Wyred 4 Sound Dacs or similar under $1K

Danddd

Danddd

AK Subscriber
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Does anyone have any experience with Wyred 4 Sound dacs? I'm looking for a dac under $1K that has a smooth analog sound and liked the fact the W4S is made in the US. I'm very open to other brands too.

I use an older MacBook to stream Tidal and pull all my downloaded lossless music from an attached HD. My current dac is a Beresford Cayman MKII. There is a 10ft run from the Mac to the dac using the optical input.

I'm finding it to have some glare(overly bright) on some recordings. I don't think it is my system as my TT, a Rega P3 with Grado Gold sounds terrific in comparison.

Just looking for some experiences out their. Especially compared to a TT.
 
Dan

I've had one for around two years and it pretty much fits your description. Mine is currently sitting unused as I switched to an Aqua La Voce.

Jack
 
All their products use the ESS Sabre DAC chip and good clocks. It's a good chip for a delta-sigma one, better than most of delta-sigma DAC's out there. I have listened another DAC with that same chip, and even if it sounded good, it didn't make me want it. Not sure if Wyred is much different from that.
I still like better the sound of my old R-2R multibit. But that's just me...

As for other DAC's, people here are happy with Schiit. Made in US too.
 
SoNic67

The chipset is not the deciding factor in any DAC the front end implementation is. EJ and his people put a lot more effort and thought into the implementation of their products than do most of these DAC of the month companies. I've owned four ESS DACs and none of them sound the same. Instead of always generalizing try listening to products before commenting on their sonic attributes, I do. But that's just me.
 
Thanks for the info so far. I may give W4S a call to discuss what I'm looking for in a DAC. Any other recommendations out there?
 
Dandd

Give Tony Holt a call at W4S he will be happy to help you. Another option in the under $1k range is the Nuprime DAC-9 which uses the AKM 4490 Veritas chipset. Nuprime is a California company that happens to own the factory where their products are built in Taiwan.
 
seminole54 said:
SoNic67

The chipset is not the deciding factor in any DAC the front end implementation is. EJ and his people put a lot more effort and thought into the implementation of their products than do most of these DAC of the month companies. I've owned four ESS DACs and none of them sound the same. Instead of always generalizing try listening to products before commenting on their sonic attributes, I do. But that's just me.
Click to expand...

Sorry, if you start with garbage, no matter how you "implement" it, you still gonna get garbage. Sure, you can mess up a good chip in many ways, but to say that DAC doesn't count is just not true.
 
Again you are reading what you want to make a case. Did not say that the DAC chip doesn't count I said the front end implementation was most important which is why all ESS based DAC's don't sound the same and why some are counted among the best in the world. Each brand has a basic family "house sound" just like phono cartridges. What the manufacturer doesn't in terms of designing around the OEM chip will tailor sound. Just so you know I also own and use an Aqua La Voce in my system and it is a BB 1704 based r2r ladder DAC. I prefer it's sound, but that doesn't make the others I own bad. And again they all sound different from one another. If you want to continually jump into every digital based thread and pronounce judgement on other peoples equipment and what they hear then put your gear in your signature so others can judge you too.
 
I said that ESS is a good (maybe best?) delta-sigma DAC's. And also I said that's not enough for me.
It doesn't matter what you gonna do to it it will remain a delta-sigma, with that signature. You say "all sound different", I say "some sound weak" or "plain wrong".
Music IMO should sound like it sounded in the recording studio, like real instruments. Since drums, piano, cymbals are real I can judge that. Not too much for the electric guitar. You can have a different opinion and you can voice it here, no problem.

Also... judgment? This is a forum, nobody is a judge. But we are allowed to have opinions, that's the purpose of a forum.
 
Bottom line is that the OP asked about a specific DAC or others similarly suited. I own the DAC he asked about and you have never even heard it but instead as usual make general statements that fit your prefered choice. Not everyone wants to own an R2R DAC and as a norm most of them, like mine, cost more than the OP's stated budget. He also stated no desire to buy an older DAC and modify it like you, Belgianbrain and others prefer to do. So how about just sticking to the topic at hand and not go off on your personal preferences like you did in the thread about the power cord. It's not always about your personal preferences so just stick to the topic or question asked. Can't be that hard to do. And you are not the injured party so you can leave that alone too.
 
I have never spent serious time with the W4S but know others whom I trust their opinion who give it praise. It is said to be a great sounding Sabre DAC. Well within your price range, I would seriously consider the Audio-gd DAC-19. Although quite different execution than the W4S, typically I like the sound of a good PCM1704UK over the Sabre. I would upgrade with the Amanero combo384 USB module. At about $845 plus shipping, I don't think this DAC can be touched by anything in this price range.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC1911/DAC19EN.htm
 
Last edited:
I've had a pair of Schiit DACs for years now and love them both. I have a Bifrost Uber, and a Gungnir Delta-Sigma. Via USB and Optical they each sound great in the systems that I have them. For sources I have a Sony BDP-S790 in my bedroom system, and a Mid 2012 Macbook Pro in my desktop system. Both of these DACS can be had in Delta-Sigma or Multi-bit R2R configurations. I've never heard the R2R versions of my DACs, but if what I've read is true, their sound might be exactly what the OP is looking for. Of course only he can answer that question, but since Schiit offers a 15 day trial period, He could listen in his own system. Other than SQ, another selling point with these DACs is that they are upgradable, so they will never become obsolete. I plan to upgrade My Bifrost and Gungnir to R2R as soon as finances allow.
 
Wyred4Sound uDACs are great and would suit your purpose pretty well. I don't find them to be "smooth analog" sounding as you requested, but rather dynamic and energetic. I find them to be very engaging and musical, but if your ears want a smoother sound they might not be the trick for you. Make sure you go into your Mac Midi settings to setup their max resolution of 24/192 or you might lose something from your Tidal and lossless files. Not that Tidal or (most) lossless files support 24/192 but you see what I mean.
 
FWIW, I've been using a Wyred4Sound DAC-1LE with Femto clock upgrade for a little over a year and have no plans to go upstream from here or back. I've played PCM files via DSD conversion but haven't noticed a huge difference. Flexibility was paramount in my decision, balanced and unbalanced inputs, Toslink, USB and SPDIF. Highly recommended.
I tend to agree with "icevic" in that it is not a smooth sound but rather very true to the input. Delicate in/delicate out, energetic in/etc.
 
stoutblock said:
I have never spent serious time with the W4S but know others whom I trust their opinion who give it praise. It is said to be a great sounding Sabre DAC. Well within your price range, I would seriously consider the Audio-gd DAC-19. Although quite different execution than the W4S, typically I like the sound of a good PCM1704UK over the Sabre. I would upgrade with the Amanero combo384 USB module. At about $845 plus shipping, I don't think this DAC can be touched by anything in this price range.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC1911/DAC19EN.htm
Click to expand...


+1 audio gd. Their value is unmatched

Also worth noting is the gustard x20. True Differential ESS 9018, highly regarded on many forums, some prefer it to their schiit yggy

Both are Chinese companies that offer crazy price/performance, and great build quality
 
Wow, that Musical Paradise unit is beautiful. That's definitely on my radar now. Look forward to your review Seminole.
 
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