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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
mattzack2's avatar
mattzack2
175 posts
 
Hope I'm not too late to chime in on this thread. I just sold a Weiss Dac2 that I owned for just a few weeks that I could not hear what everyone was raving about. I put it in my system and had a few audiophile friends over to let them hopefully hear something extraordinary. They did not hear anything worth writing home about.
After swapping cables and trying to find that magic that everyone was raving about, my friend Antoine asked me to go get another preamp from my wife's McIntosh system. As I was about to go unhooking from our living room system, I saw the little Valab non oversampling dac that we bought off Ebay for $200... a lot easier to swap out the dac instead of the preamp I thought.
We had been using a Chesky Ultimate cd for reference that night... and not hearing the huge soundstage or the clear holographic sound that we were used to hearing on the other dac.
It took all of 2 seconds after swapping out the Weiss Dac2 with the Valab nos $200 dac that everyone just opened their mouths and literally gasped at the difference. Huge sound stage, crystal clear voices and instruments and holographic imaging so thick you could cut it with a machete.

How could this be happening?

We don't know, but it did. The Valab trounced the Weiss.

So I can definitely see Audiofun's not so stellar comment about the Weiss also. It must be a great dac to be getting all the praise, but it did not have the synergy to be welcomed into my system, as my ears judged.
levy03
442 posts
 
FPlanner: i'm looking forward to your thoughts on the PSA combo. am assuming you'll be getting the pair?. if you are, will you be comparing them using the hdmi link between pwt/pwd?.

when i recently experimented with the pair using the various hook-ups, i (and two friends) found the hdmi to really shine over the other options. i also found (along with 3 other friends) that ps audio's own silver I2S-12 took things a notch higher then standard hdmi cable (please don't ask me how or why lol!).

doubt comparing the psa gear to the hi level stuff you're talking about will be even close unless the psa pair is set-up at it's best. the pwt and pwd are good piece's alone but without the someday to be released bridge, they beg to be used together via a good hdmi connection imho.

not having access to the type of fantastic digital gear you're talking about, i look forward to hearing what you think. having been a pwt/pwd owner since release, i'm wondering how the best digital i've ever heard stacks up against the real big dogs. can it run with them or are they in another league?.

thanks for the info. great thread!

audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Mattzack2: I feel your pain :)The Weiss is not staying, Ive just been comparing it to my Bidat (with the Plus Mod) and the Weiss was DESTROYED and I mean shamefully so. I am careful with my reviews and I don't post a greta deal becasue for one thing I know what I like and I don't need the approval of other sot justify my gear purchases, but I thought this thread might be of help to others :) The Weiss is not IMHO worth the praise it has been getting. I just ordered a M2Tech Hiface yesterday so that I will be able to get 24/192 out of my Mac, I will report on that when it arrives. So thus far the order is Bidat = King of Dacs / DCC-1 = better than Weiss / Weiss = trialing the pack and exit papers are imminent.
mattzack2's avatar
mattzack2
175 posts
 
I was thinking that my Weiss was a sysnergy problem with the rest of my gear, but I tested it with my wife's McIntosh setup and still could not hear what everyone else claims to hear. I am hoping to test out an Audio Valve component from my dealer and friend Mike Kay at Audio Archon. And next week he is letting me try out a nice Bryston BDA1 dac.

I am really looking forward to finding something that sounds better in my system than the Valab, but until then, I have no complaints with it at all.

Keep us posted on your findings. I am very interested to learn from your experience.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Ok, so today I took my Bidat (Plus) and the Weiss to my buddies place to compare the 3 to the latest version of the AMR 77 (I also listened to the AMR 777 little brother player). I only took the Weiss so my friend could hear if for himself, I knew it would not stand a chance.

His sys consists of Karan amp and preamp, I can't remember the name of the speakers but I will post here again after I speak to him.

Thirty seconds into the comparison of the Weiss to the Bidat, he said we could just take it out and place it on the sideline (it didn't go back in). He was a bit shocked at how digital the Weiss sounded.

THe latest AMR 77.... let me tell you, that thing makes MUSIC!!! I preferred most of the songs (over a 4 disc combination) on the AMR over the Bidat with the exception of Diana Krall. I think it could be as simple as the tube choice in the AMR. I felt her vocal were rendered better through the Bidat. My buddy did hear what I was referring to and acknowledged it.

The smaller AMR cd player was also VERY VERY GOOD!!! It wasn't quite up there with the 77 but man, for $4500 it is an awesome unit.

I will have the MSB Power Dac in probably late this week, that will be my next comparison.

At this point I would say that the AMR 77 is probably the best one box player I have ever heard (I think it has displaced the Dynavox Dynastation 2 in that category).

Will I buy one? I still have to hear the Music Playback Design, so I don't know as yet.
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