Re: 8 DAC’s in 16 minutes
I am actually interested in the Weiss 501 or 502 for my next dac upgrade. Did you mean to say that you compared the Aqua xHD v2 and favored the Weiss 501 or 502 ? Never been a fan of Chord.
Yes, I have. The usual YMMV applies.
I have been intrigued by the Aqua Formula xHD and the very positive reviews that it had when compared to my Weiss DAC502. More positive reviews of the DAC502 have appeared since my session with the Formula.
When someone I knew was selling the Aqua Formula xHD (Rev 2), I almost most bought it unheard, actually, due to the Covid-19 lockdown but managed to find an opportunity to finally bring my Weiss to his house to compare. I went with a positive bias and wholly expected to end up buying the Formula.
It was a decent system Accuphase preamp and power amp (A75), YG Carmel 2 speakers, Cardas/Nordost (top or near top models) cables.
The Formula was warmed up so we listened to it first. The Weiss was connected cold. The playlist was mine - a mix of soundtracks, symphonic classical, choral, opera, jazz, vocals, electronica (Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk).
Formula xHD
Bigger soundstage with airier images. The sound could be said to be midrange centric. However, it was a more congested, less transparent, sound.
The lack of transparency appeared as a haze / greyness to the sound even before any music started - might have been a higher noise floor. There appeared to be some breakup / hardening on dynamic peaks. Generally, it was not as dynamic or punchy as the Weiss.
On good systems, in the opening drum sequence on Hotel California (Eagles Live), one should be able to hear the following: hand hitting drum skin, drum skin vibrating, followed by the drum body vibrating and the sound expanding. With the Formula, it was an amorphous thud.
Same for the bass drums on the first movement on Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (Chesky version) where on great systems, one can also hear the bass drums echoing at the back of the hall.
The last track on the playlist was Allegri: Misere (The Essential Tallis Scholars). The sound was warm but congested, and it was difficult to hear the individual voices.
Weiss DAC502
The last track with the Formula was the first track with the Weiss. It was immediately more transparent, quieter. The haze experienced with the Formula was gone. It was so clear, like nothing between you and the music.
Unlike with the Formula, it was much easier to follow individual music lines with the Weiss. One could zoom out to hear the whole or zoom in / focus on individual voices / lines.
The soundstage was not as big as the Formula (a sense of less width / height) but almost as deep. The sound was more balanced, less warm if you must, but not thin or lean. Everything was just there. It’s a bit of a cliche but things just sounded “right”.
Otoh, with the Formula, male voices like Nat King Cole / Louis Armstrong was warmer and had more air / body though.
On the Weiss, there was no issues with the drums on Hotel California or Dvorak. The session with the Weiss was shorter. It was clear to me by then that I would not end up with the Formula and I did not want to waste my friend's time as he had another potential buyer coming for a listen.
Both the Formula owner and I agreed that the Weiss was more neutral, balanced and transparent, and that the Formula had a bigger, warmer, sound.
Other comparisons
FWIW, the reviews in Stereophile on the Weiss DAC502 (
Weiss Engineering DAC502 D/A processor | Stereophile.com) and Formula xHD (
Aqua Acoustic Quality Aqua Formula xHD D/A processor | Stereophile.com) are representative of what I heard from both units that day.
I used to think that the review on the Formula might have been a hatchet job but it was descriptive of my experience with it. The Formula that I heard was the Rev 2 with the upgraded output board.
