The Weiss ADC2 Analog to Digital Audio Converter Review

The Weiss ADC2 Analog to Digital Converter: Revealing the Truth!

By Drew Townson

We love our IZ RADAR-V. We use it every day in our in-house studio, the Methods and Applications Laboratory. When Crane Song introduced the HEDD back in 1998, we liked it so much we were one of the first pro audio dealers to get behind it. Mercenary proudly offers Apogee, Lynx, Lavry and Prism converters as these products have met, and often exceeded, out very high expectations. Another excellent digital line that we are now excited to support is Daniel Weiss' Gambit series of reference-quality signal-processors and converters.

Weiss' fine reputation precedes it, being a staple in top mastering rooms for a decade, making us all the more anxious to get our "ears around the gears"!

In two separate tests I used the Weiss ADC2 to transfer an analog stereo master into the digital domain. This quarter inch 30-ips tape is of recently mixed roots-rock tracks. The musical style is guitar-driven Americana, with lots of analog artifacts. It was important to get the details of all that compression, harmonic distortion and hot "tape-tone" back in to the DAW. After all, you need clarity to hear the dirt, right?

I first decided to peruse the ADC2's manual. The feature-set of the device is outstanding; the converter provides both input and output level controls(which I did use) and a built-in peak-limiter (which I tried but ended up not needing). There's also a front-panel external word-clock selector along with Weiss' proprietary POW-R dithering. I didn't need the dithering for this project however it sounds amazing according to Peerless Mastering's Jeff Lipton, a dedicated user of Weiss gear.

I was amazed to see a pair of high-quality mic-preamps come standard. It dawned on me this would be the perfect solution for the high-end location recordist who is looking for pristine quality and streamlined portability. While I didn't have a chance to use them on this session, I can imagine bringing the 1U size ADC2, a pair of Josephson C617s and a lap-top to the venue to record a string quartet or a choir. But I digress...

THE SIGNAL PATH

I patched directly from the XLR outs on the back of my Otari MTR-10 in to the Weiss ADC2 line inputs. I connected the SPDIF out from the Weiss in to the Hammerfall HDSP card on my G4. In the first test I externally clocked the Weiss to my Aardvark Aardsync II (at 44.1), because all my devices, including the Hammerfall card are clocked to it, so, I figured rather than try to revamp the whole system, I'd simply integrate the Weiss in by connecting it to the Aardsync. Setting the ADC2 to external sync was super easy; right on a front-panel button. I set sync-source to BNC and boom, the Weiss instantly changed from 48K to the Aardsync's 44.1K setting. (In the second test, which I'll get to in a couple minutes, I used the Weiss in self-clocked mode).

I was recording in to Nuendo at 44.1 24-bit WAV, and monitoring back through a Crane Song HEDD DA converters (with HEDD process off) patched right to the 2-track in of a Speck LiLo, to a McIntosh 2120 and pair of twenty year old Tannoy SRM10B's.

THE SOUND

Usually I find the sound difference between converters to be subtle. With the Weiss ADC2, I immediately noticed it sounded dull and smeary. Then I realized I had forgotten to clean the heads on my Otari MTR-10. D'oh!!!

After cleaning the heads, I found greater detail, clarity, forwardness and depth than with other converters I have used, such as Apogee, Lavry (blue), Mytek, RME, and Shiti-Design. The sound coming out of my Tannoys was astonishing.

I was hearing this mix as never before. It was bigger, wider, and the transient peaks. The snare-pop and the kick-thud were more evident. The vocal seemed to sit better in the balance of the mix, as I had originally intended. The guitars were as "gutsy" as they were on the analog master. In general, it sounded far more open and three-dimensional than any other digital version of this mix I had ever heard. The ADC2 was revealing every detail.

I was hitting the Weiss pretty hard. The mix was a bit hotter on the left than the right coming off tape. I put the unit into dual mono mode and ended up with left on minus 17 and the right on minus 16 (input gain control is in 1db steps). This "un-ganging" is a really handy feature of the ADC2. A lot of stereo devices do not allow for separate left and right control, and I often find myself wishing I had the option to "un-link". I was hitting the ADC's overload light only on the occasional floor-tom hit. Even though the master wasn't actually louder, it SOUNDED louder than in my previous transfer. The Weiss was capturing the nuances and analog goodness that I'd hoped it would.

For the second test, I decided to go ahead and shoot the ADC2 out against a couple other converters in my rack. I did a second tape transfer of a different song; this time through the Weiss, the RME ADI-8 Pro DS, and my Crane-Song HEDD (original 48K model) using the HEDD as a converter only. I typically use the HEDD for harmonically processing signal, but over the years I've come to really appreciate its quality as a standalone analog to digital converter.

I went ahead and printed the transfers to Nuendo with the RME and the HEDD. As there are no gain-adjust features on either of the two, this was quick and uncomplicated. I again patched in to the Weiss ADC2. This time, I DID NOT use external sync. I connected the ADC to my PCI card via SPDIF and then made sure the card was set to lock to the SPDIF input. I wanted to make sure I was hearing only the character and clock of the Weiss. I adjusted input gain, and even did a little trim on the output gain, which is in .2db (fifth-of-a-db) steps. I did not use the peak-limit.

After I printed the Weiss pass, I did a quick first listen to the three takes. The RME was immediately discarded. It just isn't in the league with the other two. When it wasn't sounding brassy, it was sounding mushy.

On the other hand, the Crane Song sounded amazingly good; it had width texture and "chunk".

My instant impression of the Weiss was that it had provided the transfer with more detail and a higher level of clarity in the mids and highs, along with a tighter, more focused low-end (which I'm not sure was a good thing for this music). I'd describe it as more refined, with finer lines around the edges. This confirmed what I had observed in the first test.

THE BEST

To get a second opinion, I threw the HEDD and Weiss files on to a disc and brought them in to Mercenary's Methods and Applications Laboratory studio, where Fletcher and I could dig-in on the mixes using our ADAM S3As and custom main monitor system. After calibrating the monitoring volume, we blindly A/B switched back and forth between the two tracks on the CD with the mixes printed from the different converters. For D/A conversion, we used a Lavry "black" D/A converter.

The Crane Song HEDD was quite musical with a little "heft" that we both liked, along with elements of a more euphonic low-end. The Weiss had a more crystalline and airy finish.

With the HEDD transfer, we also noticed some vocal sibilance and a little edginess in the highs. The Weiss had virtually no sibilance and silkier highs. Where I really noticed the difference was on the hi-hat and one or two vocal lines in particular.

The observation that put us over the top was the way the lead vocal sat in the mixes. On the HEDD it was on the same plane with the guitars and other instruments, fighting with them a little. On the Weiss the lead vocal hovered a few inches out in front of the music making it literally more present.

This was very audible to all present. For a converter to reveal three-dimensional space like this is truly an astonishing feat, making the Weiss ADC2 the best A/D converter I have ever experienced, but I haven't experienced them all (yet).

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