deepak Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I just checked out the Alpha Dac at a shop yesterday, although I didn't get to hear it in action due to short time and their preamp not cooperating. I am trying to figure out if there is a way to use their preferred Lynx AES16e PCI-Express digital I/O card with any Mac laptop (current or recent past) or if the big box Macs are the only option for that beast. Al buy yourself a nice 8 core Mac Pro then you'll have something to put the AES16e in As a non-fan of conflicting IO/DMA issues, I am very happy that there are high end PCI-Express digital soundcard transports being made available to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 How about one of the Weiss FW units? Weiss is nice though the price is scheisse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Think twice before buying Weiss. Not really, I have been reading about the Minerva and less fancy more pro DAC2 or whatever it is called. So clever these dac namers. Not a lot of commentary on here or HF, tho. May have to look elsewhere to find user impressions other than mag or ezine reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Think twice before buying Weiss. Not really, I have been reading about the Minerva and less fancy more pro DAC2 or whatever it is called. So clever these dac namers. Not a lot of commentary on here or HF, tho. May have to look elsewhere to find user impressions other than mag or ezine reviews. Al I'm not quite following. I'm very seriously considering the DAC2 mkII. I alot of pretty famous mastering studios use it in the mastering path which makes me think it kicks ass and it's the same thing as the Minerva for a lot less. Weiss claims to do more QC on the audiophile units but I'm not sure I believe that; pro's don't usually put up with something costing 7 grand breaking or having issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Yeah, the Minerva is a DAC2 with a machined face plate and fancy feet. I saw an online chat with Daniel Weiss a while back where he admitted as much. The Computer Audiophile guy rated it the best USB or FW DAC he'd ever heard but in the end preferred the Lynx/Alpha DAC combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Yeah, the Minerva is a DAC2 with a machined face plate and fancy feet. I saw an online chat with Daniel Weiss a while back where he admitted as much. The Computer Audiophile guy rated it the best USB or FW DAC he'd ever heard but in the end preferred the Lynx/Alpha DAC combo. Preferred is a tad strong, he explained the differences: Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Review | Computer Audiophile by his description the Weiss is more my speed anywa and I actually am looking at the DAC1 mkII (weiss' top of the line) not the DAC2 (my mistake). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Yeah, Chris, the fancy reference was to the aluminum case and face plate which pretties up the rack bling for the audiophile community. I will take a look at the DAC1 mk2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Yeah, the Minerva is a DAC2 with a machined face plate and fancy feet. I saw an online chat with Daniel Weiss a while back where he admitted as much. I actually prefer the look of the cheaper 'pro' weiss more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I actually prefer the look of the cheaper 'pro' weiss more 'Cause you square, square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 I actually prefer the look of the cheaper 'pro' weiss more Me too me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 On the Weiss Dac1 mk2, the high rez inputs have to be done is a 2-wire configuration so that L and R are on separate AES EBU cables. What source would you use for that in a home environment? Maybe some of the cards or external boxes with breakout cables have that arrangement but I am just not familiar with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 On the Weiss Dac1 mk2, the high rez inputs have to be done is a 2-wire configuration so that L and R are on separate AES EBU cables. What source would you use for that in a home environment? Maybe some of the cards or external boxes with breakout cables have that arrangement but I am just not familiar with it. Al that's actually not true: * Inputs: There are three digital inputs on XLR connectors, and one on Toslink (optical). The accepted sampling frequencies are 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192kHz. For all sampling frequencies signals on a single connector are supported. For 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 196kHz signals also two connectors (dual wire scheme) can be used. Each XLR input is actively routed to a corresponding XLR digital output, allowing monitoring at multiple stages in a digital studio setup. Damn I want one. I am going to get one sometime but now I have to wait for my bank account to recover a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voltron Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Al that's actually not true: Damn I want one. I am going to get one sometime but now I have to wait for my bank account to recover a bit. I read a couple of things from their website that all seemed to indicate that two-wire was the only way, like this on the product page: The DAC1-MK2 The DAC1-MK2 is similar to the DAC1 except for the sampling frequency range it can accept. The DAC1 works at 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 and 96kHz, while the DAC1-MK2 can handle 176.4 and 192kHz in addition. 