audiofun,

Thanks for the fascinating and detailed update. I had little doubt that the Bidat would have trouble keeping up in the hi rez domain. It just doesn't have the computing power. Not to take anything away from the fine work being done at MSB, but it is amazing that a $2000 DAC manufactured in the mid 90's is keeping up with a brand new $8,000 stat-of-the-art converter when it comes to Redbook. John Wright has figured out a way to really squeeze the very most out of the 44.1 material without losing the music. For those of us with extensive redbook collections, the modded Bidat is a valuable treasure. If Mr. Wright ever figures out a way to take this technology into the hi rez realm he'll have a giant killer for the future. If music distributors ever start offering ALL of their material via hi rez on the web, everything will change. Until then, I'm glad I have a Bidat.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Tomorrow marks the 2 week run-in of my modded Bidat. It has changed dramatically in those 2 weeks. I think by now you folks know that I like my Power Dac, but the Bidat is beginning to pull ahead and open the gap a bit.

I was asked by a fellow audiophile what I thought the differences were between the two and I put it as such:
The Bidat (if both are compared to women) would be more of a ravishing beauty with not quite as much depth, while the MSB would be likened to a very attractive woman with perhaps a more cerebral tilt. Leaving that analogy for a moment, if you stood at an abyss and the music were emanating from somewhere in the abyss, the MSB would portray that music as coming from a much deeper point than the Bidat....That was until about 2 days ago.

The Bidat now has that seemingly bottomless pit depth of sound origination plus it remains the ravishing beauty of the bunch. At this point I would say it is the best D/A I have ever experienced (not just owned.., experienced).

Now the MSB is no slouch and for $4300 ($5k with volume control) it is simply one of the best most musical dacs available and really does break the cookie cutter sterile sound of so many highly praised dacs which fail to deliver anything resembling music.

Stay tuned I shall continue to comment as things unfold.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
One other thing concerning the MSB, you have probably read people describe its character (sound) as laid-back. It is... it is a very languid sounding unit, and if you decide to team it with a preamplifier, I suggest you do NOT use a laid back euphonic warm and fuzzy pre. Something a bit on the concise and fast side of the track would probably work better. I could imagine the Sonic Frontiers 'Line' series would be a good match as well as others.
vhiner
544 posts
 
Audiofun,

Is the MSB unit you have the company's top-of-the-line configuration? Additionally, I'm assuming your most recent post applies to redbook only?
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
I have a power dac which is according to MSB is a Platinum without the modularity. The power dac has the 16x filter not the 32x filter and it has the second gen dac modules not the signature. I have been told by unnamed persons at MSB that it is very very close in sound to the Platinum Signature dac but the signature has more detail. More was said but I don't want to put it on this forum, hope you guys understand.

The testing was on redbook but honestly as the bidat has broken in, 24 bit material down sampled sounds very good, but head to head on Diana Krall Quiet Nights 24/96khz : the MSB playing at full resolution vs the bidat playing the file being down sampled by iTunes ... The MSB is noticeably better and not by a little.
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