Wadax Reference Dac and Server arrive

[KeithR]

so $5k less than my last info.

Standard mono supplies = "2" mono supplies.

i realize what you are saying, but not everyone will.

And my bad, the clock upgrade too. So it was the $120k config now for $105k. MSB recalibrated line pricing.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

So did Elliot also convince you to try the new reference CH gear?

interesting question. not really. they answer a question i'm not asking.

i heard his room, which he is justly proud of, in early December with the CH 10 stereo. he just spent 3 days in my system. both with the Wadax.

my vinyl blew him away. and he went back to his room to work on it after hearing mine. he had never spent time with darTZeel before. he wondered how the world did not know all about Evolution Acoustics speakers.

 

[Kingrex]

Mike, as you have had more time to digest and maybe move parts and pieces around, would you comment to this thought and how it might influence the perception of a Wadax/Taiko interface. And also the Wadax Atlantis DAC sonic signature.

From prior experience swapping DAC and swapping servers, what I think I heard at Mikes was more an attribute of the DAC. To me the server is more about calm, clarity, depth, articulation. The DAC is more about natural, real, alive with presence.

Do you feel the above italicized statement is fairly accurate? Swapping in the Taiko for the Wadax server would tell if the real meat of the sonic signature was the DAC, or Server, or do you have to have both. Because, there is the Atlantic DAC. If that got 85% of the way to the Ref, and the real sonic signature we were hearing at your place was the DAC. Well then a Wadax Atlantis DAC for $67K with a Taiko would be a formidable digital solution.

Rex

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, as you have had more time to digest and maybe move parts and pieces around, would you comment to this thought and how it might influence the perception of a Wadax/Taiko interface. And also the Wadax Atlantis DAC sonic signature.

From prior experience swapping DAC and swapping servers, what I think I heard at Mikes was more an attribute of the DAC. To me the server is more about calm, clarity, depth, articulation. The DAC is more about natural, real, alive with presence.

Do you feel the above italicized statement is fairly accurate? Swapping in the Taiko for the Wadax server would tell if the real meat of the sonic signature was the DAC, or Server, or do you have to have both. Because, there is the Atlantic DAC. If that got 85% of the way to the Ref, and the real sonic signature we were hearing at your place was the DAC. Well then a Wadax Atlantis DAC for $67K with a Taiko would be a formidable digital solution.

Rex

well; i have owned Taiko servers with 4 different dacs; the Lampi GG1.5, the Nagra HD dac, the Aqua Formula, and the MSB Select 2. in almost 5 years now with the Select 2 i owned the SGM 2015 server, and then the Extreme with a few Extreme upgrades. so i have a pretty good idea what the influence of the Extreme is. it's about as transparent an influence as you will find. i heard the MSB Select 2 in maybe 5-6 shows too fed with other sources.

and yes, i agree with you. and i expect to hear this clearly when i do swap servers with the Wadax Ref dac. the dac will shine through, the servers will enhance it. if they don't, something is amiss. as far as server dac synergy, Taiko has to help with that regarding the Wadax to complete the process.

as far as projecting the lower Wadax Atlantis dac with the Taiko Extreme; it would have to be excellent. but how close it comes to what we heard on Saturday is hard to know. i'd bet it would resemble it to a degree. better than the MSB Select 2/Extreme? i would not bet on it.

 

[Audiocrack]

It seems that most of your listening time was dedicated to red book cq lower res files but undoubtedly you have listened to some high res files as well, Mike. What is your experience so far with eg dxd and dsd 256 recording from quality brands like Challenge Classics, Channel Classics, Eudora, 2l, Reference recordings (Manfred Honeck in particular), etc.?

 

[Steve Vu]

well; i have owned Taiko servers with 4 different dacs; the Lampi GG1.5, the Nagra HD dac, the Aqua Formula, and the MSB Select 2. in almost 5 years now with the Select 2 i owned the SGM 2015 server, and then the Extreme with a few Extreme upgrades. so i have a pretty good idea what the influence of the Extreme is. it's about as transparent an influence as you will find. i heard the MSB Select 2 in maybe 5-6 shows too fed with other sources.

and yes, i agree with you. and i expect to hear this clearly when i do swap servers with the Wadax Ref dac. the dac will shine through, the servers will enhance it. if they don't, something is amiss. as far as server dac synergy, Taiko has to help with that regarding the Wadax to complete the process.

as far as projecting the lower Wadax Atlantis dac with the Taiko Extreme; it would have to be excellent. but how close it comes to what we heard on Saturday is hard to know. i'd bet it would resemble it to a degree. better than the MSB Select 2/Extreme? i would not bet on it.

Hi Mike,

Maybe this is unnecessary but I would caution you that you should check the tab Extensions whenever you open Roon. Sometimes, Wadax extensions is not enabled because of a change of Roon.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi Mike,

Maybe this is unnecessary but I would caution you that you should check the tab Extensions whenever you open Roon. Sometimes, Wadax extensions is not enabled because of a change of Roon.

it is enabled to give me the meta data.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

It seems that most of your listening time was dedicated to red book cq lower res files but undoubtedly you have listened to some high res files as well, Mike. What is your experience so far with eg dxd and dsd 256 recording from quality brands like Challenge Classics, Channel Classics, Eudora, 2l, Reference recordings (Manfred Honeck in particular), etc.?

only very brief, since even though i did buy one 8tb Sata card for the Wadax server, none of my own files are yet installed. i think until i decide on a server choice, i won't be installing any files. although i might. it was very impressive on the minimal high rez on the 2tb resident storage; both with any 192/24 or higher file, and maybe one dsd256 file and one 352/24 dxd. but not my own favorite ones yet. i don't think i can draw any significant conclusions yet as those files were not familiar, but it's promising.

i am excited to have such potential for high storage capacity. 16tb SATA cards should be gettable in 23'; which would allow for 66tb of music files.

that is enough i think. with the 16tb cards near, i don't want to buy more than 2 8Tb cards now.

