Anyone Audition the Wadax CD Transport and Decide Against It?

[caesar]

Anyone audition it or try it and decide against it? if so, what did you go with? Thx

 

[Elliot G.]

As far as I know they have not delivered any of these .
They did have a prototype at Munich but it was not a finished production item. Stay tuned

 

[RoyGregory]

Elliot is correct: Wadax has shipped no Reference Transports as yet (you can probably expect deliveries to start toward the end of Q124). However, let's not forget that the Atlantis Reference Transport has been in production for many years. In this case, 'Reference' refers to the optional 3xAES/EBU interface for the Reference DAC. I've been using the Atlantis transport pretty much since its introduction and, in that time it displaced various (underrated) CEC models and Wadia pieces, while easily trumping anything else that's come my way. In part that has to be down to the proprietary interface - although that only became available with the arrival of the Ref DAC. But indications are that Wadax know what they are doing with the mechanical aspects of the transport, while their in-house interface engineering is also extremely good - as witness the AKASA optical interface used between the Ref Server and Ref DAC. If my understanding is correct, AKASA optical will also be offered on the new Reference Transport, which given the DNA, suggests that for those who own Ref DACs and want to spin optical disc, the Ref Transport will be the first (if not the last) port of call. As a high-res file-replay sceptic, I'm awaiting the unit's arrival with some impatience...

 

[Carlos269]

Elliot is correct: Wadax has shipped no Reference Transports as yet (you can probably expect deliveries to start toward the end of Q124). However, let's not forget that the Atlantis Reference Transport has been in production for many years. In this case, 'Reference' refers to the optional 3xAES/EBU interface for the Reference DAC. I've been using the Atlantis transport pretty much since its introduction and, in that time it displaced various (underrated) CEC models and Wadia pieces, while easily trumping anything else that's come my way. In part that has to be down to the proprietary interface - although that only became available with the arrival of the Ref DAC. But indications are that Wadax know what they are doing with the mechanical aspects of the transport, while their in-house interface engineering is also extremely good - as witness the AKASA optical interface used between the Ref Server and Ref DAC. If my understanding is correct, AKASA optical will also be offered on the new Reference Transport, which given the DNA, suggests that for those who own Ref DACs and want to spin optical disc, the Ref Transport will be the first (if not the last) port of call. As a high-res file-replay sceptic, I'm awaiting the unit's arrival with some impatience...

Roy, please tell your wife thank you for the Wadax shipping schedule information. One question for you: Will you be repositioning your speakers after you install the Wadax Reference transport in your system?

 

[Audiocrack]

Elliot is correct: Wadax has shipped no Reference Transports as yet (you can probably expect deliveries to start toward the end of Q124). However, let's not forget that the Atlantis Reference Transport has been in production for many years. In this case, 'Reference' refers to the optional 3xAES/EBU interface for the Reference DAC. I've been using the Atlantis transport pretty much since its introduction and, in that time it displaced various (underrated) CEC models and Wadia pieces, while easily trumping anything else that's come my way. In part that has to be down to the proprietary interface - although that only became available with the arrival of the Ref DAC. But indications are that Wadax know what they are doing with the mechanical aspects of the transport, while their in-house interface engineering is also extremely good - as witness the AKASA optical interface used between the Ref Server and Ref DAC. If my understanding is correct, AKASA optical will also be offered on the new Reference Transport, which given the DNA, suggests that for those who own Ref DACs and want to spin optical disc, the Ref Transport will be the first (if not the last) port of call. As a high-res file-replay sceptic, I'm awaiting the unit's arrival with some impatience...

Maybe I misunderstood your various reviews of the Wadax reference dac and server combination but I got the strong impression from your comments that you are no longer a “high-res-replay-sceptic” and enjoying this combo tremendously. Therefore I suppose I should interpret your last sentence as follows: the Wadax reference (sa)cd transport might sound even better than the server.

 

[RoyGregory]

The Reference Server is the first streaming solution that I actually listento for pleasure. It is also the first streaming (or file replay) solution that can - occasionally - surpass the performance of the equivalent optical disc. The Atlantis Transport remains generally superior to my ears and yes, I anticipate that the reference transport should sound better still.

 

[matthias]

Anyone audition it or try it and decide against it? if so, what did you go with? Thx

Didn't mention the OP this device?

ATLANTIS Transport | wadax

wadax.eu

 

[Audiocrack]

The Reference Server is the first streaming solution that I actually listento for pleasure. It is also the first streaming (or file replay) solution that can - occasionally - surpass the performance of the equivalent optical disc. The Atlantis Transport remains generally superior to my ears and yes, I anticipate that the reference transport should sound better still.

By now there are quite a lot high resolution native files available in the dsd 256 and dxd format. In particular the dxd files sound awesome in my set up with the Wadax reference server / dac combo. Think of the native dxd recordings of brands such as for example Challenge Classics (in particular the great recordings by Bert van der Wolf), Reference Recordings (the Soundmirror team; generally I prefer the dxd format to the dsd 256 format), 2l (for example their dxd choir recordings sound exquisite), Trptk, etc. In my set up I prefer these native files to the (sa)cd’s (btw, I am playing with the Zanden 2000p cd-transport).

I have not heard the Wadax Atlantis transport in my system and took notice of your description ‘occasionally’. But if you compare these native dxd files to the corresponding (sa)cd’s in your set up: are you then generally prefering the hard discs?

 

[Al M.]

The Reference Server is the first streaming solution that I actually listento for pleasure. It is also the first streaming (or file replay) solution that can - occasionally - surpass the performance of the equivalent optical disc. The Atlantis Transport remains generally superior to my ears and yes, I anticipate that the reference transport should sound better still.

It is also my experience that good streaming, while possible, is rare. I still stick with my CD playback (via Mutec reclocker into the DAC after transport).

In a review of the Neodio Origene CD player some years ago you spoke of "file fundamentalism". I found this both funny and apt, as it describes the great zeal with which people have strongly insisted to me that file replay (local or streaming) is so much better. Well, I think after all those years I still feel pretty darn good of not having given in to the fundamentalists. A friend of mine, after many years of optimizing his streaming, even has reverted to physical CD playback after he heard mine in his system (he still streams, but not when looking for the highest sound quality).

In the spirit of keeping up with modern times, I do stream music on YouTube over laptop and headphones .

 

[Scott W]

When I first received the Atlantis Transport X I had the Atlantis DAC, which used two Ethernet cables for PCM/SACD (DSD) playback. I used a couple of Monoprice Ethernet Cat 8 cables and the sound was excellent. But when I used an MIT Oracle MA-X RCA cable for CD/PCM there was a substantial increase in performance, but this connection would not give me SACD/DSD.

When the Reference DAC came in I was very excited to try the Wadax Link/Transport interface, which uses 3 AES/EBU (XLR) cables and one Ethernet cable. Initially I used 3 Mogami XLR cables while I waited for the three MIT Oracle MA-X AES/EBU cables to be built and shipped. And the sound was simply amazing. Musical flow (PRAT) and organic richness just flowed like I had never heard before.

It took a bit of time for the Oracle MA-X Digital cables to come in as MIT was going through a factory move and parts issue, but once broken in and settled in, the uptick in performance was massive, substantially more micro/macro detail, soundstage openness and midrange detail, air and presence, WOW!

I have many SACDs and SACD collections and absolutely cannot believe the sound this combination gives me. I have not compared this setup with the Reference Server, but hope to around the middle of 2024. I did compare it to the Antipodes Oladra via USB and XLR and as great as the Oladra is, the Transport X/Ref DAC SACD/DSD playback sounds superior.