The Weiss DAC 204 - Have you heard this stunning little DAC?

[LE9000]

I'm curious to know what will be the difference in the sound between the original 9018 chip and the new 9028.
Depending on the price to upgrade, it will, possibly, be better to sold the «MK1» and buy the new MK2.
I still love my 204.

I agree 100%. I stopped chasing new and better chip performance long ago. But curious about the upgrade cost still. I’m also a huge fan of Weiss. Love my 204.

 

[matthias]

I'm curious to know what will be the difference in the sound between the original 9018 chip and the new 9028.

+1

 

[highfive99]

Howdy. New member here. Been a DAC204 owner for over 2yrs now. I have it paired with a Keces P8 LPS and it sounds simply fabulous.

I contacted my distributor yesterday and he indicated it will be a couple of weeks before upgrade availability, pricing and process will be available at least here in the US.

Interestingly the ES9028Pro chip used in the MK2 is already 9 years old. It was released in 2016. But it is 6yrs newer than the ES9018S chip the 204 was being produced with which came out in 2010.

After going through this thread I see there is no mention of the Modwright LPS for the 204. It is designed to look like a 204. If you're not familiar with Modwright they make some very nice gear. Their LPS is quite a bit less costly than the Weiss LPS so it may be an option for some. I would have likely gone for one but I got my Keces well before the Modwright unit became available.

 

[PierreB]

After going through this thread I see there is no mention of the Modwright LPS for the 204. It is designed to look like a 204. If you're not familiar with Modwright they make some very nice gear. Their LPS is quite a bit less costly than the Weiss LPS so it may be an option for some. I would have likely gone for one but I got my Keces well before the Modwright unit became available.

Same thing with me. I had my Plixir before Modwright made a LPS for my 204.
But I like my Plixir so I will keep it even if I already have 2 Modwright products.

 

[matthias]

Interestingly the ES9028Pro chip used in the MK2 is already 9 years old. It was released in 2016. But it is 6yrs newer than the ES9018S chip the 204 was being produced with which came out in 2010.

Here a nice comparison between the two chips:

A Look Inside the New ES9028PRO Converter Chip and the New DAC3

The best just got better! It has been a little over 7 years since ESS Technology introduced the revolutionary ES9018 audio D/A converter chip. This converter delivered a major improvement in audio conversion and, for 7 years, it has held its position as the highest performing audio D/A converter...

benchmarkmedia.com

 

[highfive99]

Here a nice comparison between the two chips:

A Look Inside the New ES9028PRO Converter Chip and the New DAC3

The best just got better! It has been a little over 7 years since ESS Technology introduced the revolutionary ES9018 audio D/A converter chip. This converter delivered a major improvement in audio conversion and, for 7 years, it has held its position as the highest performing audio D/A converter...

benchmarkmedia.com

Interesting. Thanks for posting that. They talk about the improvements in the 7yrs between the 2 chips. It's been 9yrs since ES9028 was released so one can only imagine the improvements in ESS's top chips in the last 9yrs. This makes it a bit puzzling why Weiss uses somewhat dated chips in new products they offer. The price of these chips in bulk is not that high so it is curious why they use older chips? Even their top of the line $22k+ Helios doesn't use the most current top ESS chip.

 

[matthias]

This makes it a bit puzzling why Weiss uses somewhat dated chips in new products they offer.

AFAIK, even Ideon Audio use for their 40k+ Top DAC the 9038PRO and not the newer 9039PRO.
Weiss use in the Helios and 501MK2 also the 9038PRO. I don't know the reason but they should know why.
Daniel Weiss is usually not reluctant to answer such questions.

 

[rossb]

I suspect a lot of the improvements in the later chips relate to lower power usage, which is not all that relevant to Weiss DACs. Also, I also suspect Daniel Weiss uses his own filters so has no need of filter improvements made in later chips. However, these are just guesses.

I was using a 205 with Fidelizer power supply, and I had a feeling there would eventually be a Mk 2 version with the newer chips once Weiss ran out of the older boards. But I couldn't wait so I ended up buying the DAC 501 Mk 2 a year ago and have been extremely happy with it, as a significant upgrade on the DAC 205. But I expect the 204/205 Mk 2 will also be a major upgrade, based on a few comments from people who have upgraded from the 501/502 to the Mk 2 versions. I'm tempted to buy a 204 Mk 2 just to compare it with my 501 Mk 2.