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

[rossb]

Is it possible that the un-attenuated signal from the Weiss was too much for your amplifier?

No, the amp has sufficient input headroom, and has no difficulty with the similarly high output of my phono stage.

I am now trying a Fidelizer Nikola II power supply with my Weiss 205, in place of the Teddy Pardo power supply. The Nikola II is about twice the price of the Teddy power supply and is a noticeable improvement in terms of image size, colour and smoothness. The Teddy Pardo PSU is perhaps a little faster sounding, and is still a very good PSU for the price.

 

[3fssNO]

No, the amp has sufficient input headroom, and has no difficulty with the similarly high output of my phono stage.

I am now trying a Fidelizer Nikola II power supply with my Weiss 205, in place of the Teddy Pardo power supply. The Nikola II is about twice the price of the Teddy power supply and is a noticeable improvement in terms of image size, colour and smoothness. The Teddy Pardo PSU is perhaps a little faster sounding, and is still a very good PSU for the price.

Very interesting indeed, Ill try th -10db switch!!

Do you have plans for testing the original Weiss powersupply?

I was discussing this with an individual on messenger a while back, he claimed the Weiss PS was the work of a genius, and that he and his hifi community used them for «everything» they were worth it….

 

[rossb]

I'm sure the Weiss power supply is excellent, but it costs more than the DAC itself.

I've now moved the Weiss DAC to my desktop system and it sounds great with my LS3/5As, but I can't justify investing any more into it.

 

[Tannoyista]

Very interesting indeed, Ill try th -10db switch!!

Do you have plans for testing the original Weiss powersupply?

I was discussing this with an individual on messenger a while back, he claimed the Weiss PS was the work of a genius, and that he and his hifi community used them for «everything» they were worth it….

Hi there.

Yes, I do have plans on testing the matching PSU very soon.

Just to update you all about using this DAC.

I've had this in my system for quite some time now, and I must say, it's still surprising me. The tonal accuracy is simply stunning. Dynamic and, well, just right. The most surprising thing is the clarity without sounding harsh.

A stunning bit of kit.

 

[rossb]

Since no one else was prepared to do the experiment, I decided to do it myself, so I have bought a DAC 501 Mk II to compare with my 205. The 501 has just arrived and is running in. Already it is clear there is a strong family resemblance, and the 501 is already noticeably better, but the 205 (with Fidelizer PSU) does come surprisingly close. I will be comparing them in more detail shortly when the 501 has more hours on it.

 

[rossb]

Steve Huff has just written a very good review of the Weiss DAC 501 Mk II, comparing it to the 204 and others: https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2024/12/11/the-weiss-dac-501-mkii-review-heavenly-sounds/

As I largely agreed with his views, you can see my comments, including my own comparison with the 205, in the comments section at the end.

 

[Tannoyista]

Another update here... The 204 is still sounding amazing. One thing I've recently experimented with is the Teddy Pardo Power supply. It's a very nice update, but, to be honest, there's not much difference in the sound when comparing it to the original power brick.

So, recently I had the opportunity to try the matching Weiss power supply, which I borrowed from a friend. I didn't have it in my system for long, but, wow! ... Yes, a wonderful upgrade.

So I'm hoping to review the Weiss PSU in a much more detailed way soon.

 

[PinkFish]

Hi all.
Just seen this.

I have the 204. After previously owning a number of dacs (Denafrips, Lampizator etc), the 204 has to be my fave.

I have had it for a while now and I've no intention to replace it, as its perfect. But the 501 MK2 looks really nice and is on my list to buy at a later date. But I need more than just Steve Huffs opinion.

With my 204. I've always wanted to try the matching power supply. So, I'm looking to buy one.

Thank you Tannoyista for the excellent 204 review. I must have read it over a dozen times, I'm glad I was not wrong about the sound.

A review of the matching supply would be very welcome as I plan on it being my next purchase. When will it be on your website?

Any plans on reviewing the 501MK2?

 

[rossb]

I have had it for a while now and I've no intention to replace it, as its perfect. But the 501 MK2 looks really nice and is on my list to buy at a later date. But I need more than just Steve Huffs opinion.

