2. digital
  3. 1355092754

Berkeley dac2/Alpha USB vs ps audio perfect wave ?


I want to try going without a preamp but want to have very good quality dac sound to make it a fair right (I will demo vs the existing preamp before I pull it out ). I've kinda narrowed this down to these two set ups based on reviews , features, and ease of resale if I change my mind. Perfect wave is about half the total cost if you pick it up on Audiogon. Both Computeraudiohile and absolute sound raved about Berkeley, and both gave very good reviews to the perfect wave 2 but without comparing it directly to Berkeley .

(I already have the Berkeley USB but I know I could resell easily so im not locked into that choice ).
audiojbva
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
I should have the BADA combo in two days time, which will be followed shortly by PS Audio Perfect Wave II and msb AnalogDAC. Will report back in 2-3 weeks.
edorr
714 posts
 
This should be no contest with the MSB costing twice as much as the BADA and PWD MKII. I am also on the list to receive the MSB for a shootout against my EMM Labs DAC2X. The EMM Labs replaced my PWD MKII (and bested it by a substantial margin).
jdoris
972 posts
 
That's interesting, Edorr; I recall that you've enjoyed the PWD. What did you like better about the EMM -- I'm hoping lots of things at plus 5x-7x the money! :)

John
edorr
714 posts
 
Can't beat the PWD MKII for the price. I sold mine with bridge for $2400.
The EMM Labs is a big notch up though. Hard to pin it down. Somehow
there appears to be more going on with the music, and most definitely there
is a better sense of the acoustic space, more depth, more air, better decay
of notes, more fluid. Timbre of instruments is not that much different
though.
jdoris
972 posts
 
I don't know the Berkeley, but I agree with those saying the PWD is a good sounding DAC (the MKII is considerably better than the I). I'm in the group that has experienced better sound using a preamp instead of the volume control.

Two potential reasons for hesitation for the PWD:

MSRP on the PWD seems to be frequently undercut, which contributes to what looks like a fairly weak resale market. Of course, if you get the savings on the buy in, it won't matter.

As all the discussion on the boards seems to indicate, the PWD is a work in progress, particularly on the software side. If you are using a computer as a front end, you may experience hassles in implementation. If you do (as I did), and cannot sort it out yourself, PSA, which is an audio firm and not a software firm, may not have the know how (or inclination) to help you sort it out (in my case,they didn't for me). Of course, there is a general issue about the kludgy mating of computers and DACs, but it might be cause for hesitation with PSA.

Best,

John
More to discover