PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MkII Digital to Analog Converter

Description

PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MkII

(from Audiophile Style)

The PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MKII is much better than the additional Roman numeral that differentiates it from the MKI would make it appear. The upgrade from MKI to MKII is a major step forward for PS Audio. Inclusion of a new digital input board, asynchronous USB to 24/192, and the Digital Lens have truly elevated this DAC. To be honest I thought the original PWD MKI was a MidFi component. The MKII is definitely a HiFi component with a great feature set and matching sound quality. The overall sonic signature of the MKII in NativeX mode is somewhere in the middle of solid state and tubed electronics, but leaning a bit more toward solid state. The Digital Lens / NativeX mode brings life to the music by clearing up 95% of digital clouds. Much tighter and delineated bass is one hallmark of the Lens. Some may find the bass a bit pronounced but that’s never been a problem for those who like to feel as well as hear their favorite tunes. The Digital Lens also brings the high frequencies into much sharper focus than possible through the original MKI PWD. The MKII update is a game changer that raises the PerfectWave DAC’s level of playback significantly and places it firmly in competition with the next echelon of converters.

Specifications:

• Digital Inputs: AES/EBU (XLR), Coaxial (RCA), Toslink Optical, Asynchronous USB, I²S (HDMI)
• Input Data Rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz (up to 24 bits)
• Operating Systems: Apple Macintosh Apple OS X 10.6.4 and newer, Windows, Linux Kernel 2.6.33 or newer
• Analog Outputs: One Pair Balanced (XLR), One Pair Unbalanced (RCA)