PS Audio PerfectWave DAC 2 User Manual

Owner’s Reference

Instructions for use

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

PerfectWave DAC II

Introduction i

Table Of Contents

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC

Introduction

Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

- Unpacking and Connections

- Register the Unit

- Connectinog the PWD

- Control and Operation

- Sample Rate

- Filter

- Phase (Polarity)

- Remote Control

- Dimming the Display

- The Bridge

- Checking the Version Number of the Firmware

- Cleaning

iii - iv

2-12

2 2

2 4 5 5 10

11 12

12 12

Troubleshooting

Warranty

Service

Notes

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

14-15

16-17

18-20

Table Of Contens ii

Introduction

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

Important Safety Instructions

Heed all warnings Follow all instructions

WARNING. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

Clean only with a dry cloth. For the Piano Finish Top refer to the instructions on page 12 of the Quick Start Guide.

Do not place ammable material on top of or beneath the component.

All PS Audio components require adequate ventilation at all times during operation. Rack mounting is acceptable where appropriate.

Do not remove or bypass the ground pin on the end of the AC cord unless absolutely necessary to reduce hum from ground loops of connected equipment. This may cause RFI (radio frequency interference) to be induced into your playback setup. Removing or bypassing the ground pin on any electrical component is potentially dangerous and should be avoided for safety reasons. A polarized plug has two blades, one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. All PS products ship with a grounding type plug. If the provided plug does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

Read these instructions

Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

When making connections to this or any other component, make sure all components are o. Turn o all systems’ power before connecting the PS Audio component to any other component. Make sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality.

THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE ANY PS AUDIO PRODUCT. REFER ALL SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio if you have any questions not addressed in this reference manual.

This product is manufactured in the United States of America. PS Audio restricted for use by PS Audio International, Inc., its subsidiaries, and authorized agents.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

is a registered trademark of PS Audio International Inc., and is

Introduction iii

Introduction

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

Welcome

The System

The PS Audio PerfectWave™ Digital To Analog Converter (PWD) is a state-of-the-art D to A processor, preamplier and media center. The PWD accepts PCM Digital Audio data and converts it to high-performance analog audio that can be fed directly to a power amplier or preamplier.

Your PS Audio PWD represents a major advancement in the art of recreating the musical event. The sense of being “there” at the original performance, hearing the warmth and immediacy of the live performance is unmatched. From the elegant physical appearance to its superb construction, your PS Audio DAC will provide you with years of musical enjoyment and pleasure.

The PerfectWave series is a system – designed to be used together for best benet - although each of the components within that system can be used as standalone pieces.

The system’s philosophical beginnings centered on a somewhat radical concept: that we could create a high-end digital audio system that transcended the performance issues of storage, media type and data delivery. We reasoned that all digital audio data should provide the same level of performance regardless of whether it was stored on optical discs, hard drives, solid state memory or even, for that matter, over the internet. After all, “bits-is-bits”. But we knew that “bits- aren’t- bits” because they sounded dierently; CD’s sounded dierent than the same recording ripped to a hard drive, or streamed over the internet. We knew that from a theoretical standpoint this shouldn’t be and set out to design a system that transcended these limitations.

The PWD II you have just purchased represents one of the best sounding bit perfect and fully asynchronous digital to analog converters ever made. Every component and system in the PWD has been listened to, labored over and the results are rather spectacular. We trust you'll enjoy music through this beautiful audio product we are proud to place our name on.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

Introduction iv

Getting Started

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

Installation Considerations

LOCATION A good location for your DAC is in a cabinet or on a shelf at an easily accessible height. The receiver for the remote is located to the left of the Touch Screen. A direct line of sight will ensure optimum operation, as the IR receiver in the PWD has a relatively narrow range of view. If the PWD is to be in a visually restricted space it might make sense to add an optional IR booster near the PWD to increase the range of the remote control.

USING WITH A PERFECTWAVE TRANSPORT The PWD and PWT were designed to stack on top of each other if they are not placed on separate shelves. To do this, remove the feet from the unit you wish to place on top of the stack. Carefully place the top unit so it rests on the bottom unit. You will note that the bottom of the corners of each PerfectWave piece is specially designed to mate with the top corners of another PerfectWave.