176.4 or 192kHz signals must be connected to inputs 1 and 2 of the DAC1-MK2 in the two wire AES/EBU format. (The left channel goes to input 1, the right channel to input 2). If a valid two wire 176.4 or 192kHz signal is connected to the DAC1-MK2 and input number 1 is selected, then the unit will automatically detect such a signal and will light both input 1 and input 2 selection switches. DAC1 units can be upgraded to DAC1-MK2 by swapping two chips inside the unit. And then I saw this from the same manual you quoted (even though I missed the part in your post): For dual wire scheme signals (88.2 up to 192 kHz) the two channels are connected as follows: Left channel to input 1, Right channel to input 2. To activate, press the input 1 key. If such a signal is present at the input of the DAC1-MK2, the software automatically detects that and switches the D/A accordingly. Also both input 1 and input 2 keys are lit. If you press the input 2 key with such a two wire signal present at inputs 1 and 2, the DAC1-MK2 interprets the signal at input 2 as a normal two channel AES/EBU signal. I.e. do not select input 2 when feeding a two wire signal. That one portion of the manual would seem to contradict the product description, which seems odd but is preferable of course. How much is thie mk2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopstretch Posted March 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 $6,550 at Vintage King. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 $6,550 at Vintage King. Already emailed them to see about a trial... I doubt I'll be successful but I will let you guys know. To be honest I need to run 96kHz because that's all my EQ can do anyway. I haven't found one at any price with a fast enough processor to EQ anything at a higher bit rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 I read a couple of things from their website that all seemed to indicate that two-wire was the only way, like this on the product page: The DAC1-MK2 The DAC1-MK2 is similar to the DAC1 except for the sampling frequency range it can accept. The DAC1 works at 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 and 96kHz, while the DAC1-MK2 can handle 176.4 and 192kHz in addition. 176.4 or 192kHz signals must be connected to inputs 1 and 2 of the DAC1-MK2 in the two wire AES/EBU format. (The left channel goes to input 1, the right channel to input 2). If a valid two wire 176.4 or 192kHz signal is connected to the DAC1-MK2 and input number 1 is selected, then the unit will automatically detect such a signal and will light both input 1 and input 2 selection switches. DAC1 units can be upgraded to DAC1-MK2 by swapping two chips inside the unit. And then I saw this from the same manual you quoted (even though I missed the part in your post): For dual wire scheme signals (88.2 up to 192 kHz) the two channels are connected as follows: Left channel to input 1, Right channel to input 2. To activate, press the input 1 key. If such a signal is present at the input of the DAC1-MK2, the software automatically detects that and switches the D/A accordingly. Also both input 1 and input 2 keys are lit. If you press the input 2 key with such a two wire signal present at inputs 1 and 2, the DAC1-MK2 interprets the signal at input 2 as a normal two channel AES/EBU signal. I.e. do not select input 2 when feeding a two wire signal. That one portion of the manual would seem to contradict the product description, which seems odd but is preferable of course. How much is thie mk2? Al, yeah I would just drop Weiss an email but I'm 99.9 that the manual is right about the AES since a single channel 192 AES is very standard. It is not uncommon for people to have updated firmware and the manual but not the website. If you get one can you ship it to me first and then I'll send it along to you after a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 To thread crap a little more there is a guy over on HF that has a Weiss DAC1 and has had a Weiss DAC2 and he says they are very similar sounding to the level that he can't determine which is which blind. He also claims the transport makes a difference but I can't see that one since the signal is entirely reclocked within the DAC1 and DAC2. In all testing I've seen Jitter has remained constant through a large range of transports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 dac2 has the better footprint. done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 You don't know anything about the guy who compared them tho. I would have to hear them together to decide. Of course, I wouldn't consider a $7k dac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I think I'd rather have 2 dac2s than one dac1. Home + office. I dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepak Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Al I'm not quite following. I'm very seriously considering the DAC2 mkII. I alot of pretty famous mastering studios use it in the mastering path which makes me think it kicks ass and it's the same thing as the Minerva for a lot less. I wouldn't take this to mean a whole lot. Often times they are given the gear for free or at a very significant discount since it's basically free advertising for said manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I wouldn't take this to mean a whole lot. Often times they are given the gear for free or at a very significant discount since it's basically free advertising for said manufacturer. I would have to disagree with this. The pro audio mastering studios pay for their gear or at least as best I can tell on gearslutz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepak Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I know two large mastering studios in Chicago that didn't pay for most of their expensive gear. And this is just rumor- but Chord donated all its gear used in Abbey Road Studios to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Large mastering studios, yes; Abbey Road? Hell yes. Most everyone else -- someone's gotta pay for it. You have to realize, studios are like restaurants -- if you can keep one open for a year, you're doing pretty damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadhead Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I know two large mastering studios in Chicago that didn't pay for most of their expensive gear. And this is just rumor- but Chord donated all its gear used in Abbey Road Studios to them. Interesting. Well I dunno. I was looking at less famous studios. Also the reason I doubt it at least in the Prism case is that they don't even have an audiophile market, and Weiss didn't until well after they had already introduced the DAC1. As you say times change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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