pmotz said Paul, when was the discussion on video out?I have searched, hoping to post a link, but have been unsuccessful on finding this discussion in Paul's Posts.
Can anyone provide a link?
http://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/delivery-systems/
Search for the word video.
bstanwick saidAs others mentioned, how will you be able to navigate menus on DVD-A and Blu-ray audio discs without any video output?
Good question. I wondered the same, but took for granted that you browse it like a CD as long as it is ‘finalized’ in the correct manner.
You won’t be able to except for the front panel touch screen. The same question applies to the USB input on the front of the new Transport. You can scroll through its contents through the Transport’s front panel touch screen.
pmotz said Paul, when was the discussion on video out? I read your posts every day in e-mail, but I have the bad habit of not going to the website and reading the comments. Definitely a different angle than the forum ...Wil the Beta be open to forum members or by invitation?
It’s over on Paul’s Post. I think today’s or yesterday’s. Beta will be open to first come first serve.
Hi Paul
I see PWT II is expected to have a higher price, and multiple i2s ports to stream multiple channels to multiple DSDac devices.
I’ve been reasonably satisfied with TIDAL hi-res and also Redbook CD through the old PWT, although I’m now wondering whether to just be 100% digital streaming only.
Do you think there is much opportunity for me to enjoy a PWT II ? Presently, I think this product is for others with extensive SACD libraries.
Also, will PSA continue selling the older PWT, but at a reduced price ?
With Thanks,
GM
Thanks GM. I am a little confused by the question. If you go 100% streaming then there’s no need for a PWT II.
If you continue playing CDs, then by all means, make the switch. The PWTII is significantly better on CDs than the PWT. Plus, on the front panel, there’s a USB slot where you can insert a thumb drive to listen to files of any kind as well - so it’s really versatile.
The PWTII is recommended for anyone that still listens to CDs. It is iso much better than the original PWT for just that purpose that I find SACD just the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
Also, the multiple I2S outputs, while nice, aren’t going to be used by that many people. They are there just because we could and to keep the few, like me, who are excited about the 20 or so multi-channel disc I have never been able to hear in surround sound.
Lastly, we will not be keeping the PWT in the line. The final few units are being manufactured now and then that’s it.
We will have a trade up program and when we take the PWT in trade, these units will likely get new top covers, cleaned up and sold at a lower price, but when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Hi Paul,
I’ve just got back on to the forum after a small hiatus and find there is new software for DS and now the PWT2! I think PWT2 is a great idea especially for people like me, not in the USA (I’m in Australia) and where the internet is awfully slow - so slow I do not consider streaming viable. I’m not far from the city of Adelaide, South Australia but several Km in the hills the internet is slow, max download for my house is 700Kb/s. Sometime (soon) we are supposed to get an upgrade to Fibre To The Node but we will still have copper cable from node to house so its still going to be slow depending on how far away the node is. I’m really looking forward to this one! I’d be happy to be on the Beta test group - where do I sign up?
Sincerely Frank
Hi Frank. Just keep watch on these forums for an announcement. Not sure yet when and how we’ll be ready to have the test.
This is probably stating the obvious (one of my specialties) but a slow internet connection would not stop you from ripping your CDs and downloading (slowly but you would not be playing them as you download) purchased files and then streaming the files over your home network. Plenty of people prefer to spin the shiny plastic discs and PWT2 will be great at that, though.
Paul McGowan said
[...]
If you continue playing CDs, then by all means, make the switch. The PWTII is significantly better on CDs than the PWT. Plus, on the front panel, there's a USB slot where you can insert a thumb drive to listen to files of any kind as well - so it's really versatile.The PWTII is recommended for anyone that still listens to CDs. It is iso much better than the original PWT for just that purpose that I find SACD just the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
Also, the multiple I2S outputs, while nice, aren’t going to be used by that many people. They are there just because we could and to keep the few, like me, who are excited about the 20 or so multi-channel disc I have never been able to hear in surround sound.
Lastly, we will not be keeping the PWT in the line. The final few units are being manufactured now and then that’s it.
We will have a trade up program and when we take the PWT in trade, these units will likely get new top covers, cleaned up and sold at a lower price, but when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Thanks Paul
Your answer was very helpful, in particular:
-
the details about primary benefit of PWTII (much better CD playing), and
-
manufacture of PWT I line is being wrapped up, and shall be followed up by PWT trade-in program and subsequent resale, only.
Further observation: some people are going to end up with some excellent, cheap CD players (PWT I’s sold after trade-in).
Will there be a trade in program offered in markets outside of the USA? I don’t think Australian retailers will like that too much, i can only hope though.
What is the status on the PWT2 Beta ?
Yes, would be interesting to know…
Here’s something I’ve wondered about: if the pwt loads into memory and I run that into my dsd dac, then how could the audio on the pwtII be improved? Not to be contentious at all, but with the rebuilding of audio in the dsd dac…? Many thanks.
No remediation is perfect: buffering, even in a perfect world, is just a low pass filter for jitter not a cure. But in addition there are a lot of other ways for audio components to interfere with each other than just jitter. They interact via electrical noise thru their power and their interconnects. They interact via RFI, EMI, etc. They interact via groundloops. Every cable and cord is both a radiator and receiver of RFI, every box an imperfect shield… There’s always room for better engineering, but that doesn’t always come for free.
And are there already any pics of the prototype or definitive version of the PWT II?
According to Paul in January – “…The new DirectStream Transport will likely be $4,999 - a bit higher than the original $3,999 of the PWT.”
Arcus7 said And are there already any pics of the prototype or definitive version of the PWT II?Not yet though the prototypes are done and I listen to them daily. It looks the same as a PWT with the exception of a USB slot on the front panel enabling you to play from a USB memory stick.
Retail’s even higher than I had imagined when all the chips have been cashed. Looks to be $5,999. We managed to add a lot of costs we felt necessary in the end - including multiple I2S outputs for surround sound and upgraded yet again the Digital Lens built inside - the power supply got bigger too.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the update. The additional 1k MSRP bump from what you had said in January is a tough pill to swallow, and I really hope that the “aggressive” trade-in program you noted gives a preference to existing PWT owners that would allow the upgrade to be more easily within reach and reward brand loyalty.
Looking forward to the release.