New Wadax Atlantis Reference Dac

[XV-1]

Well done Mike - congrats. Clearly it was the Wadax's looks that tipped it in it's favour -

I hope it sounds even better in your system

cheers

 

[Ron Resnick]

thank you. the relevance you speak of was exactly what i wanted. it still will only be the opinion of one person and in one particular room. but the reference is a known quality. maybe a strong data point we don't yet have.


i had to wait until the certainty of the Wadax delivery to me was 'real', and i'd heard the Wadax, to approach my friend about buying my MSB. but i did not want to muddy the water too early by jumping the gun. i knew i had my business trip to Florida in early December where i could sample the goods. and for once a plan worked out (which is likely the strange part). i did not even tell Elliot i was coming to Florida until i called him, the morning of the day i visited him, as i did not know the sequence of the delivery to me and did not want to mess it up. you never can assume anything. obviously these things happen when it's works for all parties.

at the moment i don't own a dac, other than the Trinnov Altitude processor in my Home Theater room. technically i've not purchased the Wadax. but no question it's my intention. yes; after hearing the Wadax in Elliot's room i was confident enough to complete the sale of my MSB. this whole serious process with Elliot is now maybe 6 months long. and it's only the last 30 days that i was committed enough to sell the MSB. so this was not a spur of the moment thing.

but next week i'll listen to both dacs optimally in my room and have choices, which was my goal.

Congratulations, Mike! This is a very interesting and exciting comparison!

 

[SCAudiophile]

ok, enough pussy footing around.

it's my way to investigate any potential acquisitions far and wide. one item i found helpful was Ack's Wadax Ref report on Audionirvana, which led me to the Goodwin's site where i did find lots of good info.

but enough of that.

first week of December i found myself in West Palm Beach, with an afternoon to kill. so i drove down to Elliot's place and heard the Wadax Ref dac and Ref server, the M10's and Gobel speakers. i heard nothing in that 90 minutes that is in conflict with any of the Wadax Ref reviews or feedback we keep reading. i had been in that room 2 years prior, but different CH P amps now and different Gobel speakers; and the Wadax instead of the 7 box CH P mono dac. but whatever was happening this was another level. the total performance exceeded my considerable expectations. but it's not my room and my references.

Elliot and i had been talking about the Wadax for a few months. i do have a Wadax Ref dac and Ref server in-bound to me, arriving next week sometime. my MSB Select II dac is no longer mine; it's sold and paid for, but i will keep it until i can fully compare the Wadax directly. this was very important to me, and i really appreciate Elliot accommodating my need for a direct compare.

if you see a truck headed from Miami to Seattle it might have some nice Spanish digital gear on it. think positive thoughts for safe travel. i know i am doing that.

Mike...CONGRATULATIONS on putting together one hell of a great upgrade! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year indeed !!!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Well, I guess the responses puts to bed Ked's "congratulations" thread Lol.

 

[Sammy T]

It's like test driving a car ... you really need to be behind the wheel. Everything else is just lip service .

 

[Lee]

the Wadax 'way' is a triple XLR (AES-EBU) transport connection. they call it a native Wadax link. so no i2s for the Wadax.....at this time. the new 'big boy' Wadax Ref Transport might go a different way.

here is the owner's manual; for the Wadax Ref Dac on the Goodwin's site. the Goodwin's site has lots of depth to their Wadax info. the Server manual is there too.

https://static-cdn.edit.site/users-files/ca939556f01b40623da4958e75ec8de6/reference-dac-user-manual-r270621.pdf?dl=1

This sounds similar to dCS using double AES run from their Rossini SACD transport. The company told me that they felt it was a better way to go than I2S.

Anyway, congratulations Mike on your Wadax purchase!

 

[rando]

Surprised to see no attention directed towards siting of this monumental purchase technically on loan(?) demo equipment. Most four box components are diminutive in comparison.

Casually wondering what Mike L. has in mind after seeing his recent post in response to the second amigo 'grilling' him.

 

[LL21]

Big news indeed...very exciting! Two of our resident titans have stepped forward on the Wadax...

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Surprised to see no attention directed towards siting of this monumental purchase technically on loan(?) demo equipment. Most four box components are diminutive in comparison.

on the face of it, the Wadax Ref dac and server combo's physical presence seems challenging. mostly it's because of their over 10" height. logistically you have to choose between glorifying their visuals by siting them both on a top rack, or burying them down below in an 11" rack space. i'm still tossing that around. initially i'll be moving one turntable out of the system to make having both the Wadax dac and server + MSB 3 box + Extreme server work. it will be some chaos. once the compare is over and the MSB leaves, it will allow me more options for logistics.

as far as the idea of "purchase or loan", don't over-think it. this is absolutely a classic dealer home demo to a serious customer far down the road toward a purchase decision. nothing more or less than that. only the $$$'s and Wadax mythical presence makes it seem more than it is.

