Welcome, Chaz
The PWT will work superbly with any DAC of your choice. The PerfectWave and DirectStream DACs work particularly well via the I2S input.
I do not have any experience with PS Audio refurbished products, but have had great results buying refurbished from other companies. I would not hesitate to buy a refurbished PWT.
Is the $1999 price on the website for a refurbished PWT, or for a new one? Are new ones still being sold?
If I remember correctly, a forum entry indicated that the optical disc reading component was no longer being manufactured, and advised that replacements could be purchased to insure availability should replacement eventually become necessary.
There are no more new ones available. These are all refurbished. The optical disc mechanism is a DVD ROM drive and it is most certainly being manufactured.
I can’t speak directly about a refurbished unit, as I think I got a b-stock unit a few months ago. It had a little of the finish rubbed off the top edge. A little black permanent marker fixed that. I almost didn’t notice it, I saw it after it was installed in the rack.
I had found in the past that differences in transports was easier to hear than switching DACs in the same price range. I had been using a CAL Delta that was considered a good transport, 20 some years ago. I had a couple of CDs that it would have problems playing, one was a XRCD of Monk and Mulligan. My dealer let take home a PS Audio Lambda. All I was expecting was that it could play the problem discs, which it did. But what really surprised me was the improvements in sound, the bass was immediately obvious.
Let me say this if the budget would allow it, I would be buying the DMP, and the DSD. Well it won’t, so I got the PWT, I had wanted for years. I am glad I did. It added some refinement with my Benchmark Dac2. Right after I got it a friend loaned me his Lindemann 825. It is a DAC with a transport, but even after 2 trips back to Germany the transport does not work. The combination of PWT and Lindemann has just blown me away. Truly a whole new level of refinement.
I do think my Lambda was less sensitive to CD flaws, the PWT does lock up occasionally. I have to power it down and turn it back on. Then depending on the flaws, Microsmooth and or just Optrix and it plays them.
I have owned various PS Audio products for many years, I would not think twice about buying one of the refurbished units. It will be as good as new, other than cosmetically, and most audiophiles take good care of their gear. So I would be surprised if you don’t get a unit that looks like new too.
Buy with confidence.
Thank you to Elk and jeffstarr. Most helpful testimony.
Anybody else who will chime in?
Would especially like to hear from PWT owners who have mated the PWT via I2S to a DAC.
Related, are there DACs other than the PS Audio line that uses I2S - the I2S variety that the PWT uses?
Um (ducking), any affordable (even cheap) DACs with I2S?
Final question (for now), I promise: Will the Stellar be outfitted with an I2S connector?
Thanks again, guys.
Wyred4Sound use the PS Audio HDMI protocol in some of their DACs.
The PWT is a great machine. The DMP is better, and I’m glad I was able to be a beta tester and trade in a PWT as I could barely afford that and wouldn’t have been able to buy one otherwise. But the PWT is great with the PWD, PWD Mk2 or DSD. And I’ve used it with the DAC input section of the Denon DCD-A100 SACD player (32 bit Wolfson DAC) with great success in the past.
chazz said Thank you to Elk and jeffstarr. Most helpful testimony.Anybody else who will chime in?
Would especially like to hear from PWT owners who have mated the PWT via I2S to a DAC.
Related, are there DACs other than the PS Audio line that uses I2S - the I2S variety that the PWT uses?
Um (ducking), any affordable (even cheap) DACs with I2S?
Final question (for now), I promise: Will the Stellar be outfitted with an I2S connector?
Thanks again, guys.
I just orered a DSD junior, what is Stellar, I want to get a DMP in a couple of months
Stellar is our entry level line so DSJ is better.
