Wyred DACS


They released the final specs for their DACs last week. Shipping this month. Anybody order? The DAC-1 is quite reasonable, but not upgradable to the asynch-USB, which the DAC-2 has. The DAC-2 also has the I2S but I don't know what it's gonna connect to.
cutterfilm
We ran the WFS as a pre. The reference system we used has an extremely good isolation stand. The amp was Macintosh 501's mono-blocks that many rate as possibly the best amps you can buy. The amps were heavily isolated as well. The speakers were Lenehan ML3's reference fully tricked out with Dulund capacitors and hand tuned. These are the bigger brothers of the famous Lenehan Ml1's that are often said to be the best mini monitors you can get. They are dead neutral and include heroic measures to reduce resonance such as lining them with steel. That is just one measure they use. Many, including myself, rate them as simply the finest speakers they have ever heard even above such famous speakers as Quad electrostatics and Martin Logsans. Take my word for it these speakers are as revealing as you can get. This is not just my view - we had a professional reviewer present who has heard more stuff that I can poke a stick at. He was so impressed with these speakers he is getting a pair as am I.

We all heard the sibilance issue as clear as a bell. Neither the Tranquility nor the systems reference DAC had it. It is not just me that heard it - everyone at the shootout including the professional reviewer did as well. I am simply conjecturing it is how revealing the system is that accounts for it. That may not be it. All I can say is I even hear it on my home system. If that is not the case then your guess is as good as mine.

Thanks
Bill
I don't doubt anything you say, Bhobba. But it is not clear to me (no pun intended) whether you heard the sibilance and glare when using the DAC2 both as a DAC and a pre, or even when using as a DAC alone. If the latter, it may be that the DAC2 is simply over its head as a pre in a system of that level.

Thanks.
Neal
I have used the DAC2 both as a pre and in a system with a pre. I have noticed zero difference in how the DAC sounds if you set the output to fixed or variable. And the input impedance of the amps I have used should have, and did not, place any strain on the DAC ie it was easily over 10K.

Thanks
Bill
I think I've cured the sibilance related issue with ths dac. Although it didn't present as sibilance in my system I have experienced a slightly grainy and etched treble and reduced air, ambience and resolution.

The fix was a good quality mains filter - connected to a good quality mains cable. I used 2x ferrite toroids with about 20T on both active and neutral and then bypassed with a 100nF MKP. After doing this the resolution went into a new stratosphere. Sibilance is now very natural - although it is of course still present if on the recording.