NOS DAC Journey - SW1X DAC III STd


I wanted to share the journey I recently took in search of something which was missing from my sound. Earlier in 2018 I had purchased a replacement amp + preamp (SST Thoebe II and Son of Ampzilla 2) and yet felt there was a thinness remaining that bothered me. My speakers (Philharmonic Audio Phil 3 are full range and very flat to around 25 Hz) and are not known to be described as “thin” anywhere in the mid bass regions.

Disclaimer:

I have often wondered about the many debates regarding cables, whether amplifiers sound different/same, etc. So when I write about an experience it truly is applicable only to me and I am never in any way saying another person’s experiences are not valid for them. I figure we all see colors differently and we all smell scents differently, we taste the same foods differently, so it stands to reason we probably hear the same sounds differently. Just trying to say I am not seeking a debate about cables, etc.

I changed most of my cables (ICs and speaker cables) and for me this resulted in a noticeable improvement. Yet…… something was still missing. And I am truly NOT the type who “squints” his ears trying to find every little bitty nuance I can find. I enjoy listening to music and falling into the sound. So the missing whatever was very easy to sense.

I listen primarily through a music player/streamer (Atoll MS-100) and FLAC files stored on locally attached media. I had a CD player (Esoteric K-07) and it also showed the same “thinness”. I was using the esoteric DAC for my Atoll but also listened using the Atoll DAC and the DAC built into the ThoebeII. While each DAC sounded uniquely different the thinness remained.

One day I read about the Denafrips Terminator DAC and I got really interested in discovering more about it. It seemed to be well regarded leading me to wonder if perhaps I should try a different DAC. The Terminator had no options for me to hear it without full purchase and given the price tag I did not feel the risk was worth it. But this was where I first saw the acronym “NOS”.

At some point in my reading I saw some posts made by Ron aka Wig about a NOS DAC he had bought and the very favorable experiences he had . I’ll spare all the details but his posts led me to emailing him followed by me emailing Dr Slawa Roschkow  (http://sw1xad.co.uk/products/) . He responded quickly to my emails and explained things very well. I still remember vividly one of his early responses when I mentioned a competitor’s model and he asked succinctly “why would you want a DAC with filtering when you could listen to one without oversampling and filtering “ (not a direct quote.

Dr Slawa offers a generous in-home trial period without risk and his many emails along with corresponding with Ron helped me to wrap my brain around what Slawa was saying and what he was building. And I certainly am not going to suggest other DACs are not good, not great, superb, etc. But I was very curious about someone building a DAC using new but old parts, keeping things 16 bit and non-oversampled/filtered, It sounds crazy on the surface.

But I also had experience in the past when In created oversampled FLAC files via software and really disliked the sound that resulted. I wanted an accurate reproduction of what was actually recorded. Most of what I listen to is live recordings. While the various DACs I owned played clearly with great detail, etc. they never gave me the sense of being “Live!”. The Esoteric I had owned was the best DAC of my lot but I had sold it.

I decided to purchase an SW!X DAC III Std, the same model Ron had purchased. All of its technical details are on Dr Slawa’s website. Production of mine took about 8 weeks and it arrived late in the day on Christmas Eve. That night I connected things and powered it up, wanting to let it burn in for a few hours before listening. Which I did on Christmas morning.

There are times I read reviews from people and sense perhaps they are somewhat over the top regarding how huge the sound stage has become, etc. etc. So, I try to buffer my adjectives to ensure the words are accurate and that I stay within some degree of reality.

The first notes I heard were simply unreal. It was not lacking in detail in any sense of the word but the detail was not grainy, bright, or boring. I want to hear music, not notes. With my previous DACs background music tended to be very detailed yet more or less like a mono wall. Guitars, pianos, etc. were all there but most played at the same volume. With the DAC III each instrument was present but played as it had originally been played. Decay sounds were incredible. Live music sounded live, as if I were there in the place it was recorded. The sound structure of the music now had many layers, each blending while remaining distinct. And this was at the very beginning.

Over the next 3 weeks I noticed “step changes”. One night I was very focused on my main hobby (digital photography), totally engrossed in editing a photo in photoshop and I suddenly stopped what I was doing. My ears said WOW. I had to stop and listen. A song I had heard 90,000 times before suddenly caught my attention.