DIGITAL INPUTS The PWD oers multiple digital input choices including: The Netowrk Bridge, XLR (AES/EBU), RCA and TOSLINK (S/PDIF), USB as well as I�S. All inputs, including USB, are capable of accepting high-denition digital audio signals. The TOSLINK input is capable of 96kHz, 24 bit audio and all other inputs, including the USB, are all capable of handling up to 192kHz 32 bit data.

The PWD uses an HDMI cable to transfer I�S data. This data can only be used with another compatible PS Audio component, such as the PerfectWave transport, and will not work in other HDMI equipment as the I�S format incorporated does not comply with the HDMI standards. The HDMI connector and cable were chosen to carry the I�S signal because of their superior highspeed data transmission capabilities for multiple clocks and data lines.

As in all high performance audio applications, the quality of the cable is important to the overall sound, although any manufacturer’s cables can be used. PS Audio manufactures two models of approved I�S ready HDMI cables, either of which are highly recommended for this application.

No HDMI cable was included with the PWD and to get started it is OK to use an o-the-shelf HDMI cable.

AC POWER Your new PS Audio DAC is supplied with a removable AC Power cord. While the supplied cord is of good quality, it is recommended that you replace it with one of PS Audio’s matching PerfectWave AC power cords for optimum performance. It is also recommended that you connect your new PWD to one of PS Audio’s award-winning AC power products such as the P3, P5 or P10 Power Plants.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

Getting Started 1

Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

Unpacking and Connections

Connecting the PWD

• Carefully unpack the unit. Your new PerfectWave DAC comes wrapped in a soft organic cotton bag to protect its beautiful nish. Use the included cotton gloves to remove the unit and place in the chosen location.

• The piano black top cover has a protective plastic lm. Remove this lm.

• Connect the PWD to your digital sources using the appropriate connections.

• Connect the AC cable into the receptacle in back and plug the unit into your power conditioner or into the wall.

PS Audio products come from the factory with a 90 day warranty. An extended 3 year warranty is available in exchange for registering your product with PS Audio. Registration takes just a few minutes, helps us inform you about future upgrades and allows us to maintain the highest standards of product quality of any company.

To register your new unit, look on the back panel of the PWD and note the serial number. Using any web browser, go to www.psaudio.com and click on Register Products. Once you have completed the registration process you can then go to the PS website and look at the My Registered Products page. The link to this page is located at the top right hand corner of the website. If you do not have web access you may register the unit via mail or phone. Notication of software upgrades to this product will be available only to registered owners via the web.

CHOOSING THE CONNECTION METHOD The PWD has multiple digital inputs and accommodates multiple products connected to it. For best performance it is advisable to use the highest performance inputs for the products you use most.

In order of preference, from a high-performance standpoint, here are the recommendations for connecting the PWD to your source equipment.

1. PS Audio Network Bridge. This optional slide in card connects your PWD to your home network.

2. I�S. (Pronounced “I squared S”) This is the next best performance option. This connection method will only work with a similarly equipped I�S input using the HDMI connection. This will not work into a standard HDMI connection and must go into a PS approved type such as that found on the PerfectWave Transport. This input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.

3. USB. Universal Serial Bus. This is used when connecting a computer. The computer will automatically recognize the PWD if it is a Mac. If you have a Windows computer you will need to download and install the driver available through www.psaudio.com This USB input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data. http://updates.psaudio.com/MarkIIUSBDriver/USB-2.0Driver-V1.22.0.zip

4. XLR. This is a balanced S/PDIF encoded input that complies with standards set by the AES/EBU (Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union). This input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.

5. RCA. Coaxial single ended S/PDIF encoded input. This input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.

6. Optical. TOSLINK optically connected S/PDIF encoded input. This input is capable of 96kHz 24 bit data.

Whatever input you use, make sure the connecting cable is of the highest quality and shortest distance.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

Quick Start Guide 2

Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

CONNECTING TO A DIGITAL SOURCE There are four methods of connecting the digital inputs of the PWD: Through the home network, SPDIF, USB and I�S. The home network option is the best sounding option and requires the addition of the optional PS Audio Network Bridge be installed. SPDIF is a serial digital interface available as an optical source (TOSLINK), coaxial source (RCA) or balanced source (XLR). Connect to your digital sources with any of these three cable types.

