Wadax Munich 2022

[howiebrou]

it's the way i listen to new music and how i easily explore musical threads.

I presume that you were able to do this on any of your previous digital sources? Or has Wadax meant that you listen to more digital now due to its performance?

 

[Tango]

Tang, does your friend have the Kronos Pro or the latest new flagship that I think is called Discovery or something. It is a stand alone complete design on its own integral floor standing rack.

He has the new flagship. His whole vinyl front is all Kronos including the phono and arm. Cartridge is Opus1. Excellent sound! Capturing more and more of digital strengths, more quiet more pitch black but still keep the exciting more emotional connection part of vinyl than tape. If you have AS2000 you will realize the Kronos dont have the same level of natural nuances and balance. I have listened in real quite a few times in comparison to the Wadax in the same system. I am not putting down Wadax. The Wadax is the only digital so far that I feel comfortable with the tone. Great great machine as Mike said. But I think there are still a bit more room for improvement. I am sure Mike know where. Eventhough the tone of Wadax is very much unlike digital and never bug my ears, that tone and presence is still uncomparable to the best of vinyl especially if you own the Neumann DST. But it is true as Mike said you dont want to listen to same music over and over just because the sound is good. You want tobe able to explore new music which mostly now made in digital format. So Wadax makes allthe senses for people who can pay close to $200,000. They have the money and they can spend another $100,000 more for future improvements that sure will be made in a couple years. It is just crazy money that bug people when talk about Wadax imo. If Wadax cost 10% more than the Horizon it sure will cannibalize the sales of Horizon dramatically I think.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I presume that you were able to do this on any of your previous digital sources?

yes, of course the MSB/Extreme was first rate doing this too.....and the MSB was a few notches above the GG1.5 or Aqua Formula that were my previous dacs. they each were capable, but they did not take me musically to where i now am.

Or has Wadax meant that you listen to more digital now due to its performance?

yes; for sure. i'd say even after 5 months now, i'm more excited for my digital listening than ever, my digital sessions last longer, and i'm more likely to be aggressive listening to most anything since the Wadax makes it all better. i value my digital listening time more; it's more than just fill in or multi-tasking time music. it's serious. there is just more 'real life' in the music. it grabs me. and changed how i view it.

certainly i'm now viewing digital listening in a fundamentally different way than before.

 

[howiebrou]

yes, of course the MSB/Extreme was first rate doing this too.....and the MSB was a few notches above the GG1.5 or Aqua Formula that were my previous dacs. they each were capable, but they did not take me musically to where i now am.

yes; for sure. i'd say even after 5 months now, i'm more excited for my digital listening than ever, my digital sessions last longer, and i'm more likely to be aggressive listening to most anything since the Wadax makes it all better. i value my digital listening time more; it's more than just fill in or multi-tasking time music. it's serious. there is just more 'real life' in the music. it grabs me. and changed how i view it.

certainly i'm now viewing digital listening in a fundamentally different way than before.

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then I guess you are full up! Congrats.

 

[andromedaaudio]

If Wadax can do this on the DA conversion side it makes you wonder what a whole Wadax chain could do .
By that I mean Wadax AD (analogue to digital ) conversion in studios

 

[amadeus]

I was somewhat surprised by visitor comments on the Wadax, Kõda, Kharma system sound. In my experience K?da kit needs time to settle after it's been moved, but that should not be a factor here.

I have heard Kõda drive big speakers with ease, but for me the magic comes when married to high resolution, efficient loads e.g. Lumen White.

In my experience, you don't need grounding for Kõda to shine, the Tripoint I used with the Thor SE took the system performance further but it was also mighty fine without.

The Robert Kõda K70 GII is something very special to my ears, I still have mine (and my K15). I haven't heard the K160 yet, I suspect I'll still prefer the K70 but who knows...

Interesting also to read (elsewhere on this forum) that someone preferred the Kronos TT over the Wadax.

Wadax good looking imposing models build as a tank but to my ears every time i have listened to it sounds open analytical and on the thin side not much magic unless you combine whit other gear that has overly full body tonality....

Big Kharma speakers whit the diamond tweeters costing 400K or much more probably best looking speakers fit and finish is close too perfection but sounds like freezer ,2 dimensional, big 15 inch woofers but no punching and shaking bass performance when the music need it in my opinion for the very rich who likes to impose friends and visitors but whit no knowledge about the deepness and true beauty of music....

Robert Koda: i used to have Robert Koda for many years in my system when i had the K160 Monos i was able to get really high levels of true dynamic and true magical performance but to achieve this i did so much effort on every other parameter of the room electricity grounding resonance control that probably many other amps treated whit the same enerhy effort know how and bulk of money would achieve those levels also costing less than Robert Koda K160.... Robert Koda s best amplifier is and was the Hybrid 3 pieces K70MKII that is a amplifier whit soul magic silence perfect tonality and speed i feel pity that i sold mine...

So if i in my humble opinion sum up the 3 brands in the Wadax room above me may self not being a visitor of Munchen this year i can understand why nobody was touched and involved whit true beauty of music in a system costing far above 1 million dolars...... The summing up of the products natural consequence of a sum it seems to me!

 

[LL21]

Wadax good looking imposing models build as a tank but to my ears every time i have listened to it sounds open analytical and on the thin side not much magic unless you combine whit other gear that has overly full body tonality....

