Introducing 2020 state-of-the-art model, ALL-IN-ONE Audio:
The Waversa WSlim-LITE
For those interested in a simple, compact, all in one ROON endpoint device "WSlim-LITE'' is the device to consider. Smaller than a MacBook Pro, this unit demonstrates value on all fronts. The performance to price is where this unit stands out. Listening to the first track on the newly out of the box WSlim-LITE, I knew Collin Shin has accomplished yet another remarkable piece. The WSlim-LITE incorporates nearly all of Waversa innovations and stands apart in one aspect from the rest of the product line. The Field Programmable Chip Array of the Waversa Audio Processor can be updated over the internet along with the other firmware. This may be an industry first. All units worldwide have evolved as the technology evolved without leaving their respective environments! Since almost the inception of the company, I have witnessed products take their natural course and, consistently, each hardware design was overbuilt to accommodate future processing needs, significantly extending product life far longer than the competitors’. The only downside is that the endeavor to keep each product’s respective manual current has proven a formidable task and, admittedly, I have fallen short. Digital audio technology is evolving at a pace faster than other aspects of this industry, with credit to talented engineers like Collin Shin, each with their own unique perspective.
Designed to match and drive eight power amplifiers for each channel
Based off the Wamp 2.5 mkii class D digital integrated amplifier, the WSlim-LITE is equipped with eight Para Bridge-Tied Load (PPBTL) type power amplifiers for each of the left and right channels. It has the power to drive even a low impedance speaker, and the harmonic information of the vacuum tube amplifier is reproduced in ultra-high definition with the latest digital technology "WAP/X and WAP/DSD".
In terms of functionality, along with its small footprint, it is equipped with optical digital, coaxial digital, USB, Ethernet, and a built-in FM tuner, and can reproduce high-quality sound from a wide variety of devices, making it ideal for any home, office, store, vacation home, or dorm room.
By connecting it to a LAN cable, DLNA and ROON, which is the latest network solution, are supported; anyone can easily enjoy network playback. The unit comes with a generic apple remote for basic controls, but the new Waversa IP address based remote app allows connection through any device and will support file play -- Just add the “Assigned Slim-LITE IP address/wremote-app/wremoteplayer” to your device browser. As with the Waversa firmware, this remote software will continue to evolve.
- For connection of CD players, etc.-Coaxial digital
- For connecting TVs, TV tuners, game consoles, etc.-Optical digital
- For computer connection-USB
- FM antenna connection
- For router connection-LAN (Network playback from PC)
*If Wi-Fi router, playback from smartphone or tablet
WSlim-LITE technology
Sound source data restoration technology
WAP is an audio processor developed by Waversa, which estimates digital signals as closely as possible to the original sound. Unlike interpolation, which uses intermediate values, it is a technique for estimating and restoring data signals using preceding and following data signals. Higher levels of WAP produce more accurate analog signals, reinforcing details and expanding the dynamic range, creating an overall enveloping sense of stage and immersing experience.
WAP / X (Waversa Audio Processor Extension) reproduces the sound of vacuum tubes.
Some say that analog sounds are bright and warm, while digital sounds are cool and crisp. Waversa’s WAP / X processing reproduces the sound of vacuum tube amplifiers, deeply loved for their warm tone, using digital technology. Waversa analyzed the overtone characteristics of the 1940's Western Electric 300B and developed the means to reproduce them digitally. WAP / X technology adds the characteristics of the 300B’s transparency and warm overtones to WAP processing digitally.
High-end audio processing is a fairly complicated process involving a massive amount of data in real-time. Waversa’s most recent breakthrough was discovering that the new generation field-programmable gate array (FPGA*) could easily take on Waversa’s WAP / X overtone processing algorithm. With the new generation FPGAs, this complex processing can be applied accurately to many harmonics in real-time.
Jitter and electrical noise inherent in digital equipment mask the harmonics of music. All DAC manufacturers have, understandably, focused on minimizing these issues. With Waversa’s WAP / X processing, you can feel the warm natural overtones of the classic 1942 Western Electric 300B without the actual vacuum tube. If you want to hear the higher harmonics present in music but lost in the process of music digitization, the only way to do so is by using algorithms because there is a limit to the capability of a vacuum tube, no matter how good it is. Waversa’s WSlim-LITE also features a new proprietary DSD decoder, aptly named WAP / DSD. The fundamental concepts of WAP / X that provide Waversa uniqueness in the industry are applied to DSD.
The end-user can turn WAP / X on or off. At this time, the Slim LITE does not adjust the degree of harmonics. However, WAP / X will be upgradeable through future firmware updates.
* FPGAs are exceedingly complex, fast logic circuits fully capable of handling resource-intensive algorithms.
Dynamic Range Enhancement is another Waversa-unique processing algorithm. It's not a volume control or output gain setting, but it is also adjustable by the end-user. This novel setting brings life and resurrects detail to compressed recordings. Both the Harmonic (WAP-X) and Dynamic Range Enhancement algorithms provide significant flexibility.
Monocoque body structure for high sound quality
The WSlim-LITE stands out compared to products in the same price range because of the different chassis design, adopting the monocoque concept seen in the automotive, aeronautical and rocket industries. A true monocoque by definition carries tensile, vibratory and compressive forces across the external skin. Cutting deep vaults from a single block of aluminum allows further RF and EM isolation of individual components from each other and the external environment. This design suppresses noise and vibration that deteriorate sound quality thus ensuring high-quality sound reproduction. With all-in-one products in this price range, it's usually impossible to make an entire chassis out of solid aluminum, so the WSlim-LITE is an industry leader just for this feature.