Wyred 4 Sound USB Recovery Now Available

Ok, I got a W4S DAC... it is extremely good. Their newly upgraded DAC-1 to what they are calling the Limited Edition model. They added DSD (ESS9018 chip... awesome)... upgraded the USB inputs and added upgrades to many internal circuits... and made the Femto clock as only a $125 option. According to their website (and with a discussion with EJ) the Recovery and the Femto clock do different things and are not mutual exclusive. They actually work very nicely together!

What a DAC, what a deal. It is basically the same as their highly awarded DAC-2 DSD-SE without the pre-amp functions. In other words, no volume, no remote, no HT by pass and one less rarely used input.... but as a DAC virtually identical..... and what a DAC :).... According to EJ the STP-SE pre-amp that i have is a much better pre-amp, therefore the STP-SE and the DAC-1 LE are a huge improvement over the DAC-2 DSD-SE.
 
I pre-ordered the W4S Recovery USB and anxiously awaited its arrival. Once I received it I could not get it to connect with my Bricasti M1 DAC, since as soon as I installed it my PC server could no longer see the DAC. It behaved exactly as if the DAC was completely disconnected from the system. I contacted W4S and while their support was excellent, they confirmed that they were having some issues with the Recovery working with certain DACs other than their own, particularly those using the XMOS USB receiver. In these cases the XMOS USB receiver was attempting to draw more current than the Recovery would allow for, so it would go into its protection mode and shut down. They have modified the Recovery and have a new version that they believe solves the compatibility issue and offered to send me the replacement to try. I however decided to return my original unit for a refund since I didn't want to get a product which is apparently still evolving in its implementation. I have read of a few users with WFS DACs that rave about the Recovery's performance improvement, but its compatibility with other DACs seems to be an issue that they are still working on. Once again I have to give W4S credit for the way they are so graciously handling my return and I'll consider purchasing some of their products in the future, but would rather wait until their designs are more completely developed and tested.
 
Sorry to hear that Audio Bill, it must have been a disappointment to have it not work as you expected. I think my Calyx Femto also uses an XMOS receiver for USB so I think I will also wait and see how things turn out.

I really do love my Calyx Femto DAC, it sounds so smooth and detailed but never harsh. The only thing missing is DSD, which I can hear using my Teac UD-503 DAC in another system.
 
Albert said:
I really do love my Calyx Femto DAC, it sounds so smooth and detailed but never harsh. The only thing missing is DSD, which I can hear using my Teac UD-503 DAC in another system.
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I really think that was best purchase you made. :)


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Sorry to hear that some people are having issues getting the Recovery unit to work :(... it does seem almost universal though, that when it works it is fantastic.

It works excellent with the Teac DAC and of course works like a charm with the W4S DAC.

It does show how absolutely excellent the company is with customer service however. They seem to be top notch with standing behind their products and doing the "right thing" for customers.
 
audio.bill said:
I pre-ordered the W4S Recovery USB and anxiously awaited its arrival. Once I received it I could not get it to connect with my Bricasti M1 DAC, since as soon as I installed it my PC server could no longer see the DAC. It behaved exactly as if the DAC was completely disconnected from the system. I contacted W4S and while their support was excellent, they confirmed that they were having some issues with the Recovery working with certain DACs other than their own, particularly those using the XMOS USB receiver. In these cases the XMOS USB receiver was attempting to draw more current than the Recovery would allow for, so it would go into its protection mode and shut down. They have modified the Recovery and have a new version that they believe solves the compatibility issue and offered to send me the replacement to try. I however decided to return my original unit for a refund since I didn't want to get a product which is apparently still evolving in its implementation. I have read of a few users with WFS DACs that rave about the Recovery's performance improvement, but its compatibility with other DACs seems to be an issue that they are still working on. Once again I have to give W4S credit for the way they are so graciously handling my return and I'll consider purchasing some of their products in the future, but would rather wait until their designs are more completely developed and tested.
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You may try the Regen. Does the same thing (UpTone Audio actually pioneered USB reclocking) and seems to be well sorted out. There is a huge Regen thread over at Computer Audiophile.

Other device worth a try is the Intona USB isolator. This is the only USB Audio 2.0 device that offers true galvanic isolation between the computer and a DAC. Intona may also have problems with some XMOS based DACs though, so try before you buy.

Both units can bring rather large SQ improvements for very modest outlay, so they are both well worth your time.
 
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Thanks for your suggestions, Adam. I already use the UpTone Audio Regen with an LPS and it works very well, but was hoping that the Recovery would be another step up in performance. I know about the Intona as well, but am now a bit wary of trying yet another unit that seems to also be having some compatibility issues.
 
Honestly the Recovery is so good that I think I would be inclined to giving them a shot. If they said they have the issue resolved.... why not? I can guarantee that the W4S unit is better than the others.... and if it has an issue you know that they will stand behind it. I don't know if I have encountered a better company at standing behind their products than W4S... seriously....
 
Why not? Because it's still a work in progress. If you purchase it and get it to work with one DAC, there's no certainty that it will work with another if you later upgrade. It seems to me that they should have done compatibility testing during a beta phase before releasing such a product.
 
From what I have heard there are very few DACs that were problematic and those will be working soon if they are not already. I was talking to EJ today at our club meeting. They are selling so fast that they can't build them fast enough. The local postmaster was also at the meeting and he was joking saying is that the little box that you are express shipping out.... you are over loading us :)....
 
Sorry to have to disagree with you about this Randy, but to be accurate there were numerous reports on CA from users who experienced incompatibility issues with a variety of different DACs. That seems to includes most that use the XMOS USB receiver chip for example, which is widely implemented in many high quality DACs. Their latest revision has indeed resolved the connection issue for several of those users who agreed to try out their latest version. I instead chose to get a refund on my purchase which W4S kindly handled in a very professional manner.
 
There is nothing to agree or disagree with. They experienced a bug in a newly released product. This is not an uncommon occurrence, especially when you are dealing with computer based products with a huge amount of variety available. What distinguishes the good from the bad is how an issue is dealt with. Addressing a problem by both admitting to it and doing every thing possible to fix it is one excellent way, and another is to stand behind your products which is exactly what they have done. As you stated, kindly handling it in a professional manner. I think they have proven just what kind of company they are and probably one of the many reasons their reputation is top notch!
 
The only point I was disputing ('disagree with' was improper wording) was your statement that there were "very few DACs that were problematic". That is clearly an inaccurate assessment.
 
Maybe, I couldn't say for sure I guess. It appeared to me as if it was mainly one type of DAC. Honestly I have no knowledge of all of the various DACs out there, but I do trust W4S and know they will do everything possible to assure that it works with all of them.
 
I just ran the USB straight into the DAC and listen... I then put it back through the Recovery unit. Nice difference. Tight solid mid bass, much more open and present vocals and the sound stage is much improved. Yea, if you use USB to provide digital music into your DAC there is no doubt that you should invest the small amount and pick up one of these babies....
 
Hmm, it looks like this may well be my next tweak, it sounds very promising. I have recently upgraded 8 receptacles to Furutech GTX gold, two Oyaide bases and carbon fibre covers and have two sets of Mapleshade heavyfeet on the way. Must be spring fever.
 
For a relatively modest price the Recovery unit really does work! Dan was a huge skeptic but after trying it he has become a believer!
 
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