Outboard DACs

The roots of Weiss Engineering lie in the renowned pro-audio company Studer, where Daniel Weiss worked for five years before setting up the brand bearing his name. Having worked on sampling rate conversion (SRC) and DSP, it’s no surprise that Weiss’s company initially concentrated on digital equipment for mastering, which was distributed by harmonia mundi acustica, perhaps better known for its classical music recordings. Weiss’s modular designs found favour in the recording industry, with Sony Music’s US division using them to mix classical releases.

After launching its Gambit series, still used in many studios, in the early 1990s, the company entered the home audio market, applying the same technologies to audiophile products. Kicking off with the Medea DAC and Jason CD transport, the range expanded over the years to include Firewire and USB devices, as well as more DACs – and while the DAC204 is now its entry-level product, the flagships of the lineup bear an even closer relationship to the pro-use equipment still at the core of the manufacturer’s offering. With a team of just nine, from Weiss himself down to two apprentices, the company still hand-builds all its products in Uster, Switzerland, about 20 minutes from Zurich, and exports them worldwide to both professional users and audiophile customers.