Weiss DAC205 DAC Review

[Ucftechguru]

How do you know you aren't just imagining all this in your head?

(I corrected my post to state I have the Weiss 204 not the 205 reviewed here)… I have no idea. I don’t think I am. I bought it because of the positive reviews and someone locally was selling it. It was positioned in reviews as the best DAC under $5k and I paid $2K. I would have been happy if the Pontus and Gustard bested it so I could sell it for $2300-$2500. I used it in my first floor room with little sound panel treatments and in my theater room with lots of sound panels and it sounded better than my other DACs in both rooms. I wish it didn’t as I prefer to save money. I tested it for two months and my mind didn’t change in those two months. Rarely did the Pontus and Gustard sound better with any songs I listened to.

As others have said on here, Weiss is well known in pro audio. I think their engineers tested their 204 a lot before selling it. I don’t know if the 205 is a lot worse. It very well could be. It’s supposed to be similar to the 204, though. According to their website they state “The DAC204 is the bigger sibling to the DAC205. The two units offer the same conversion quality, but the DAC204 has a USB input and can convert DSD to PCM audio. The DAC204 and DAC205 are relatively affordable options to Weiss Engineering's higher-grade units such as the DAC501 and the HELIOS.”

 

[Pbnmjk]

I’m not talking about Amir, I am talking about how many forum members have the knee-jerk reaction of:

“117 SINAD for $2600!, you could buy a SMSL DO100 for $239 instead” when viewing professional market products.

Which is a totally valid critique for consumer/audiophile use but not at all for professional products from professional brands.

The $2270 difference goes completely out of the window when (for example) you lose DAYS of pro studio work because your SMSL power supply took a sh*t and nuked your DAC. Or the firmware has a glitch and it refuses to un-mute itself (a tiny sampling of the issues members here have had with budget consumer DACs)

Apologizes for the car analogy, but It’s the same as if I hired two construction employees. One drove a classic Toyota hilux he paid a classic car premium for. The other one drives a newer Nissan frontier or something he got for cheap. The Nissan guy might be 5% more efficient at work due to the technically better specs on paper, but that goes completely out of the window when the cost-cutting, profit-maxxing engine decides it no longer wants to work. And Nissans horrific support means he is out of a truck for weeks!!

Meanwhile the industry proven, dependable, and easy to fix hilux is still getting the job done.

Guess which employee is getting let go….

Is funny, I can buy two or more chinese DACs just in case. This way I don't need to wait for a replacement, I obtain a better product and save money.

 

[mocenigo]

Ha! Love this Steve Huff Guy. Wonder what type of oil he uses for his mustache

He says : This DAC has a clarity and crispness that I have never heard in this price range.

Indeed, many horribly expensive DACs are not transparent. Some, of course, are, but there is no need to spend that amount of money except for bragging rights. If one has a power amp that needs more muscle than a little DAC can deliver, a preamp like a Pre90 solves that.

 

[Haskil]

Je pense que la plupart se demandent comment cet appareil pourrait/serait utilisé dans un environnement professionnel avec ses entrées limitées.

I believe most are wondering how this device could/would be used in a professional environment with its limited Inputs.

1) What do you want us to do in the cabin of a fixed studio with such a DAC not having AES/EBU inputs and unbalanced RCA outputs: we would plug them into which amplifier, powering which passive speakers, and where would we install it, in which rack or cabinet?

2) What do you want us to do with it in a mobile control room recording in places as diverse as a church, a concert hall or a large castle hall where we are not cluttered with small useless boxes having input and output jacks which are not standard: we are not going to bother carrying a USB to SPDIF converter to power this DAC which will have to be connected to an amp having RCA inputs to power passive speakers or active speakers at low level... With the risk, given that it is asymmetrical, of picking up hum... we already have tens of meters of microphone cables to manage with always the fear that they capture junk... So we stay with the simple, effective, reliable and practical and there is that among many manufacturers.

In short, this Weiss DAC is a product for audiophiles who think they are technophiles and buy a device that is only professional in the manufacturer's support and undoubtedly in the manufacturing quality of the cards and their careful control before shipment. It's a robust hi-fi device that will get some use without being very efficient. This is why it must be compared to these DACs from China which are much cheaper, more efficient and whose sound will be indistinguishable... They will undoubtedly last less long, but changing them will be painless for the wallet .

 

[tigi1969]

Is the blue connector at the bottom of the pic the "extinct" PATA?

