hokhost

I was looking for the best interface to connect my computer to a Dac. I chose not to buy a USB Dac or Firewire Dac to be able to upgrade the Dac section whenever I find a great Dac. It was either an Empirical v3 or the Weiss Vesta. While waiting for both to come out, the AFI1 was released and it was more "affordable" than the Vesta. I chose the AFI1 and the sound has never been better in my system. It is a lot better than the u24 I was using (via Coax) which was better than the unmodified Transporter via AES EBU. Soundstage is wide but still with a good focus on instruments and vocals. Everything is in place. I have been really happy with my setup. Be careful though as you will need to upgrade the "accessories" as well to get the best out of the AFI1. Power cable, Digital Cable, Firewire cable (to a lesser margin) and vibration device bring the last % that we are all looking for ...

Based on availability and discussing with D. Weiss, I chose the AFI1 over the Vesta. Even for my 2ch setup. Hope I made the right choice.

I wonder what the pricing will be for the software only. According to an email I received from Sonic Studio, the Weiss AFI1 is not yet compatible with the Amarra software. So still waiting ...

I have the Weiss AFI1 and it works without any problem with my Mac Mini. Good luck.

Thanks for sharing your experience :-D I guess that I can lower the risk by: - not smoking, - removing dust, - keeping it away from liquids, - having no kids and/or pets, - and most importantly, not letting my wife come close to my audio rack.

Hi, I have been lucky with all my old gear, none have malfunctionned yet. My Dac is more than 16 years old now and still works like new even though it is ON 24/7. Strangely enough, the only one that has been a pain was a NEW Halcro Logic amp. If I had the cash I would buy a new Dac but for now, I will keep on looking for older (and less expensive) ones.

I have used so far: 1) PC + M Audio Firewire + Ensemble Digiflux + Stax Dac 2) PC + Esi U24 + Wireworld Gold Starlight 5 + Stax Dac -> Better than the M Audio (even when using the same Digital cable) -> Got interested in SB3 for a simpler and more elegant solution ... hence setup 3 ... 3) Logitech Transporter -> Found a good deal on a Transporter even though I was looking for a SB3 ... -> Sounds OKish ... -> But Squeezecenter interface is a mess, -> I preferred Transporter + Dac and even more so my setup 2 ... -> So I sold the Transporter 4) Mac Mini + Kharma FW + Weiss AFI1 + Stealth Varidig Sextet + Genesis Digital Lens + AQ Eagle Eye + Stax Dac -> Favorite setup thus far, -> But it should for the cost increase compared to the other options ... This weekend, I'll compare my current setup to simpler setups: a) Mac Mini -> Plastic Toslink -> Genesis Digital Lens -> AQ Eagle Eye -> Stax Dac b) Mac Mini -> Belkin USB -> Esi U24 -> AQ Eagle Eye -> Stax Dac c) Mac Mini -> Belkin USB -> Esi U24 -> Ensemble or Fadel Coax - > Genesis Digital Lens -> AQ Eagle Eye -> Stax Dac Hopefully my current setup is going to be better. If not, I'll be able to save $$$ and spend that on a better Dac. I will keep you updated on my findings.

I am French, I like wine and have a Mac Mini and ... that's it :-D I do not have any PC with FW connection, so I have not been able to compare the two OS with my Weiss AFI1. But worth the try.

Hello, I still have an old modified Stax Dac Talent (early 90s) and it is still much more musical than the Logitech Transporter Dac (that I bought used, kept 3 weeks and sold). I am still looking for a nice replacement Dac for this old one. Had I known at the time, I would have come and bought the Meridian, I use to work in UK Somerset :-D Hieu

Hi, I am sorry, I can't help you. I will try High Res files when I have a capable Dac. I am looking for a nice High Res Dac to replace my old combo Genesis Digital lens / modded Stax Dac. Sorry ... Hieu

It may not have the expensive fit and finish of a "High End" product, but it does its job well. I am new to Mac and this is the first Pro audio gear I buy. However, setup was really easy ... Good luck. Hieu

You could try the Weiss AFI1, this is the pro version of the Vesta. I have not tried it yet with High Res file though ... Hieu

Hi, I have not tried the AE as I don't need a Wireless connection. My Mac Mini is connected via a network cable to my NAS drive, and it is already on the same shelf as my other Audio equipment. From my reading though, it seems that a stock AE can be largely improved. - Empirical tried, but still favors the USB connection over Wireless. - A French modder seems to have good results with AE ... Let's just say that in my system, it was : M Audio Firewire (FW) < Esi U24 (USB) < Weiss AFI1 (FW) I have not tried Empirical Audio Off Ramp Turbo ... I guess that in a direct comparison, the Weiss would be largely superior to the M Audio ... if you factor in the cost of those two units, it should (10x the cost). I prefer a FW converter (FW to AES EBU or SPDIF) to a USB Dac or even a FW Dac, because I can try whatever Dac I want without wasting money on the unused Dac section. I use to have the Logitech Transporter and found the Dac to be inferior to my old Dac, so I was using the Transporter as a digital interface only, which is kind of expensive for that purpose. In my test, it was : Transporter (standalone) < Transporter + External Dac < PC + U24 + External Dac Good luck ...` Hokhost

Hi, I am new here, so hello all ... I tried an M Audio FW, using it only as a FW to SPDIF converter. Later, I tried a U24 which is a USB to SPDIF converter and preferred it to the M Audio. I am now using a Weiss AFI1 to convert FW to AES EBU to my Dac. More expensive solution, but it sounds good. The Weiss Vesta was too expensive for me. You could try a MOTU Traveler if you want FW to SPDIF ... but you would pay for the DAC in it. Regards. Hokhost.