Wyred4Sound DAC-2v2 SE, with the reference 9038PRO DAC chip

I purchased this DAC-2 DSD SE new from Wyred 4 Sound.  I had it upgraded to the 2v2 in April 2017.  After the upgrade it was so much better I sold my Schiit Yggdrasil Gen 5 Analog 2 DAC.   I now have a Denafrips Terminator and am moving on from the W4S.  I am including the W4S I2S cable and W4S USB cable in the picture and the W4S Recovery A reclocker. I have the remote and original Box.  The DAC has a volume control and can be run directly into an amplifier.  

By Rob Johnson

http://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-wyred-4-sound-dac-2v2-se/

At first, I thought I was listening to the anniversary edition of the DAC 2v2SE and was impressed at that point, but finding out that this was a regular 2v2SE was impressive. While my reference DAC is the dCS Rossini with clock (retailing at nearly $40k), I have been very excited to hear just how far digital has come in the context of the DAC 2v2SE.

Truly engaging sound to an analog lover used to take five figures to achieve. Like the lovely Exogal Comet we reviewed recently, the DAC 2v2SE is another addition to the list of highly musical yet reasonably priced DACs that will make you sit back and take notice. Combining major dynamic punch with lifelike tonality and lack of upper register glare has me questioning if I’d even bother with a turntable with an equivalent price tag to the DAC 2v2SE. Especially considering the ease and availability of digital music options.

Extensive soundstage portrayal is DAC 2v2SEs top strengths. Musical cues extended to the far left, right and rear of the speakers’ imaging limits give a convincing and layered presentation. Listening to albums like Silent Letters from Bliss, the rich soundstage created by the engineers demonstrates the DAC 2v2SE’s ability to ingest, process and share out the digital bits with aplomb, re-creating the subtle details contained within. Cymbal crashes generate a complexity of audio frequency transmissions, offering a solid approximation as if sitting several rows back in an auditorium at a live concert. Similarly, the woodiness of clarinets and the brassiness of trumpets roll forth as dictated by the quality of a given recording.

Both male and female voices are rendered with a natural quality. In the absence of sharp edges to the sound make the DAC 2v2SE a great friend for long listening sessions. Ear fatigue never enters into the equation, giving the listener a chance to settle into the music for the long haul.

Bass-wise, the 2v2SE maintains a solid grip on bass without mushiness or disappointment in impact. The balance of bass with the rest of the audio spectrum does not tilt in favor of low-frequency information through this DAC. Those with a powerful solid-state amp are likely to find the partnership between the two components a welcome fit. Potential owners with tube amplifiers like the Conrad-Johnson Classic Sixty-Two we had on hand for testing, will be delighted equally. The DAC 2v2SE does not appear to modify the sound of any amp it is mated with, it just gives the amp a chance to sing to its full potential.

• ESS Sabre 9028PRO 32 bit DAC chip
• W4S proprietary discrete output stages for optimum sonics
• ESS Time Domain Jitter Eliminator®
• Automatic oversampling for precise output filtering
• Asynchronous USB input and balanced I²S​ input support up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM and up to DSD256
• Improved audio quality through USB input
• USB 2.0 compliancy & ASIO 2.2 (Drivers support for Mac and Linux systems)
• Galvanic isolation
• Fully balanced design with balanced and unbalanced outputs
• Upgradable Digital, Output, and USB boards (designed for future improvements)
• Oversized toroidal transformer for solid and noise-free power
• 88,000uF of filtering with W4S low ESR "super-cap" (same as used in the STP-SE)
• VFD display for input, sample rate, volume control, and configuration viewing
• Remote control
• Defeatable 32 bit volume control
• HT Bypass inputs (selectable via DC trigger)
• 2x Coax inputs
• 2x Toslink inputs
• 1x AES/EBU input
• 1x Balanced I2S input via HDMI cable (note: not standard HDMI cable format)
• Proprietary drivers for Windows (no drivers needed for Mac or Linux)
• Factory selectable mains 115/230VAC
• Compact size (8.5"W x 4.125"H x 13.5"D)
• 14 lbs.
• Covered by a 5 YEAR WARRANTY

DAC-2v2 SE (adds the following to the DAC-2v2):

• ESS Sabre 9038PRO 32 bit DAC chip
• Custom Vishay Z-Foil resistors (0.1% tolerance and a +/-0.5ppm/°C)
• Femto Grade Clock (82 fSec phase jitter)
• Ultra-low noise discrete regulators (100+ times quieter and faster than the stock regulator)
• Ultra-fast recovery Schottkey diodes
• Premium grade inductors
• Upgraded fuse
• Green OLED display for input, sample rate, volume control, and configuration viewing