Breaking the High-Dollar Statement DAC Price/Performance Barrier - Rockna Wavedream Reference Signature DAC

[gleeds]

Hi Gary,

No, I will not be at AXPONA. But I will be at Costa Mesa as usual. BTW, I appreciate the invite nonetheless. See you in June.

 

[Lee]

Lee, we will be in room 480 this year, along with my other brands, WestminsterLab and VonSchweikert Audio. You're a dCS man, but Nicholae has produced something special in the RS.

Will the Varese be at Axpona? I would love to get my eyes and ears on that one!

Cool, see you there! I like all the better dac brands…there’s always several good approaches to good digital sound. Not sure on Varese but possibly Quintessence will have it.

 

[gleeds]

Cool, see you there! I like all the better dac brands…there’s always several good approaches to good digital sound. Not sure on Varese but possibly Quintessence will have it.

True, Lee, but not all can deliver statement-level performance at a less-than-statement pricing.
See you at the show, and please text me if I am not in the room when you're on the 4th floor.

 

[Elliot G.]

True, Lee, but not all can deliver statement-level performance at a less-than-statement pricing.
See you at the show, and please text me if I am not in the room when you're on the 4th floor.

there is a Wadax level 8 system at the show!

 

[Doug2507]

Looking forward to reading some post show thoughts on the WDRS and hopefully some comparisons with other DAC's. Hope all of you attending have a great time!

Also, regarding server, any idea if it's Q1/Q2 or Q3/Q4?

 

[Blue58]

Agreed, a comparison with Aqua Formula XHD, Soulnote D3, EMM Labs Dv2i or Aries Cerat Kassandra would be very interesting.

 

[Doug2507]

Agreed, a comparison with Aqua Formula XHD, Soulnote D3, EMM Labs Dv2i or Aries Cerat Kassandra would be very interesting.

I think Verdant was getting one in to compare against others (?) but there's not been an update on the other forum thread for a while now.

 

[gleeds]

I think Verdant was getting one in to compare against others (?) but there's not been an update on the other forum thread for a while now.

Doug, Verdant's unit should arrive in the next few weeks. Production is still being ramped up for the RWRS.

 

[Doug2507]

Doug, Verdant's unit should arrive in the next few weeks. Production is still being ramped up for the RWRS.

Ah, cool. I might sprinkle some patience onto a dac swap and see what the lay of the land is in a few weeks, I think Verdant has M21 which obviously caught my attention being a current M21 owner. The rockna ticks all boxes for me from what I've read / impressions from those I know who have heard it, just looking for some further impressions / opinion to back up that thought. I've got the opportunity to get a D1X SE for similar money which I think is a bit of a steal but mentally cautious of the "deal" being the driver for that instead of the sound.

 

[Barry2013]

Ah, cool. I might sprinkle some patience onto a dac swap and see what the lay of the land is in a few weeks, I think Verdant has M21 which obviously caught my attention being a current M21 owner. The rockna ticks all boxes for me from what I've read / impressions from those I know who have heard it, just looking for some further impressions / opinion to back up that thought. I've got the opportunity to get a D1X SE for similar money which I think is a bit of a steal but mentally cautious of the "deal" being the driver for that instead of the sound.

How wise!
Yes the virtues of patience and the temptations of "the deal" should always be at the forefront of our minds when making buying decisions

 

[gleeds]

Gentleman, as with all Hear This products WestminsterLab, Trafomatic, Ars Machinae and now Rockna, we are always happy to provide in-home demos. We believe there is no better way to see if a product meets expectations within your system and to your ear.
Thanks all!

 

[LinearPhase]

Two questions.

1. Could someone tell me what kind of fuse is factory-installed in the Wavedream Reference? Is it a simple, cheap one, or a product from a known brand, like SR Master or Hifi-Tuning Diamond?

2. Can the Wavedream Reference handle Tidal via Ethernet LAN? (without Roon) For example, using BubbleUPnP.

 

[gleeds]

Linear Phase, there is no aftermarket fuse in the WDRS, although you can use one if you prefer.

I do not know if Tidal can be used in the configuration referenced but will check with the factory.

 

[Doug2507]

Well, I've pretty much made my mind up and I'll have a WDRS on demo shortly. Quite excited to hear it tbh and on the face of it, it ticks all boxes for me. Might still have my K50 with me when it arrives so I'll be checking that out as well vs direct over net from PC.

I'll provide some feedback here once I've heard it and against M21.

 

[Barry2013]

Well, I've pretty much made my mind up and I'll have a WDRS on demo shortly. Quite excited to hear it tbh and on the face of it, it ticks all boxes for me. Might still have my K50 with me when it arrives so I'll be checking that out as well vs direct over net from PC.

I'll provide some feedback here once I've heard it and against M21.

Thank you and will look forward to reading your feedback on the demo

 

[Doug2507]

Confirmed for this weekend so it'll definitely be an A/B with M21 and I'll test the digital connection side of life as well. I've got Jorma / Intona AES/USB here for direct connetion from the K50 (I'll use a run of the mill HDMI for I2S for now) and I'll check network as well with a nice noisy PC and simple switch.

I gave Nicolae a shout yesterday to confirm pin out for I2S so hopefully will have a reply today and I can set the K50 switches accordingly. Default I believe is PS Audio spec which from memory and a brief look though the WDRS manual a while ago, is one of the pre programmed I2S in options on WDRS.

Quite excited to hear it TBH, just wish my XA30.8 was with me for it (away for mod) but Envy will suffice for now. (Only using HP's for now).

If there's any particular feedback wanted, just shout and I'll keep an ear open for it.

 

[Blue58]

Hi Doug,
Very interested to hear about your impressions with the WDRS particularly how it responds to Roon if you use it and how it compares to other R2R dacs you may have heard.
Have fun.

 

[Doug2507]

M21 has R2R and yes, I'm a roon user, albeit I prefer K50 with squeeze. I'll check all permutations though.

Will do!

 

[gleeds]

Confirmed for this weekend so it'll definitely be an A/B with M21 and I'll test the digital connection side of life as well. I've got Jorma / Intona AES/USB here for direct connetion from the K50 (I'll use a run of the mill HDMI for I2S for now) and I'll check network as well with a nice noisy PC and simple switch.

I gave Nicolae a shout yesterday to confirm pin out for I2S so hopefully will have a reply today and I can set the K50 switches accordingly. Default I believe is PS Audio spec which from memory and a brief look though the WDRS manual a while ago, is one of the pre programmed I2S in options on WDRS.

Quite excited to hear it TBH, just wish my XA30.8 was with me for it (away for mod) but Envy will suffice for now. (Only using HP's for now).

If there's any particular feedback wanted, just shout and I'll keep an ear open for it.

Hi, Doug. This is Gary from Hear This. Nicholae is swamped preparing for the Munich show and asked me to reply. Are you based in Europe or the NA?

Good news. There is a software-based sub memo when selecting the 12S input, allowing you flexibility regarding pin-out. The exact details will be sent to me within the next 24 hours so that I can respond further then. Thanks!

 

[Doug2507]

Hi, Doug. This is Gary from Hear This. Nicholae is swamped preparing for the Munich show and asked me to reply. Are you based in Europe or the NA?

Good news. There is a software-based sub memo when selecting the 12S input, allowing you flexibility regarding pin-out. The exact details will be sent to me within the next 24 hours so that I can respond further then. Thanks!

Thanks Gary. UK.

Indeed, I think there's a few options on the WDRS for pin in so should be able to set the K50 appropriately. Will certainly welcome your feedback as well though!