W4S DAC

I agree the Wyred 10th Anniversary  DAC does not get enough attention on these pages.  It is a bargain.    I using a 10th for years in a high resolution system and have been very happy.  The 10th is a much better performer in all SQ attributes than the V2SE.  So if you are considering a Wyred DAC go with the 10th.  I was upgrading my system recently (past 3 months) and compared the 10th head to head to the Mola Mola Tambaqui (3x the price) and DCS Bartok Appex (5x the price. Let me start by saying both DACs were better. There was better clarity expressed as increased detail, and better staging and imaging due to less thickness and more clarity in this spaces between performers. Dynamics (micro and macro) were better but to a lesser degree. I found the 10th to be competitive in image density, timbre and that intangible parameter -expression of emotion to draw you into the performance.  Tambaqui still had the edge but not by much.  The Bartok presented a less palpable and dense image. Lighter if you will. But we all know our decisions are based on degree of price/performance ratio and personal preference.  To me, I made a decision to keep the 10th and upgrade my amplification (from an old Krell KRC HR - KSA 300s to a Burmester 032 integrated).  The degree of clarity and sophistication of the sound trumped the change in the DAC.  I have not compared the 10th to other DACS in its price range.  I am sure they perform better in some areas in not all.  Listen and make the decision yourself.  For me, I feel the 10th excels in that intangible of letting you connect to the performance better than most at its price point while admittedly being bettered in some areas of performance. 

@navyachts Thank you for mentioning my profile page.  I went ahead and just now updated it with component listing and photos.  And yes the TriVista has a tube output stage. 

@jsalerno277 Thanks for the detailed response. Nice system, by the way!

@laps Sweet, thanks for sharing!

I am pretty content with my Ares2. I tend

to look for upgrades that will make my 

entire system shine. I am running a Cambridge 

transport, CJ tube pre, Classe amp, and Thiel 

cs2 speakers. My most recent sparkling addition 

was a pair of Anti-cable ref 3 speaker wires.

suggestions welcome.

I have the W4S 10th anniversary DAC, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said it was every bit as analog sounding, on that review I bought it because it also had a 30-day trial period and I can tell you this it is extremely analog sounding and when it can go Head to Head with DACs that cost three to five times more that saying a lot to me and it also depends on your associated equipment and wiring as well, I only use rectangular OCC single crystal wire throughout my whole system cuz I found it to be the best wire for audio on the market even far superior to the round OCC and even more superior to anything OFC at any price and my associated equipment is very high in as well I use a sim audio p8 preamp and a sim audio w8 amp which I will be soon upgrading to the new 861 amp, I put this DAC up against the SIM audio $15,000 DAC and it was far superior, and if you read the reviews it's gone up against many DAC's double and triple the price and beaten them, I think this is one of those giant killers that doesn't get enough press.