1.     Don't be a dotard!
    Read these "rules" AND introduce
    yourself     before your first post
  2. A healthy approach to understanding measurements
    Being true to what the artists intended
  3. After being asked for the 308th time, Merv lists top 5 headphones
    (opinion / entertainment piece)
    Dismiss Notice
  4. $1000 to the first to design a headamp using discrete components with better measurements than Magni 3+
    Dismiss Notice
IMPORTANT: New Members Read This Don't Be a Measurement Fascist Merv's Top 5 Headphones - 2023 Edition $1000 Challenge

PS Audio Perfectwave DAC MKII

Discussion in 'Closed (Archived) Sales' started by MattRG, Mar 15, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. MattRG

    MattRG Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2017
    Likes Received:
    235
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Taylorsville, Georgia - USA
    MattRG, Mar 15, 2017
    #1
  2. shipsupt

    shipsupt Admin

    Staff Member Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,119
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Bay Area CA
    We don't have silly rules like that... You can post links and say the names of forums... go for it!
     
    shipsupt, Mar 15, 2017
    #2
  3. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,198
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    That'd be the basis for a reasonably cost-effective way to progressively get into a full-blown DirectStream DAC (you'd be at about $3,500 total if you did it right, took advantage of the trade-in for the upgrade kit, and had them fix the screen at the same time).

    You could squeeze in a little under that figure by buying a used DirectStream DAC directly ... they seem to land around $3,000 to $3,200 depending on age/condition. But the ability to do it progressively is probably worth the difference to some. And going the Perfect Wave -> Upgrade route comes out at about the same level if you can do the upgrade yourself (it's swapping a trio of boards if I remember correctly).
     
    Torq, Mar 15, 2017
    #3
  4. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,224
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I think @Marvey thought the Directstream was a downgrade. The PWD MKII with a decent interface is still really freaking good.
     
    zerodeefex, Mar 15, 2017
    #4
  5. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,198
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Entirely possible!

    Though with the DirectStream the version of the FPGA "code" you're running can make a big difference, since so much of the DACs functionality is implemented there. On "Yale" it really wasn't competitive with Yggdrasil. With the "Torreys" update it was much more convincing.
     
    Torq, Mar 15, 2017
    #5
  6. shipsupt

    shipsupt Admin

    Staff Member Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,119
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Bay Area CA
    Yeah, the PWD MKII was the flavor of several months with a lot of folks here... pretty good stuff.
     
    shipsupt, Mar 15, 2017
    #6
  7. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,198
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Wasn't it the Mk1 upgraded to the Mk2 that was the preferred option, rather than the straight-from-the-factory Mk2?

    If so, that poses an obvious question ...
     
    Torq, Mar 15, 2017
    #7
  8. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,224
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Yes. @CEE TEE still uses this DAC. I couldn't convince him to move to the Gungnir Multibit. probably because he's not a speaker person.
     
    zerodeefex, Mar 15, 2017
    #8
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    92,668
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    The PWD1 with the upgrade to the PWD2 was the way to go. PWD2s straight from the factory sucked ass - way too thin sounding. The power transformer looked smaller and I don't know what other changes there were. i2s or AES was the way to go with the PWD1/2- and not with the PWT (the PS Audio transport) which sounded meh. With the right source, I could get the PWD1/2 to be more organic and fluid sounding, but there was always that bit of Wolfson rasp.

    I heard the DirectStream DSD early on when it came out. Reminded me of Chinese Sophia Princess Ultrasmooth tubes, but take away the bass. I got sick of PS Audio because the PWD Ethernet card never worked right / never supported gapless after a year of promises by Paul McGowan, and the PWD DACs sounded substantially different with each firmware revision. In the end, I felt like I was dealing with a beta product and lost all trust in Paul McGowan. I will never again buy a product that he sells. I still think Paul should do things right and refund all customers who purchased the Ethernet Bridge.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2017
    purr1n, Mar 15, 2017
    #9
  10. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,436
    Trophy Points:
    113
    This is an amazing deal. I would jump on it if I had the cash now.

    Well-done Wolfsons are usually more dynamic than than Yggdrasil or even Bifrost Multibit despite that last hint of harshness they often have. I like them more than Gungnir Multibit. Thin or lots of stridency is usually underbuilt power supplies or choosing the wrong filter. Thin Wolfson = bad power and the chip hasn't been implemented correctly due to the built in op-amp. Certain phones and old AGD were among the worst offenders.

    I have heard only horrible things about the FGPA based DirectStream.
     
    Psalmanazar, Mar 15, 2017
    #10
  11. MattRG

    MattRG Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2017
    Likes Received:
    235
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Taylorsville, Georgia - USA
    Yes, this is an upgraded unit. Purchased in 2012 as a Mk1 and upgraded by PS Audio in 2013 to MkII status. =)
     
    MattRG, Mar 15, 2017
    #11
  12. Stapsy

    Stapsy Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    339
    Trophy Points:
    63
    I still have my PWD mk1-->mk2 from the pre-Schiit multibit days and it has never given me a reason to upgrade. I have also grown to appreciate the built in volume/filter controls and easy input switching. If anybody buys this and wants to firmware roll send me a message and I will dig up the old versions for you.
     
    Stapsy, Mar 15, 2017
    #12
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    92,668
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    I imagine with the Singxer i2s HDMI, this would be a pretty fantastic digital front end for a very good price. Too bad AGD or chicken guzzards or mustard greens seem to be all the rage these days.
     
    purr1n, Mar 15, 2017
    #13
  14. MattRG

    MattRG Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2017
    Likes Received:
    235
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Taylorsville, Georgia - USA
    I've decided to keep this item and thus it is no longer for sale. If a mod could close/archive this thread I would appreciate it.
     
    MattRG, Mar 19, 2017
    #14
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page