Casually wondering what Mike L. has in mind after seeing his recent post in response to the second amigo 'grilling' him.

'second amigo' being 'Marty'??? i did respond to his 'fugly' comment. i think more 'Gaudi' than 'fugly'.

 

[Stereophonic]

Kaiser acoustics new Ref Dac for its showroom.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Only audiocrack buying gear at this price without listening ??
That would be a bit risky to my ears .
Regarding looks like i said : flashy but nice .
I d put a nice size diamond imbedded in gold on the chassis at this price range

If somebody doesnt like the looks hmm ..... please dont get me started on all those ugly thick high end cables

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Only audiocrack buying gear at this price without listening ??
That would be a bit risky to my ears

i think it's more 'peace of mind' with a direct compare, not much risk involved. the Wadax does deliver.

OTOH peace of mind is worth plenty.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Kaiser acoustics new Ref Dac for its showroom.
View attachment 87213

awesome comments!!

 

[Stereophonic]

awesome comments!!

There is life outside WBF….

 

[Audiocrack]

Only audiocrack buying gear at this price without listening ??
That would be a bit risky to my ears

Hi Andromedaaudio, the risk is imho actually less than it might seem at first glance. First of all three professional reviewers on three contingents wrote independently glowing and (at least in my view) interesting casu quo insightful reviews (while at least one of them actually bought the Wadax reference dac). Secondly, there are quite a few - insightful - musical excerpts / recordings available on the internet in which the reference dac (and sometimes it’s matching server) is combined with various audio components / brands. These recordings include inter alia the Tidal Akira loudspeakers, the little ‘brother’ (or is it little ‘sister’?) of my Tidal LA’s. Thirdly, I talked extensively with several audiophiles who listened to the Wadax reference dac (and server). One of them is a good friend, Miguel Alvarez of Tripoint audio, who (i) has incredible good ears, (ii) knows my system inside out because he has visited me a few times, (iii) knows exactly what I am looking for as regards music reproduction while (iv) our musical taste regarding audio equipment can be described as ‘converging’ (he eg loves my Tidal LA’s (as well)). Another is a WBF member who is combining the reference combo and Akasa cable with the Tidal Akira speakers. Lastly, my ‘musical intuition’ rarely failed me (for example I still love my LA’s and Kondo G-1000 and Kagura amps, neither of which I had heard before I bought them). I am - pretty - sure that the combination of a. the extremely revealing / transparent / dynamic LA’s with b. my Kondo’s, c. Tripoint Elite NG ‘grounding’ station / Emperor mark ii ground cables and d. the Wadax reference dac is going to produce many magical moments.

 

[rando]

on the face of it, the Wadax Ref dac and server combo's physical presence seems challenging. mostly it's because of their over 10" height. logistically you have to choose between glorifying their visuals by siting them both on a top rack, or burying them down below in an 11" rack space. i'm still tossing that around. initially i'll be moving one turntable out of the system to make having both the Wadax dac and server + MSB 3 box + Extreme server work. it will be some chaos. once the compare is over and the MSB leaves, it will allow me more options for logistics.

Thanks Mike! After moving 40+ boxes of vinyl around you seem primed for this amount of action.

Of all the ramifications your rack measurements were possibly the easiest to remove as an issue. Accounting for some flexibility. I think you answered my underlying questions on whether you planned to focus on ease of initial set up or ability to remove components without undue disturbances.

Marty, as you correctly devised, prompted thoughts on where the real beauty in your system is to be found.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Congrats Mike. I actually like the looks of these components myself. Look forward to reading your report on the sonics in due course.

 

[microstrip]

Congratulations Mike! Just downloaded the manual and could read there:

"Transport is the recommended source for the ultimate musical experience".

I am a little astonished with such sentence. Do you have any feedback on Xavier ideas on this matter?

Looking for your fist opinions!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ooh, a DAC manufacturer bigging up the humble 5" silver disc. How very 1983.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Congratulations Mike! Just downloaded the manual and could read there:

"Transport is the recommended source for the ultimate musical experience".

I am a little astonished with such sentence. Do you have any feedback on Xavier ideas on this matter?

Looking for your fist opinions!

i too read that......with......an extra large grain of salt.

and no; no direct communications from Javier (Xavier) yet on this matter. but next week i think i will be speaking to him directly and can ask him about where that question is now.

we have to do the work to actually discover whether that is the case. was that written before or after the Wadax Ref Server was complete? was the new Ref Transport complete? or was that bias taken into the writing of the manual? i know what hirez files can sound like. so something has to give here. and the Wadax server interface cannot support dxd files. so how will USB do compared to lower rez choices?

we know that opinions are free.

OTOH Wadax has earned the benefit of the doubt. so i keep my mind open.