USB is the preferred method of connection for a direct-to-computer connection and the PWD is capable of processing up to 192kHz 32 bit USB data. Connect the PWD to your computer using a well regarded USB cable and make sure to set the output of your computer to the higher 192kHz 24 bit standard. Once connected, your computer should automatically install the PWD as a new device if you have a Mac. If you have a Windows operating system you will need to download the appropriate driver from our website and install it on your computer. http://updates.psaudio.com/MarkIIUSBDriver/PS Audio – USB Audio 2.0 Driver V1.22.0.zip If the device is not recognized or your are unable to obtain output through the PWD it is possible that there is a driver conict on your computer. Please see the Troubleshooting section for further assistance on playback issues via USB.

I�S is available through several manufacturers as well PS Audio equipment such as the PerfectWave Transport. I�S is a parallel data connection with separate clocks and data and transferred via an HDMI cable. I�S will always provide a better performance standard than any serial data stream such as S/PDIF or AES/EBU.

You can connect one or all four inputs at the same time. For instance, you can connect the USB input to your computer and the coax input to your CD player. Then you can simply choose which one to listen to from the front panel touch screen (or the remote) that selects the input. If you are using USB, make sure both the computer and the PWD are connected and powered up.

CONNECTING THE PWD OUTPUT The PWD is designed to drive a power amplier or preamplier directly. The outputs of the PWD are high-performance, high current outputs that can drive long lengths of interconnect cable without degradation.

Our recommendation is to use the PWD directly into your power amplier and bypass the preamplier. “There’s no preamplier like no preamplier”. Certainly this is your choice but we believe the fewer pieces of equipment in the chain the better performance of the system.

The PWD has two types of analog outputs, balanced XLR or single ended RCA. You may use one or both outputs at the same time. Be aware that most ampliers and preampliers will produce 6dB more level with the balanced outputs as opposed to the single ended outputs. If you are using both outputs be advised they will be at dierent levels. Our preference for connection to a power amplier or preamplier is through the balanced XLR outputs of the PWD.

If the PWD has a gain mismatch with your power amplier, you can use the balanced outputs

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

Quick Start Guide 3

Control and Operation

Quick Start Guide

Owner’s Reference PerfectWave DAC MKII

and achieve 6dB more gain or choose the single ended RCA outputs for lower gain.

RCA or single ended inputs will be the typical inputs as many preampliers, surround processors receivers, integrated ampliers and power ampliers have only this standard type of input.

Plug either the RCA or the XLR outputs of the PWD into a line level input on the preamp, integrated, Amplier or Receiver. Do NOT plug the output of the PWD into a phono or equalized input of any type.

Once everything has been connected, use a high quality AC cable to power the PWD. DAC’s in particular are quite sensitive to AC power and produce a bit of line noise themselves. Make sure you have a high quality shielded power cable to power the PWD.

PS Audio produces an entire line of high quality shielded power cables that are generally accepted as being one of the best in the industry.

Turn the AC power switch in the rear of the PWD to the ON position. The power switch is located just above the AC inlet.

As soon as the switch is activated the front panel touch screen will display the initializing screen. This screen shows when the PWD’s internal “engine” is being loaded with the rmware that runs the PWD.

After the INITIALIZING SCREEN, you will see the main screen of the PWD.

Ready Mode

The front panel PS logo button, located on the far left hand corner of the unit, is the Ready/Operation Mode control for the PWD. This control has two modes:

Ready Mode and Operational Mode. Ready Mode is designed to keep power on to critical internal circuitry including power supply capacitors, thermally sensitive semiconductors and integrated circuits.

Press this front panel button to activate the Ready Mode or to place the PWD in Operational Mode. When pressed to activate the Ready Mode, the display as well as the outputs are turned o, but all the unit’s critical internal circuitry remains active.

If you wish to conserve energy consumed by the PerfectWave DAC it will be necessary to use the rear panel power switch. Using this rear panel switch will remove power from critical components and in order to gain maximum performance levels you will need to turn the PerfectWave DAC’s power on at least 3 hours before use.

4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 service@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com

Quick Start Guide 4

+ 16 hidden pages

PS Audio PerfectWave DAC 2 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual