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DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend

Okay...in another thread I promised to do a side-by-side evaluation of the Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap vs the Rockna Wavelight. Due to the astonishing incompetence of DHL this has been delayed. At the moment, I have a plethora of DACs here and am going to do a broader comparison.

I am going to do a compare of the Rockna Wavelight, Rockna Wavedream Signature, Audiobyte HydraVox/Zap, Chord Hugo 2, Chord Hugo TT2, Bricasti M3, Bricasti M1 Special Edition, Weiss 501 and the internal DAC card for an AVM A 5.2 Integrated amp as a baseline.

For sake of consistency, I am going to use that same AVM integrated amp driving Vivid Kaya 45s. I may branch out and do some listening on other speakers (Verdant Nightshade of Blackthorn and/or Wilson Benesch Vertexes) but want to use the Vivids for every compare as they are the fullest range speakers I have here. For sake of consistency I will use a Chord 2Go/2Yu connected via an Audioquest Diamond USB as a renderer. The only exception is the Hugo 2 which has a 2Go directly attached to it. I will use a Roon Nucleus+ as a server in all cases.

My plan is to use the same five songs on every DAC; In a Sentimental Mood from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Be Still My Beating Heart from Sting, Liberty from Anette Askvik, Duende from Bozzio Levin Stevens and Part 1 of Mozart String Quartet No 14 in G Major from the Alban Berg Quartet. The intent is to touch on different music types without going crazy.

I will take extensive notes on each listening session and write up a POV on the strengths of each unit. I am going to start this this Friday/Saturday and will be writing things up over the next month or so. If you have thoughts, comments or requests, I will be happy to try and accommodate. The one thing I am not going to do is make the list of songs longer as that has an exponential impact on this and make everything much harder. If and when other DACs come in on trade I may add to the list through time.
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verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 

I have been crazy busy these past two weeks. We had a Halloween party for my 5YO daughter and had more than 20 kids at the house.  Still cleaning up.  

 

Will test 204 this weekend.  I also have the Innuos Pulsar and Pulse Mini in and a DAC in a Moon headphone amp that all need to be written up.  
 

 

jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,610 posts
 

I have been crazy busy these past two weeks. We had a Halloween party for my 5YO daughter and had more than 20 kids at the house. Still cleaning up.

scott you missed an opportunity there!... children have the best hearing... we all would have wanted to know how many among the group of 25 5 year olds would prefer a rockna over a weiss over a merason!!! 😂🤣

calvinj
2,280 posts
 

Anyone in the Dallas area.  There will be an Audio Show on March 15-17 Hilton Market center. . I work with Infigo audio and I own the Method 4 Dac. It uses the Ess Sabre 9038 chipset. The inventor worked with the sister company Ressonessence. It’s an high end super dac. We will be showing with the Stenheim Ref 2 of Ref 3. Come take a listen. 

tweak1
3,549 posts
 

Just make sure power cord and coax is the same

verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio OP
1,469 posts
 

I have been promising you guys a review of the Weiss DAC 204 and here it is.  The real question is the comparison vs. the 501/502.  I don't have a 501/502 here at the moment for comparison.  I do have the Helios which is a bit unfair.

Packaging is kind of lame.  It is in a simple cardboard box with recycled, shredded paper as the protective material.  For $3500, I expect foam.  Maybe this is greener????

Tonally, this unit is a Weiss.  It is not perfectly neutral and drifts a hair forward like other Weiss products.  The sound is similar as well.  The unit is detailed and sounds quite revealing.  The image has good depth and width.  

In a Sentimental Mood had sparkly piano and excellent placement of instruments.  Be Still My Beating Heart has scale.  Sting's voice is not sibilant in my system, but I think in a slightly brighter setup it could drift that way.  Liberty sounds clear with very black background. Again, no sibilance. The noise floor is quite low on this.  Great detail with Duende and the unit appears to be able to keep up with the more complex portions of the song.  The Berg piece sounds right sized and intimate. 

Based on my notes, I am not seeing hug differences between the 204 and 501/502.  All indications are the 501/502 are a bit more detailed and the image is more stable.  That said, I can't say that with absolute certainty.  

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