Why is it that I see so many of these for sale? Especially for being a new product. I would like to hear from those who have owned it. Can I use my Mac Mini with it? Is it limited with inputs/outputs? Does it not sound that great? Curious. I have a chance to buy one with the bridge for a great price.

Mike

Another question.....what exactly does the bridge do?

The bridge allows you to connect the DAC to an ethernet network and pull music from a compatible server. I see you have a Squeezebox - it basically turns the DAC into something like a Squeezebox.

All my music is stored on a Mac mini HD (backup is local and remote). I then use iTunes Home Sharing to feed my high res files to iTunes on my MacBook Pro downstairs. Audirvana is running on both. So, what does the bridge mean in this setup?

I have the PerfectWave DAC II without bridge and running to my SBT via USB into the DAC II.
The PerfectWave DAC II is outstanding and replaced my Berkeley Alpha DAC I. The review in TAS is correct. The PerfectWave DAC II is awesome. :banana:

Ron

You probably would not need the bridge in this situation - you could plug the MacBook right into the USB port on the DAC.

It looks like the bridge uses DLNA/UPnP standards to access music from a server. If iTunes sharing is DLNA/UPnP compatible, you could plug the bridge into the network and access your music server from the DAC. No need to use the MacBook. I am not familiar enough with iTunes to know if it is compatible with DLNA/UPnP. Perhaps a Mac user could provide some input.

The PWD DAC 2 can't be touched for the used price you're going to get it. You have to go all the way up to the $10 k category to clearly beat it's musicality and versatility. At least four major reviews of the DAC 2 concur. Be sure to use the PSAudio forums for guidance about the best firmware to use.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :yes::yes::yes:

Ron

Did you try different firmware versions? Which one are you using?
I haven't even looked at my version. Bought mine new 2 weeks ago and loving every minute of it. :banana:

After I added a 2nd F113 to my system, I decided to focus on upgrading the source end of my system. After selling my 2010 Mac Pro, I was using a very old Mac Mini I had laying around and it sounded great (or so I thought). I now have a brand new 2012 Mac Mini with 2.6 Quad Core i7. I upgraded the RAM to 16GB and installed an SSD so there are no moving parts (both from OWC). My music library is organized by iTunes and resides on a NAS, in another part of the house, connected by GigE.

Here are my interests:
1. I'd like to use Audirvana Plus as my player (integrated with iTunes)
2. I'd like to use Direct Mode (Integer Mode workaround on Audirvana)

My problem:
I currently have a Wyred4Sound Dac2, which has been great. Unfortunately, its driver does not support Integer or Direct Mode. I've emailed Clint about it and they said they'd look into it, but no updates promised.

Potential solutions:
I've been looking at asynchronous USB to SPDIF converters that are compatible with Integer Mode. In particular, I was considering the Audiophilleo and the EE/geek in me is impressed by their measured jitter reduction and I'm also interested in the PurePower (battery) option.

At the same time, I don't want to have to invest in more devices that would clutter a pretty simple system. Also, part of my interest in changing the hardware is so that I can compare/test the features of the software (Direct Mode).

I know a lot of people use USB to SPDIF converters with the W4S DAC2, so I presume there is a sonic benefit beyond the Asynchronous USB implementation of the DAC2 alone.

I didn't really expect to hear much of a difference when I changed the hardware, but I did. I also have experienced some significant differences between player versions (all beta), so I don't discount the effect the player/source can have on the overall sound of the system.

After a lot of research, the PS Audio PWD Mk II appears to be a great potential solution (that is within my budget). Because I'm dedicated to my Mac music server, I considered a Firewire Weiss DAC. I've also considered Berkeley along with a number of DACs that are popular with computer audiophiles.

Has anyone compared the PS Audio PWD Mk II directly to the W4S DAC2? Also, is anyone who is using a PWD with Audirvana Plus comment on the effect of enabling Direct Mode?

Thanks.