has anyone tried PS Audio perfect wave duo

no problem Rafael....my original post stated that roger is very likely correct. nothing wrong or unfair about his statements. the only way it could be considered unfair is if PSA was not marketing them as being "fine" hooked up to other equipment in alternative ways. they clearly are so roger's test is as fair as any. as i stated in reply, the PSA duo is very proprietary at this point imo. this in and of itself is a negative thing for many i'm sure. i agree with your idea that selling them as a set would be the best way to go. unfortunately business's don't always do what is best for the consumer. they're after our money for the most part.

regardless of how PSA chooses to sell/market them, i think they were/are made for each other and should be paired to hear their full potential. not doing so leaves alot on the table in my eye's. at my demo, the dealer briefly hooked up an alt connection and i heard a substantial difference instantly(forgot which connection he used...sorry).

in the end....i think we are in agreement. i by no means think either PSA piece's are "the best". with my limited experience.....i couldn't even tell you what the best transport or dac would sound like. those kind of determinations are better made by folks with alot more knowledge then i(like rodger. you and many others around here). i am smart enough to know my own limitations ;-).

i just took offense to your "cry" comment. not a big deal really but here is what i was looking for in a transport only comparison. 1st...use the PSA duo together with the I2S connection and hi res audio. then take the reference transport and plug it into the PTD and do the same. this way....you would be comparing the PWT and the reference transport(forsell) in their corresponding, recommended, optimal set-ups. again...this is only what i personally would like to see/read/hear. not saying it's more fair or a better comparison. that's how i'm buying them so that's what i wanted to see.

shazam- what are your thoughts on the various media types?. have you had a chance to compare redbook, reg cd's, high res dvd, ect... thanks for the write up. look forward to more of your input.

cheers

Lev

Hello Levy3,

".....use the PSA duo together with the I2S connection and hi res audio. then take the reference transport and plug it into the PTD and do the same. this way....you would be comparing the PWT and the reference transport(forsell) in their corresponding, recommended, optimal set-ups."

Sure, you are absolutely right here. Since I do not own PWD then for me (and people like me) the choice of the DAC has academic interest only - as long as its qigh quality obviously. For people who have or will have PWD, your idea will be much more interesting and more importantly, very relevant. Agree with you - 100% Sorry for miscommunication again.

All The Best
Rafael

Mribob,
I also have the Meridian HD621 audio processor hooked up to the G68 pre/pro. So I would have loved to run the signal from the PWT into the 621 to use the Meridian's apodizing filters and the upsampling (downsampling for 24bit/172 kHz DVD-R recordings) capability, but the HDMI-type output of the PWT carries an I2S signal that is not compatible with HDMI processing. So this connection does not work. I had spoken with Scott McGowan at PS Audio a few days ago and he confirmed this incompatibility.

Today the DVD-R (HRx format) from Reference Recordings with 24bit/172 kHz music came in and I tried to play it with the PMT. Neither the Audio Synthesis nor the Meridian G68's dac could process this hi-rez signal coming through the PMT. So unless you invest the additional $3k for the PWD or you have a dac that can handle such high resolution formats (are there any out there at this time?), one cannot 'play' HRx material with the PMT.

Interestingly enough my Dell PC's (T7400) drive and sound card together with the Media Monkey player software played the hi-rez DVD-R just fine. Unfortunately the little PC speakers I have connected to the PC do not allow me to appreciate the sound quality of this $45 HRx disc. Maybe I can stream the wav files from the HRx through a Logitech transporter so it downsamples them to 24bit/96kHz and sends the signal to the Meridian pre/pro. Have to try this another time.

Hello Roger,

"Interestingly enough my Dell PC's (T7400) drive and sound card together with the Media Monkey player software played the hi-rez DVD-R just fine.. "

Whar sound card did you use? There are not too many around which can handle hi-rez files without first downsampling them.

"..you have a dac that can handle such high resolution formats (are there any out there at this time?)"

There are number of them: To match level of Forcell try MSB Technology (price range from $7k to bazillion) or Berkeley Alpha. I am sure there are more but I mentioned once I know that they will do this job...well.

If you will buy PWD (with optional Bridge, it can also work as relatively inexpensive music server of rather high quality - lets give credit where its, as seems to be, due) please post your impressions.

Good Luck.
Rafael

others who use noisy computers with non-dedicated UBS port or Sonos as the source and compare to... other PS Audio DAC ( improved by Mr. Cullen or not) should be very clearly happy with his results, and its important and its useful.

I should point out that my use of the Sonos and laptop are temporary until the Bridge is available - which is the main reason for using the PWD. Because I just plain don't listen to disks anymore (other than vinyl, of course), I decided not to invest in the PWT too.

If not for the bridge, I probably would have gone with a Wavelength because their asynchronous USB DACs are the best I've ever heard. I was mesmerized by one at the RMAC last year and spent a good 2+ hours in that room.

shazam- what are your thoughts on the various media types?. have you had a chance to compare redbook, reg cd's, high res dvd, ect... thanks for the write up. look forward to more of your input.

I have a few albums on both redbook and what I've been able to rip from my DVD-A collection (24 bit, either 48k or 96k). I'm still getting used to the superior redbook sound I'm getting now, so I haven't done a lot of comparison, but what I have done there are some noticeable differences. I notice more resonation with certain instruments for sure. I think what made the biggest impression is the sense of a much bigger and "clearer" stage. I haven't listened enough to pinpoint what is creating it, but it noticeably is different (in a good way). I'm looking forward to collecting some good classical pieces in hi rez - where I believe (hope) it will really shine.

Cheers!