Weiss DAC 202 24bit/192kHz FireWire DAC (TAS 208)

As high-end consumer audio systems become more like pro studios and higher bit-rate digital files on hard drives become more common, it should come as no surprise that the differences between pro audio gear and consumer audio gear are shrinking. Some companies such as Bryston, EMM, and Manley have been creating components for both markets for years. Another name on this pro/con manufacturers list is Switzerland’s Weiss Engineering.

Daniel Weiss founded Weiss Engineering in 1985. Based on his experience working on digital products for Revox, Weiss decided to concentrate on the design and manufacture of equipment for mastering studios. Weiss’ first product, the 102 system, is still current with 96/24 capabilities. In the early 90s Weiss Engineering brought out its Gambit Series, which included a stand-alone equalizer, de-noiser, A/D unit, D/A unit, and sampling frequency convertor. Sony, BMG, EMI, Warner, Hit Factory, Abbey Road, Teldec, Telarc, Gateway Mastering (Bob Ludwig), Bernie Grundman Mastering, Masterdisk, and Sterling Sound, all use Weiss units in their mastering suites. In 2001 Weiss introduced its first consumer D/A, the Medea, followed in 2004 by the Jason transport. To support this level of innovation, Weiss Engineering Ltd. employs five full-time employees in its engineering department.

The DAC 202 is the second consumer FireWire DAC from Weiss. The first was the Minerva DAC. The Minerva was a glorious flop—beautifully made, wonderful sounding, it sold like ice water in northern Alaska. The reason for its lack of sales was simple: The Minerva was a Weiss DAC 2 with a different front panel. Everything inside the Minerva was identical to the DAC 2 and the DAC 2 was $2000 less. Anyone who wanted a Minerva bought a DAC 2 and naturally Minerva sales suffered as a result. The DAC 2 is still part of Weiss’ professional line-up, while the Minerva is not.

How does the DAC 202 differ from the DAC 2/Minerva? According to Daniel Weiss, “The DAC202 has a completely different analog section. In addition the DAC 202 has a remote control, headphone output, and a digital word clock input/output. The DAC 2 lacks all of that. But the DAC 2 and 202 do have some of the same digital parts, including the 32-bit DAC chip.” The 202’s analog circuit uses an ESS 9018 DAC chip configured for two converter channels per one analog audio channel. It’s coupled to a minimalistic signal path that uses only current-to-voltage converter and a balanced driver as active devices.

Setup

Setting up the Weiss DAC 202 was simple. After downloading and installing Weiss’ latest FireWire driver, I connected the Weiss to my Mac Pro via a standard FireWire cable and then connected the DAC 202 to my amplifiers via analog XLR connections. Next I selected the Weiss as my audio device via Apple’s Sound preferences in the system preferences file. Finally I opened iTunes plus either Amarra or Pure Music and began playing any and all of the digital music files in my library. The setup for Windows is a bit more involved, but not demoralizingly so. If you insist on using a Windows machine, the DAC 202 can oblige. If you don’t have a FireWire-enabled computer you can still use the DAC 202 via its S/PDIF RCA or AES/EBU digital inputs.

My ergonomic impressions of the DAC 202 were overwhelmingly positive. During its time in casa Stone the 202 has had zero connectivity issues. This was a pleasant change from the Minerva, which I used prior to the DAC 202’s arrival. Frequently the Minerva would mysteriously become unselected as an output device and silence would ensue. Correcting the problem required resetting the computer’s audio device preferences and disconnecting and reconnecting the FireWire cables. But the DAC 202 exhibited none of this squirreliness. Amarra, Pure Music, and, most importantly, Mac’s audio midi set-up control panel immediately recognized and supported the 202. Unlike many so-called plug-and-play devices, the DAC 202 really does work correctly the first time and every subsequent time you use it.

Controls on the front panel are as minimalist as you can get. There’s only one knob, an LCD display, and a headphone jack. If you push the knob in it switches from user mode, where it serves as a volume control, to menu mode, which gives you access to the 202’s settings and adjustments. The 202 also sports an IR remote control, which is far easier to use than the front panel knob. More than occasionally when I tried to adjust the DAC 202’s volume with its front panel volume control nothing happened. That was because the 202 had slipped into menu mode instead of volume mode.

Employing the remote solves this user-error problem. The remote includes controls for volume, input source, and mute. It also gives you the ability to change absolute phase and switch from digital filter A to B. Depending on the source, switching absolute phase can have an audible affect. Some audiophiles claim that over 10% of all commercial recordings sound better when their absolute phase is inverted. The digital filter is an upsampling filter. According to Weiss, “Filter A has a steeper frequency response than B. Future DAC 202 software will offer even more filter choices.” The audibility of your filter selection will depend on the source as well as the other components in your reproduction chain.