Weiss 501 DAC/ Streamer/ Roon End point/ Preamp/ DSP/ EQ

Demo piece was used sparingly as we had many DACS on hand. 

Considered one of the best Dacs under 20k for substantially lower than its retail price which is 10k. 

Review done by Steve Huff
The Swiss made Weiss DAC is a much different DAC than any others I have had through here. It’s not just a DAC but it’s also a Roon ready streamer, headphone amp and pre-amp. It offers up several DSP modes that you can turn on and off via the touchscreen on the front panel.

The DSP modes allow you to do things such as remove the “SSSSSSiblance” from some music with the DeEsser. Maybe you like the sound of vinyl? Turn on the Vinyl Emulation and the DAC brings a richer, beefier sound that they say sounds more like an album spinning on a table. It’s also customizable meaning you can alter the amount of that effect you want to dial in.

There are other DSP modes loaded and ready to enable. Room EQ’s to fix any speaker issues you may have such as bass nodes or even treble splashiness. The DSP modes can be enabled or bypassed and I tried them all. While at the end of the day I did not have the need for any of the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) modes I appreciate the fact that they are there for those who may need them. I do feel it could be super beneficial to those who like to tweak and even correct the sound of their room and system.

I have not heard a DAC quite like this before. It brings a studio sound, or even a Reel to Reel master tape kind of sound to your Digital. It is incredible and probably the best I have had in here.

It doesn’t have a massively wide soundstage, though it is wide. it doesn’t do the holographic thing as well as others either (DAVE), but it does have some of that character when it is in the recording. I’d say it has just enough. Also, it is not analytical in my system but rather neutral and with a solid punch and sweetness to it to boot, but I am using warmer leaning speakers. It’s also 3 dimensional in a way others are not. It brings a more natural and real 3D presentation which just sounds so beautiful.

I feel this DAC is more about delivering the music as it was recorded so we hear it in just that way. When music starts to flow from the speakers with the 501 decoding those bits you know you have something special within the system. It’s instant. No golden ears needed.