I had the 205, which I used with a few different power supplies, the best of which was the Fidelizer Nikola II. It was a great combination, and the 205 was a great DAC. But I upgraded to the 501 Mk II and it is definitely a clear step up from the 204/205 with any power supply.

If your long term goal is the 501 Mk II, then I would suggest keeping the funds for that, rather than doubling your investment in the 204 with the Weiss power supply. I've owned a lot of great DACs over the years - the Chord DAVE/M Scaler, the Nagra Tube DAC and others - and the Weiss 501 Mk II is definitely an end-game DAC.

 

[PinkFish]

Hi.
Thanks for the advice, it's appreciated.

Although, for the time being I'm very happy with the 204. I like the sound, design, size and connections. It fits in my system and rack really well.

The 204 has been a great investment so far, so I'm more than happy to add the additional Weiss power supply, that would be perfect.

Just waiting on a review for the power supply from Tannoyista which will help make my mind up.

 

[Tannoyista]

Hi, Pink Fish.

Thanks for your reply. It's really great to see that you're enjoying the Weiss DAC-204 and I'm so happy that you find my review so useful and informative in regards to purchasing it. The 204 is indeed a lovely little thing. I'm not sure if you read my previous reply, but I recently had the chance to try out the matching Weiss PSU-102 in the Tannoyista system. Although, I didn't have it for long enough to go into any real meaty detail (which you would want if you're thinking of purchasing one). But it was certainly a very surprising eye-opener.

I've now been through 3 different PSU's and I'm sure there's many others out there, but not one has come close to the Weiss..

I'm hoping to review the PSU-102 in full soon, so watch this space. Also, you can sign up for instant updates on Tannoyista using the Follow.it form on the page.

 

[PierreB]

With my 204 and the Plixir Elite BDC everything was great.
I upgrade the AC cable to a Luna Cable AC Mauve and it was a great leap foward.
Better definition, the base was stronger, the 3D image was more clear.
So for me, unless someone give me a 501 for free, I will stick with my lovely 204.

 

[Amir]

New Review

Weiss DAC204 D/A processor | Stereophile.com

Weiss Engineering D/A processors are widely known for their high quality, in both home-audio and pro-audio circles. Over several Stereophile reviews, they have always measured well. Oh, and did you know they'd won a Grammy Award? Weiss Engineering founder and chief designer Daniel Weiss won the...

www.stereophile.com

 

[Amir]

Weiss Engineering D/A processors are widely known for their high quality, in both home-audio and pro-audio circles. Over several Stereophile reviews, they have always measured well. Oh, and did you know they'd won a Grammy Award? Weiss Engineering founder and chief designer Daniel Weiss won the 2021 Grammy Award for Technical Merit for his pioneering work during the '80s and '90s designing digital equipment for mastering studios. Daniel is in good company: Another winner of the same award is Thomas Edison—though, unlike Daniel, Edison won it long after he was dead.


Daniel is one of those audio people that Herb Reichert would call a Wizard. He took part in the digital revolution just as it was taking off, at the tail end of the 1970s, and has focused his whole life on it ever since.


"I worked there between 1979 and 1984," Daniel told me during our interview. "There" was the Swiss company Studer. "Studer started doing digital audio in 1979 and to that end opened a new lab, just for digital audio. There, I worked on analog reconstruction filters for D/A converters, on digital testing generators, on the SFC16 universal sampling frequency converter and audio interface, and on digital signal processing for the first DASH tape recorder we built."

 

[LE9000]

New - very happy Weiss DAC204 owner here. Love the organic and punchy signature. Great dynamics. Nice level of detail.

 

[PierreB]

New - very happy Weiss DAC204 owner here. Love the organic and punchy signature. Great dynamics. Nice level of detail.

Nice with the Weiss PSU 102.

 

[LE9000]

Yes. I got the DAC two weeks ago. It really took me by surprise and I couldn’t resist getting the PSU 102. A massive step up from the power supply that came with the dac.
The Weiss PSU gets hot though.

 

[LE9000]

Short update here. Reached out to Weiss out of concern for the Weiss PSU running nervously hot. Daniel recommended that I set the PSU to 6v. Right away the PSU cooled down noticeably. I thought 9v was the ideal voltage.

Daniel says this does not impact the sonic performance of the dac.
Sharing this if anyone else should experience issues with the 9v setting.