RMAF 2009

Having just heard a Bay Area Audiophile Society (BAAS) demo of the PS Audio Perfect Wave Transport ($2999), Perfect Wave DAC ($2999), and Power Plant Premier ($2199), all hosted by the ever-engaging Paul McGowan, I was very eager to hear PS Audio's front end powered by an early prototype of PS Audio's forthcoming class-D Perfect Wave amplifier. Using Focus Audio Master 2.5 speakers ($20,000/pair), two MartinLogan Descent subs, and a complement of Perfect Wave AC12 power cables ($699/meter) and older PS Audio speaker cables not currently on the market, the system delivered the kind of clean, impressively full range sound that has made PS Audio a legend in the industry.

The Perfect Wave Transport (PWT) connects to the Perfect Wave DAC (PWD) via a proprietary 1²S bus connection carried by an HDMI cable. PS Audio's Perfect Wave I²S cable ($500) creates a superior connection between the components that is claimed to eliminate most jitter. The PWT plays both CDs and hi-res DVD-Rs from Reference Recordings and other companies. It also functions as a hard-drive player, reading the contents of a disc to its drive, and then playing the music back in presumably bit-perfect form.

Thanks to PS Audio's Dave Kakenmaster, who is pictured above, the contrast between the sound of Reference Recordings' famed recording of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances in CD format and hi-res master file format was ear- and mind-opening. I'm greatly looking forward to hearing more of this combo at home in the near future.