 

[Kingrex]

It seems that most of your listening time was dedicated to red book cq lower res files but undoubtedly you have listened to some high res files as well, Mike. What is your experience so far with eg dxd and dsd 256 recording from quality brands like Challenge Classics, Channel Classics, Eudora, 2l, Reference recordings (Manfred Honeck in particular), etc.?

I think it's an amazing product because what I heard was superb. And it was all 44.1. There was 1 x 192 pcm we played. I don't remember it standing out above the rest. But I too am curious about files stored on the drive vs streamed. All I heard was streamed via Qobus.

 

[Audiocrack]

I think it's an amazing product because what I heard was superb. And it was all 44.1. There was 1 x 192 pcm we played. I don't remember it standing out above the rest. But I too am curious about files stored on the drive vs streamed. All I heard was streamed via Qobus.

From a sonic point of view I prefer (with the LDMS server and Tidal Camira dac) my stored files to the streamed ones via Tidal. No experience with the Wadax reference server and Akasa cable though.

 

[Audiocrack]

only very brief, since even though i did buy one 8tb Sata card for the Wadax server, none of my own files are yet installed. i think until i decide on a server choice, i won't be installing any files. although i might. it was very impressive on the minimal high rez on the 2tb resident storage; both with any 192/24 or higher file, and maybe one dsd256 file and one 352/24 dxd. but not my own favorite ones yet. i don't think i can draw any significant conclusions yet as those files were not familiar, but it's promising.

i am excited to have such potential for high storage capacity. 16tb SATA cards should be gettable in 23'; which would allow for 66tb of music files.

that is enough i think. with the 16tb cards near, i don't want to buy more than 2 8Tb cards now.

Thanks. I expect the dsd 256 and in particular the dxd locally stored files to sound stunning with the Wadax reference combo (and Akasa cable) but time will tell…

 

[Kingrex]

From a sonic point of view I prefer (with the LDMS server and Tidal Camira dac) my stored files to the streamed ones via Tidal. No experience with the Wadax reference server and Akasa cable though.

Same here. Stored are better than streamed on my system.

 

[marty]

there is zero, and i mean zero, sense that it's not vinyl.

Mike, I think that's about the best description I have heard of what the best digital is trying to be.

 

[K3RMIT]

Stored files can be better but the goal should be a network nas and internal Storage to be on par. Streaming is to complex to do direct compares. too many times cokes tidal has bests my files in my room. I chalk it up to they had better sources. mqa really makes it even more complicate.

 

[K3RMIT]

I can’t understand how any dAC much less at this level does not have a remote and volume control period
im not a fan of dac preamp but a volume control is tool we need to adjust the integration into the audio chain. I’m sure they will intergrate one soon.
be it digital or analog and if done well digital is fine it’s only a few db of attenuation we need less then 10 db no bits are lost to effect the sound
reg Roon there method of vol control is below par to my ears as most who have used it.
once mike works out a few issues I’m sure things will get better. of mike says it’s good I’m sure it’s great
the one comment most use to compare digital to analog is its
close or just like it. I’m sorry it’s not
the best digital is not analog but I do get the obvious reason to do compares for a vantage point relevance.
please keep updating us all mike few if any have your level of hearing and experience a killer combo.

 

[dan31]

The variable output level is the closest to gain stage adjustment. 1v-6v is a large range and should be fine as long as you have some gain/volume control downstream.i believe Mike posted a picture with variable output impedance to match the down stream device. Very helpful in fine tuning the signal transfer.

 

[Kingrex]

The variable output level is the closest to gain stage adjustment. 1v-6v is a large range and should be fine as long as you some gain/volume control downstream.i believe Mike posted a picture with variable output impedance to match the down stream device. Very helpful in fine tuning the signal transfer.

This makes sense to me.

f mike says it’s good I’m sure it’s great
the one comment most use to compare digital to analog is its
close or just like it. I’m sorry it’s not
the best digital is not analog but I do get the obvious reason to do compares for a vantage point relevance.

So true, the best vinyl will never be digital. But it can try.


We have so much poor vinyl out there. I was pondering why Wadax does not develop a commercial branch and sell to recording studio so we can make better vinyl.

 

[K3RMIT]

I seen this but you need a fine adjustment readily available for various levels of music to be played .
not as a preamp volume but like an output to match the preamp input
it effects the tone and weight of the sound
if mike had a preamp after his msb dac he would know or tried it.
If you adjust the gain of a phono stage
you still need to adjust the preamp input
if you don’t have a vol control your limited to on the fly charges
it really is needed i feel
digital has a higher change in volume then vinyl

 

[rau]

I'd put my emotiva dac xda-2 up against wadax

 

[spiritofmusic]

Tbh Rau, after the work Mike has put it thru, the Wadax could do with a rest.