I am playing a live guitar solo by Patty Larkin as I am typing this and thinking how wonderful it sounds. Is funny hearing a 16 bit Redbook recording sounding so real. The sounds are without words to be honest. It just sounds live as it should sound. And the thinness? What thinness? Everything plays full these days.

It honestly took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of NOS and being filterless and that it could actually sound this good. And I am not saying those who enjoy DSD, MQX, etc. should do anything differently. If it works, enjoy it. But for anyone wanting digital to sound a bit more like a really good turntable, or perhaps they feel their music is missing something I would very much suggest reading about NOS DACs and what they can do. Slawa has DACs priced at multiple price points to fit many budgets, and with his 14 day in home trial period the risk is low.

I do know I am enjoying music as I never have before. And I am not using phrases such as huge soundstage and so on. It goes beyond that. Even though the detail is very very high I am now simply immersed in the music and not “squinting” to hear if something sounds different. Music now sounds like music and is a joy to listen to. I would type even more but this Patty Larkin recording is begging me to sit back, close my eyes, and join the crowd. John


DR Slawa has a lot of information regarding his work on his web site. 


jdavis37
>> Too cool, guys!

Far off in the distance and in time, I sense a new entity taking shape; a piece added here, a solder point there, a black face plate, a low serial number....could it be yet another new SW1X DAC III STD being assembled for a needy soul somewhere in the Willamette Valley in <still> beautiful Oregon? Hmm. Yes, I think it is. I can almost hear it...I must remember to breathe slowly and deeply lest I grow dizzy from anticipation.

Thanks for your help, J and R!<<

Oregon, as beautiful as it is in and around the Willamette Valley, is about to become more beautiful when your black faced (identical to mine by the way) DAC III  arrives!

As much as I sincerely try to downplay hype and over the top descriptions where soundstages are in the neighbor's yard and extending upward into the heavens, this darned thing just about does all of that!

One thing Ron has mentioned and I seem to be writing over and again is the proof in the pudding sort of thing.. I simply listen ton music every chance I get. And I have had this thing long enough for new shiny to start to fade.

The other fascinating thing is I had read where many described NOS DACs as lacking some of the detail of their DS counterparts. Of course I want to hear the music and not the individual notes.. but all that said I do not sense I have given up ANY detail. It is there and tibres/resonates in different ways. It always comes back to the layers I sense and how they unfold and play. And I am still willing to gamble Ron's audio system that you will love this thing!
Very interesting and intriguing.  Has anyone compared or have experience both with SW1X versus a comparable Metrum DAC?  Both are high on my radar but no clue how they compare.  Thanks. 
Soix, I hope someone can help with the Metrum feedback. Once I met SW1X at the dance I fell in love and had eyes for no other :) Bad analogy but its late. I have Pink Floyd's The Wall playing now.. old recording and it just sounds.... like I have never heard it before :)

Hopefully a Metrum owner can provide their experiences. I know when I bought my DAC III it felt good knowing Dr Slawa accepts returns in the event it just did not tickle my ear drums. Music at the end of the day is personal to each of us and it has to sound good to us. So it was nice having that reassurance.

But after about 8 seconds of playing the new not burned in DAC III and I knew I had made the right decision for me. It is still changing some and often I'll have something playing while working on something else and I'll just stop and perk up. For me that says something.
I reviewed the II Signature here: https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/spdif-dac-reviews/sw1x-dac-ii-special/and can only agree with what people are saying. If you look at the site you will see Christain Punter has also reviewed the Level I as well.
I compared it to the Metrum Octave and no contest I am afraid the SW1x  is much better. It has a more a 3D soundstage with the music flowing in a more natural way and it is the antithesis of the usual detailed but paper thin voices/instruments. The SW1x is a real gem of a DAC and if you like what it does Slawa can upgrade it at a later date.

Thanks for the replies.  I was hoping to hear from the perspective of at least the Metrum Onyx or preferably the Pavane Level lll.  I wouldn't expect the Octave to be competitive with the SW1X, and it's not one of their models on my radar.  At some point I have to compare costs between the two as well, but the SW1X seems to do most everything I'd hope for in a DAC.  Really like that there's a trial period -- to me that speaks to confidence in the product.  Thanks again.