No, PATA is wider (40 wires). This is probably former floppy cable (34 wires) reused as inter-board connection.

 

[Dogill]

The measurements in the current HiFi News review of the Weiss 204 are impeccable.

 

[JSmith]

HiFi News review of the Weiss 204

I don't see any review or measurements on their site?

The test results in this thread are for the 205 anyway, not the 204.

There are measurements for the 204 on SBAF and some by GS (I won't link to those)... nothing to rave about, especially for the high price.


JSmith

 

[Dogill]

I don't see any review or measurements on their site?

The test results in this thread are for the 205 anyway, not the 204.

There are measurements for the 204 on SBAF and some by GS (I won't link to those)... nothing to rave about, especially for the high price.


JSmith

It's in the latest October issue.

 

[Billy Budapest]

The measurements in the current HiFi News review of the Weiss 204 are impeccable.

Did they measure IMD? That’s the one measurement in the ASR review that is atrocious. Most of the other measurements are quite good, except for jitter performance which is really mediocre.

 

[Dogill]

Jitter is very good <10 , IMD not mentioned.

 

[Waxx]

1) What do you want us to do in the cabin of a fixed studio with such a DAC not having AES/EBU inputs and unbalanced RCA outputs: we would plug them into which amplifier, powering which passive speakers, and where would we install it, in which rack or cabinet?

2) What do you want us to do with it in a mobile control room recording in places as diverse as a church, a concert hall or a large castle hall where we are not cluttered with small useless boxes having input and output jacks which are not standard: we are not going to bother carrying a USB to SPDIF converter to power this DAC which will have to be connected to an amp having RCA inputs to power passive speakers or active speakers at low level... With the risk, given that it is asymmetrical, of picking up hum... we already have tens of meters of microphone cables to manage with always the fear that they capture junk... So we stay with the simple, effective, reliable and practical and there is that among many manufacturers.

In short, this Weiss DAC is a product for audiophiles who think they are technophiles and buy a device that is only professional in the manufacturer's support and undoubtedly in the manufacturing quality of the cards and their careful control before shipment. It's a robust hi-fi device that will get some use without being very efficient. This is why it must be compared to these DACs from China which are much cheaper, more efficient and whose sound will be indistinguishable... They will undoubtedly last less long, but changing them will be painless for the wallet .

All that can be had with RME dacs, that are a lot cheaper and measure a lot better. Pro versions are often rackmount size, hifi versions not and look as good as Weiss or better. It's an old device altough, so a bit credit is due, but today this is not good enough to justifies it's price. An RME ADI-2 DAC FS is 1200€, the Weiss DAC205 was sold untill recently for 2800€, and the RME measures better, has dsp and looks a lot better for more or less the same connection facilities...

 

[AudioSceptic]

All that can be had with RME dacs, that are a lot cheaper and measure a lot better. Pro versions are often rackmount size, hifi versions not and look as good as Weiss or better. It's an old device altough, so a bit credit is due, but today this is not good enough to justifies it's price. An RME ADI-2 DAC FS is 1200€, the Weiss DAC205 was sold untill recently for 2800€, and the RME measures better, has dsp and looks a lot better for more or less the same connection facilities...

No contest. The RME costs less than ½ as much, has a good display, includes a top HP amp, and looks far better (IMHO).

 

[Ucftechguru]

The measurements in the current HiFi News review of the Weiss 204 are impeccable.

I knew my ears weren’t deceiving me. I’ve never heard the 205 measured in this thread. I do have the 204 and stated previously that it is an amazing sounding DAC. It sounds much better to my ears than the Pontus and Gustard R26. Wider and deeper soundstage. You can hear more details in songs and it has a smoother, organic sound. You’d be hard pressed to find a better DAC for $2500.

 

[Purité Audio]

Imagination is extremely powerful.
Keith

 

[Billy Budapest]

I knew my ears weren’t deceiving me. I’ve never heard the 205 measured in this thread. I do have the 204 and stated previously that it is an amazing sounding DAC. It sounds much better to my ears than the Pontus and Gustard R26. Wider and deeper soundstage. You can hear more details in songs and it has a smoother, organic sound. You’d be hard pressed to find a better DAC for $2500.

If a DAC is doing its job correctly, then one DAC should not sound any different than any other DAC.

 

[Karmacoma]

Imagination is extremely powerful.
Keith

These days it's called ''confirmation bias'', adds a neat scientific feel to it. Still, a mind construct until proven otherwise.