Weiss DAC205 DAC Review

[MadRiver]

This is still made and sold. It's not even sold at a reduced price to reflect its age.

Sold new for $1,665.00 in June 23, with a 5 month wait time, now selling for $2635 (with a MSRP of $3160) and presumably a continued long wait time. "Industry" users would be up the creek waiting for a replacement.

 

[AudioSceptic]

It's one chip with 8 channels. It can be used in various configurations.

Thanks. Should there be a performance gain by using 2 or 4 channels for each of the 2 stereo channels instead of 1?

 

[CedarX]

It seems like the charge pump filter in PLL is set too narrow

Power supply (per back panel picture) is 6-9V DC. Yet it can deliver 7.9V RMS: there must be a charge pump or DC-DC converter built-in… I was also wondering if it could cause the multitone and/or jitter issue, but I don’t know how!

 

[JustJones]

I got the "4 per channel" from Weiss's own website so would expect that to be correct.

I think it's worded awkward or I simply didn't understand. I think it's 1 chip with 8 channels, 4 in parallel per channel as voodooless pointed out.

 

[daniboun]

now we need to see results of the contemporary version

10K€ ) is all we need to see )))))

 

[AudioSceptic]

Sold new for $1,665.00 in June 23, with a 5 month wait time, now selling for $2635 (with a MSRP of $3160) and presumably a continued long wait time. "Industry" users would be up the creek waiting for a replacement.

Hardly. It can be readily replaced by many, many devices with better performance and more features.

 

[Haskil]

Thank You Amir

 

[Haskil]

10K€ ) is all we need to see )))))

I wonder in what professional environment this Weiss DAC can be used, given that it has no AES/EBU input but only coaxial and optical inputs in S/PDIF... which is the Sony-Philips standard from the late 1980s, originally used for consumer devices... I wonder... hmm! And RCA...


Wouldn't this Weiss DAC tested by Mair be more of a device aimed at the high-fidelity market whose price, far too high even for a product made in Switzerland, is made possible by the professional aura of the brand that markets it... aimed at chic and trendy audiophiles?

We have the same phenomenon with Nagra high fidelity products whose price of boxes, VU meters and buttons is higher than their content and whose price also comes from the aura of the brand in the field of tape recorders. reporting tape... beautiful to look at, efficient, reliable and indestructible...
And I wouldn't say anything about FM Acoustic mentioned in the discussion, whose outdated design of the boxes is very Soviet brand but with golden push buttons...

In a way, this Weiss DAC is a decoy

 

[dasdoing]

10K€ ) is all we need to see )))))

and now I saw we had the smaller brother already https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/weiss-dac501-streamer-and-dac-review.48377/

 

[daniboun]

I wonder in what professional environment this Weiss DAC can be used, given that it has no AES/EBU input but only coaxial and optical inputs in S/PDIF... which is the Sony-Philips standard from the late 1980s, originally used for consumer devices... I wonder... hmm! And RCA...


Wouldn't this Weiss DAC tested by Mair be more of a device aimed at the high-fidelity market whose price, far too high even for a product made in Switzerland, is made possible by the professional aura of the brand that markets it... aimed at chic and trendy audiophiles?

We have the same phenomenon with Nagra high fidelity products whose price of boxes, VU meters and buttons is higher than their content and whose price also comes from the aura of the brand in the field of tape recorders. reporting tape... beautiful to look at, efficient, reliable and indestructible...
And I wouldn't say anything about FM Acoustic mentioned in the discussion, whose outdated design of the boxes is very Soviet brand but with golden push buttons...

In a way, this Weiss DAC is a decoy

I think that anyone who wears a Rolex on their wrist will be able to consider such a purchase)

 

[CleanSound]

High-end products that garner such high list price come with vary fancy casework and pride of ownership. None of that is here. Folks are supposed to buy on reputation but test results indicate that is not wise.

100%. I'm willing to pay money for high end feel and pride of ownership, this has none.

 

[Haskil]

I think that anyone who wears a Rolex on their wrist will be able to consider such a purchase)

And he won't have wasted his life if he's under 50... french private joke inside...

 

[voodooless]

Thanks. Should there be a performance gain by using 2 or 4 channels for each of the 2 stereo channels instead of 1?

Yes, the noise floor goes down by a few dB. Distortion-wise, there is no huge gain.

 

[dasdoing]

I wonder in what professional environment this Weiss DAC can be used

you are right, this is their pro dac (3rd version)

DAC1 MK3 – Weiss Engineering

As Weiss Engineering's most advanced and precise digital-to-analog converter, the DAC1 is the ultimate in transparency and resolution.

weiss.ch

 

[BR52]

This review shows again, it's not a good idea to trust great names for a buying decision. We need measurements to have an idea for that we get. See also the measurements in the review before.
Thanks, @amirm your site is an eyeopener.

 

[DonR]

Product of its time. This particular unit appears to have an issue, IMO.

 

[computer-audiophile]

(Nagra) ... whose price also comes from the aura of the brand in the field of tape recorders. reporting tape.

Nagra is not the only audio company trying to exploit its former good reputation excessively.

 

[BR52]

Product of its time. This particular unit appears to have an issue, IMO.

Hopefully.

 

[computer-audiophile]

It could also happen that Amir measures devices that are not in order. If he only measures a single device, you could call it a random sample, strictly speaking.

 

[Haskil]

Nagra is not the only audio company trying to exploit its former good reputation excessively.

Certainly, but we were talking here about Swiss companies belonging to the professional world and also the cost price of manufacturing in the Swiss Confederation...

Nagra is not the only audio company trying to exploit its former good reputation excessively.

Certainly, but we were talking here about Swiss companies belonging to the professional world and also the cost price of manufacturing in the Swiss Confederation...