Big Kharma speakers whit the diamond tweeters costing 400K or much more probably best looking speakers fit and finish is close too perfection but sounds like freezer ,2 dimensional, big 15 inch woofers but no punching and shaking bass performance when the music need it in my opinion for the very rich who likes to impose friends and visitors but whit no knowledge about the deepness and true beauty of music....

Robert Koda: i used to have Robert Koda for many years in my system when i had the K160 Monos i was able to get really high levels of true dynamic and true magical performance but to achieve this i did so much effort on every other parameter of the room electricity grounding resonance control that probably many other amps treated whit the same enerhy effort know how and bulk of money would achieve those levels also costing less than Robert Koda K160.... Robert Koda s best amplifier is and was the Hybrid 3 pieces K70MKII that is a amplifier whit soul magic silence perfect tonality and speed i feel pity that i sold mine...

So if i in my humble opinion sum up the 3 brands in the Wadax room above me may self not being a visitor of Munchen this year i can understand why nobody was touched and involved whit true beauty of music in a system costing far above 1 million dolars...... The summing up of the products natural consequence of a sum it seems to me!

Most interesting! I am still getting to know the Robert Kodas and always respect other people's experiences with equipment. What drove you to toe other efforts on 'every other parameter'? Was there something about the Robert Koda that (on its own) did some seem complete?

So that we can 'calibrate' what did you think of the K160s vs the Mephisto (which we both own/owned). Thanks for your listening notes and perhaps experiences with the Robert Koda K160s. I am definitely enjoying ours.

 

[Audiocrack]

Wadax good looking imposing models build as a tank but to my ears every time i have listened to it sounds open analytical and on the thin side not much magic unless you combine whit other gear that has overly full body tonality....

Big Kharma speakers whit the diamond tweeters costing 400K or much more probably best looking speakers fit and finish is close too perfection but sounds like freezer ,2 dimensional, big 15 inch woofers but no punching and shaking bass performance when the music need it in my opinion for the very rich who likes to impose friends and visitors but whit no knowledge about the deepness and true beauty of music....

Robert Koda: i used to have Robert Koda for many years in my system when i had the K160 Monos i was able to get really high levels of true dynamic and true magical performance but to achieve this i did so much effort on every other parameter of the room electricity grounding resonance control that probably many other amps treated whit the same enerhy effort know how and bulk of money would achieve those levels also costing less than Robert Koda K160.... Robert Koda s best amplifier is and was the Hybrid 3 pieces K70MKII that is a amplifier whit soul magic silence perfect tonality and speed i feel pity that i sold mine...

So if i in my humble opinion sum up the 3 brands in the Wadax room above me may self not being a visitor of Munchen this year i can understand why nobody was touched and involved whit true beauty of music in a system costing far above 1 million dolars...... The summing up of the products natural consequence of a sum it seems to me!

Hi Amadeus, may I please ask you the following:
- Did you listen only to the Wadax reference dac or (also) to the Wadax reference server and dac combo with Akasa interlink?
- In what (kind of) audio system (or maybe systems) were the Wadax components employed that you listened to?
- Were you able to listen to the Wadax reference component(s) in a private set up or (only) under show conditions?

I am asking because the Wadax reference dac and server - as the three reviews by Lincoln Chen, Roy Gregory and Robert Harley also unanimously agreed - sound imho not at all analytical or thin. On the contrary I would say: apparently free from the usual digital artifacts the Wadax reference combination sounds to my ears remarkable open, dynamic, fluid, serene, ‘stressfree’ and - I suppose partly due to its incredible (articulate and deep) low end foundation - with great density and ‘push’. I know that (i) you are a great vinyl lover and (ii) the Wadax combo is not sounding analog in the classical sense, but I have never in my life heard digital sounding as impressive and as beautiful (notwithstanding the fact that my reference dac is still being played in (burning in process takes quite a while).

 

[christoph]

Wadax good looking imposing models build as a tank but to my ears every time i have listened to it sounds open analytical and on the thin side not much magic unless you combine whit other gear that has overly full body tonality....

Big Kharma speakers whit the diamond tweeters costing 400K or much more probably best looking speakers fit and finish is close too perfection but sounds like freezer ,2 dimensional, big 15 inch woofers but no punching and shaking bass performance when the music need it in my opinion for the very rich who likes to impose friends and visitors but whit no knowledge about the deepness and true beauty of music....

Robert Koda: i used to have Robert Koda for many years in my system when i had the K160 Monos i was able to get really high levels of true dynamic and true magical performance but to achieve this i did so much effort on every other parameter of the room electricity grounding resonance control that probably many other amps treated whit the same enerhy effort know how and bulk of money would achieve those levels also costing less than Robert Koda K160.... Robert Koda s best amplifier is and was the Hybrid 3 pieces K70MKII that is a amplifier whit soul magic silence perfect tonality and speed i feel pity that i sold mine...

So if i in my humble opinion sum up the 3 brands in the Wadax room above me may self not being a visitor of Munchen this year i can understand why nobody was touched and involved whit true beauty of music in a system costing far above 1 million dolars...... The summing up of the products natural consequence of a sum it seems to me!

Exactly the same impressions here
Those rooms were utterly abysmal and amongst (if not) the worst of the whole show
Thanks for being so frank...

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

 

[Elliot G.]

these are some of the Wadax set ups at the show. I did not take a pic in the Avantguard nor Kroma rooms ( did not get to Kroma)