Curious among folks who have the PWD DACII, which filter setting do you listen most? I ready on Audiogon that the filter number and type listed in the manual is not correct.
In the manual, it lists the filters as follows:
Filter 1 - MP APOD
Filter 2 - MP SOFT
Filter 3 - LP APOD
Filter 4 - LP SOFT
Filter 5 - MP 1/2B
But the filters are supposedly as follows:
Filter 1 - LP SOFT
Filter 2 - MP 1/2B
Filter 3 - MP SOFT
Filter 4 - LP APOD
Filter 5 - MP APOD
Can someone confirm that is the case?
The manual recommends using Filter 1, and although Filter 1 is not MP APOD (actually it’s Filter 5), but LP SOFT, I still find Filter 1 to sound best in my system, although there are subtle differences in all of the filters. I find MP APOD (Filter 5) to have the most extended highs among the 5, but not quite as smooth and full sounding as LP SOFT.
I’d like the PS tech folks to respond. I want the straight scoop on the filters; my initial reaction to the quick start guide was, where is the rest of the manual… Turns out the QS was all there is.
My preference has always been the Auto Filter position. This filter set switches between the various filters when different sample rates are chosen. We did a lot of testing in the sound room to see which fit each sample rate the best.
Paul McGowan said
My preference has always been the Auto Filter position. This filter set switches between the various filters when different sample rates are chosen. We did a lot of testing in the sound room to see which fit each sample rate the best.
Paul, could you or one of your colleagues respond to the inquiry in the first post of the thread: which filter configuration corresponds, in fact, to each numbered setting? I am curious to hear the sound change as it correlates with the various filter configurations. Just a former 'no filter' fan here, trying to make sense of the technology; I, for one have never gotten hung up on a particular technology, but have moved back and forth depending on what sounds good!
Try going back even further, to 2.0.2 or 2.0.3 if they are still available. I was disappointed with any firmware after either of those. Too much emphasis on detail and not enough “soul” or “music feeling” in the later firmwares. Just my opinion of course.
Thanks for that Elk, just saw that it was not available in the archives anymore. Always has been my fav PWD firmware, coupled with the auto filter and NativeX
Thanks for posting up the older firmwares, been looking for them for a while!
I have had some odd experiences with the new Tidal streaming decoded MQA files. My PWD II makes a lot of relay clicking (from DAC) and then has several seconds of whine (coming from the speakers) when initially playing the decoded MQA files. It only happens when I initially switch over from regular 16/44 stream to Tidal MQA Master files. Almost like some initial handshake is not working well?
Also, the sound is VERY different on the MQA Master files, in some cases it sounds very bad (muffled, blurry, rolled off) but in some other cases it sounds pretty good? Confusing! Oddly enough, the time stamp for identical songs (identical albums) in the MQA and the standard 16/44 are different. So Natalie Merchants’s TigerLilly “Seven Years” is 5:30 in 16/44 and 5:35 in the Master version?
I would be interested in other folks experiences with Tidal MQA compard to normal 16/44 Tidal through the PWD II? I was using the latest firmware.
Tidal technical support service is pretty much none existent. Since this is the first roll out of streaming MQA with a third party (Tidal) doing the MAQ decoding, I am pretty sure there will be teething issues. I’ll wait to see how things shake out over the next few weeks.
While the original post has never been answered satisfactory and I myself have also been puzzled by contradictory information about the actual filter types and the implemented order in the PWD, I did some research.
The following table is from the Wolfson WM8741/8742 DAC Chip data sheet.
Depending on sample rate, the chip offers slightly different sets of filters and even (form some strange reason) in different order.
By measuring frequency and impulse response at different sample rates and for all filters including the auto setting I can make the following clarifications:
Filters 1-5 as selected on the PWD display correspond to the order in the table from the data sheet shown above for the respective sample rates.
For sample rates 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz low mode filter 3 (minimum phase half-band filter) is activated using the “auto” setting
For sample rates 88.2 and above, medium/high mode filter 4 (minimum phase apodizing filter) is activated using the “auto” setting
Testing has been done with latest/final firmware version 3.0.4, but I guess, the same is true for earlier firmware versions.
I hope, this is of any value to people (like me) still using the PDW Mk II.
