DAC501 DAC By Weiss Engineering

Introducing the DAC501 – a groundbreaking digital-to-analog converter that seamlessly combines DAC, Preamp, Headphone Amp, and Digital Music Streamer functions. Experience superior audio with precision and customization, correcting frequency imbalances and tailoring sound to your preferences.

Precision and Customization

Fine-tune your listening environment with user-configurable settings, including room EQ, de-essing, crosstalk cancellation, dynamics compensation, loudness control, and vinyl emulation.

Versatile Connectivity

Equipped with various digital inputs, balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, the DAC501 supports up to 384 kHz standard sampling frequencies, DSD x64 and x128. It doubles as a preamp, headphone amp, and streamer (UPnP/ROON).

Enhanced Music Enjoyment

Seamlessly integrate with the JPLAY iOS app for a unified library, enjoying tracks from Qobuz, Tidal, and your local collection. Explore a four-channel version, with easy upgrades from the standard two-channel unit.

Product Comparison

Compare the DAC501 and DAC502, identical in performance but with the latter featuring a larger enclosure and an additional 4-pin headphone socket. Both models offer sleek aluminum or black finishes, with the DAC501 encompassing all DSP501 audio processing features.

Purist Signal Path

Achieve unparalleled performance with dual 32-bit D/A converter chips and an internal high-precision/low-jitter clock generator, ensuring an exceptional signal path with two conversion channels per audio channel.

Professional-Grade Processing

Benefit from audio processing based on Weiss Engineering’s professional tools’ groundbreaking algorithms, allowing you to fine-tune audio with the same precision as the original recording’s mixing and mastering.

User-Friendly Features

Effortlessly control your audio experience with the included IR remote, managing active inputs, outputs, DSP audio processing presets, and power settings. Take detailed control through a web browser for a seamless and intuitive user experience.

Hifi News
“Weiss’s DAC501 shows great consistency of sound across all inputs and is an accomplished streamer too. Its headphone stage approaches the high standards of its line outputs. Build quality is excellent and the unit has super flexibility via its DSP options.”

https://www.hifinews.com/content/weiss-dac501-usbnetwork-dac

Hifi Knights
“The performance was amazingly consistent in terms of lack of coloration, it was also very resolving, dynamic, effortless and open. The presentation was remarkably rich with details, textures and subtleties.”

http://hifiknights.com/reviews/headphones/weiss-dac501/

Digital Inputs
There are a total of five inputs:

• AES/EBU or S/PDIF via XLR, Toslink and RCA sockets.
• UPnP/DLNA via Ethernet.
• USB
• Roon Ready.

Accepted formats: PCM 44.1kHz up to 384 kHz, DSD 64x / 128x.
Future formats can be accommodated via software updates.

Analog Outputs

• Line out unbalanced on RCA connector.
• Line out balanced on XLR connector.
• Headphone out on 1/4″ jack.

Discrete output stages for both line and headphone outputs are employed.

The output levels can be set in a coarse manner with four steps to adapt for the amplifier or headphone connected. The levels can be set independently for line and headphone outputs.
No sound degrading servo mechanisms are used.

Digital Signal Processing
The DAC501 uses a built-in digital signal processing (DSP) chip for its audio processing. These algorithms are included:

• Room Equalizer – to suppress room modes for more accurate bass reproduction.
• Creative Equalizer – a tone control with low boost/cut, high boost/cut, and mid boost/cut. Very useful to correct those recordings which do not quite sound right.
• De-Essing – the automatic removal of overly bright sibilances from human voices. The sibilance effect can be more or less pronounced depending on your speakers or room acoustics.
• Constant Volume – adjusts the audio volume (loudness) to a constant value across all tracks played. Useful for “party mode” when the volume control should stay untouched.
• Vinyl Emulation – get that special sonic character of a record player based playback chain. We also employ an emulation of the DMM-CD procedure offered by the Stockfisch label.
• Crosstalk Cancelling (XTC) – for the playback of dummy head recordings or live recordings via speakers for an incredible live sensation. Dummy head recordings usually are listened to via headphones because they only work properly if the left channel goes to the left ear only and the right channel to the right ear only. With speakers this is difficult to achive as the left channel goes to the left and the right ear. But with some clever signal processing of the speaker channels is is possible to suppress the crosstalk, i.e. the audio going from the left speaker to the right ear and vice versa. If that works properly then the recording sounds as if one would be in the space where the recording has taken place. All the reverberation and 3D representation of the sound sources is there.(For speaker based playback only.)
• Loudness Control – a listening volume dependent equalization of the audio.
• Headphone Equalizer – to adapt any headphone to the listener’s ears in terms of frequency response.
• Crossfeed – to emulate a speaker based playback impression on headphones.

Front Panel Controls

• A rotary encoder knob for changing parameters and for powering the unit on/off.
• A touch screen colour LCD display.
• An 1/4 inch headphone socket.
• An IR receiver.

Back Panel Elements

• Analog outputs on XLR and RCA connectors.
• Digital inputs on XLR, RCA, TOSLINK, USB, and Ethernet connectors.
• USB type-A connector for various applications.
• Mains connector with fuses.

Dimensions
DAC501

• Depth: 30 cm / 11.8 inches
• Width: 18.8 cm / 7.4 inches
• Height: 6.6 cm / 2.6 inches
• Height with feet: 7.2 cm / 2.83 inches

IR Remote Control

• Depth: 2.1 cm / 0.83 inches
• Width: 4.5 cm / 1.78 inches
• Height: 16.6 cm / 6.53 inches

Power Supply

A powerful non-switching power supply is used. All sensitive voltages have their own regulators which are separated between left and right channels. The result is an analog output free of “digital noise” and channel crosstalk.

The power switch activates a semiconductor relay which only switches on or off at zero crossings of the mains voltage. This assures a glitch-free power switching. The two mains transformers are toroidal types.

Mains voltage selection is done automatically by measuring the mains voltage before power is applied to the rest of the electronics.

Downloads User Manual