Face

Mine is on its way.

Uh huh...

That statement is so full of nonsense, with respect, it really needs to be shot down in flames. Same for his "shootouts".

It does the same thing for me. Reminds me of the DVD-A multichannel mix. Too gimmicky. On another note, listening to the original and hi-res version back to back, the hi-res version is much cleaner, but the overemphasized snare drum gets old.

I've heard the W4S DAC-2 in 6+ rigs and would not consider it "in your face". There must be something in the water down in Aussie land.

Unless it's a legitimate DSD rip, I'm done with HD Tracks.

Bill, is it possible that you could sidetrack this thread any more than you have already? And comparing an above average dome tweeter to a RAAL, I think not.

Bill, somehow I'm getting the impression that you like the Tranquility DAC...

As long as a sufficient gauge is used from your amp to speaker, replacing the junk gold plated brass jumpers with something of higher quality will give almost if not just as much of a gain as bi-wiring.

Have you searched elsewhere? There are threads on Audio Circle, Club Polk, AVS, Audiogon(3 there), Audio Aficionado, and elsewhere with reviews posted in most of them. Don't forget, they were slow to be released. Besides mine, most of them probably aren't even broken in yet.

The DAC-2 is replacing Marantz SA-15S2 and I have a DAC-1 on the way to replace a Peachtree Nova. Also, a good friend of mine owns a Ayon CD-2, which I'm very familiar with. On separate occasions we compared a broken in DAC-1 and 2 hour old DAC-2 to his CD-2. They were more alike than different, both very excellent sounding units with huge dynamics and great soundstaging, tonality, etc... The DAC-1 and DAC-2 both had slightly tighter bass and better attack/decay. The Ayon had more air around the instruments and accentuated the highs slightly. I wouldn't throw any of them out of bed. A few weeks back I compared the DAC-1 to my Marantz SA-15S2. The Marantz, which I still consider an excellent player is not as dynamic and is rolled off up top. It would work great for a system where brightness is a problem or if you prefer a warm, lush sound. DAC-2 vs. Peachtree Nova, there really wasn't much of a comparison. The Nova had a smaller soundstage and sounded fuzzy and flat in comparison. Soon I'll have a chance to compare the DAC-1 to DAC-2 and DAC-2 to an Ayon CD-5.

I have about 40 hours on my DAC-2. To describe the sound, the first thing that jumps out at you is it's dynamic ability. It's also very detailed without being harsh, very tight and well defined lows, with little to no coloration and a huge sounstage. I'm more than pleased with the unit so far!

FYI, if you're in the Northeast, there is a dealer on Long Island where you can demo the unit: http://clearsoundaudio1.com/

Alan, so you'd rather everyone else pay more so you can demo one for free? Thanks, but no thanks. If it's such an issue, just wait till they start hitting the used market. Husband, you found the unit dark sounding out of the box? That's the opposite of what I and a few other W4S DAC-1 owners experienced.

http://audioaficionado.org/digital-music-servers/3938-wyred4sounds-new-dac-6moons-com.html FYI, I have a DAC-2 on order, I believe they're shipping next week.