Wadax Reference Dac and Server arrive

[Gregadd]

A Wadax v Horizon shootout. Now that's theare.

 

[Elliot G.]

Using Mike L. as an example. The reality of devoting xxTB internal server storage predominantly towards downloads, present and future, shows long term potential. I have no vantage on how his listening and storage interests will develop (again this is only an example). I do however hold suspicion of aging rips performed on less modern equipment and shuffled around on NAS for the duration.

Even were that not a viable reason to create further division of listening duties among current owners. Reference Transport has appeal to me over a server or DAC which any sensible being can assure will be technologically surpassed. Ways to directly play back discs are considerably less assured to exist in years to come. For the most part same cannot be said of usable lifespan media they support. Which easily number into the thousands in the homes of many

Wadax is supposed to have a replacement for the Arcadia which was their entry level unit.

not going to happen. I do not believe this is going to happen and if it does it won't be anytime soon. This is not where there business is aimed and where their expertise lies.

 

[rando]

Elliot, if you have anything to relay on the subject of Reference Transport. It can be withheld until enough information is available to openly discuss it in a dedicated thread.

Should you have by chance quoted me above intending to express some thoughts which don't appear.

 

[Elliot G.]

Elliot, if you have anything to relay on the subject of Reference Transport. It can be withheld until enough information is available to openly discuss it in a dedicated thread.

Should you have by chance quoted me above intending to express some thoughts which don't appear.

I don't know much only that it is on the radar and a project that they are working on. I would be happy to share if I knew more . I would not expect to see anything this calendar year BTW

 

[bryans]

not going to happen. I do not believe this is going to happen and if it does it won't be anytime soon. This is not where there business is aimed and where their expertise lies.

I guess I need to tell my dealer he lied to me . Maybe he is going to tell me Wadax changed their mind.

 

[Elliot G.]

I guess I need to tell my dealer he lied to me . Maybe he is going to tell me Wadax changed their

All I can say is this is my understanding. It is possible I am wrong but that was not what I was told

 

[Mike Lavigne]

over this last 5-6 weeks little by little i have found various ways to optimize the Wadax combo. to begin with in mid-January, after the final compare between the Wadax Ref server and the Taiko Extreme, (1) i was able to locate all the chassis in a more long term setting with double Daiza's under the dac and power supplies. the Server was naked on the granite shelf. then (2) the Stage III Gorgon loaner demo XLR's arrived. next (3) the 24 RevOpods arrived and i was able to install those on all the Wadax chassis. followed by (4) the Nordost QNET switch, then (5) the upgrade to the Sablon Ethernet cable (still breaking in) and (6) the new set of Stage III Gorgon XLR's (also still breaking in). while doing these last 2 additions, i also took the opportunity to (7) improve my cable dressing for the Gorgon XLR's and also improve that in some other spots too. and i admit to one or two more 'steps-up' i should have in the next few days. if there is more blood in the turnup not sure how i will react.

today the two more "step ups" arrived. the first one (technically two pieces) has been playing for about 45 minutes now. it's the Nordost Qsource Linear Power Supply. with a 2 meter Qsource DC power cable plugged into the Nordost QNET switch. this is a very solid and heavy little bugger that i have sitting on my wall shelf behind my rack where my 2 EMIA SUT's sit. as it's not cheap, i was kinda hoping it would not move the needle. but of course it did. mostly more of everything good. more intense tonal density, greater ease and less stress, yet greater dynamic grip and contrasts. on my typical demo tracks i'm hearing more focus and sense of fingers on strings, voices more 'there' and 'expressive', words more intelligible on tracks i thought i knew exactly. now i know them more exactly. these are little things that all add up to a more real, less reproduced performance. it's doing what a good, well thought out, LPS should do.

and this is out of the box first impressions. not sure if this one breaks in or not. i guess i will find out.

bravo to Nordost for these (QNET switch + Qsource LPS + Qsource DC cable) network goodies. not spent the time to investigate the competition, but these have all delivered big time to my ears. and i have no plans to go down that 'compare' road, although i'm happy to A/B other units someone might send me.

i'll listen a little more and then try my last little 'step-up' bon-bon and see if there is any digital world's left to conquer.

 

[Gregadd]

Pictures please.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Pictures please.

the bottom picture i posted prior when i got the Nordost QNET switch. just added it since all three pieces are really together.

 

[my2sons52]

the bottom picture i posted prior when i got the Nordost QNET switch. just added it since all three pieces are really together.

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Mike, are you also using a Nordost Qpoint under the DAC & Server?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, are you also using a Nordost Qpoint under the DAC & Server?

no, not investigated the Qpoint. i do realize that with the Qsource i can power some of those. no plans to go there but you never know.

 

[Elliot G.]

Mike, are you also using a Nordost Qpoint under the DAC & Server?

BTW I am not sure that the Qpoint would work properly under the Wadax since the chassis are very thick Aluminum. I have asked the Nordost rep and he is investigating this for me.I also don't have any real world experience with them in a State of the Art System. I have seen them at shows but the gear they were demoing on was far away from Mike's system or my own. I will get an answer in a day or two and then we can try.

 

[Elliot G.]

I just got off the phone with the folks at Nordost and I was told that the Qpoint will work with the Wadax products. I personally have not tried them but they say that they will do as advertised.

 

[ctydwn]

Sounds like all the optimizations are paying off. Running 4 qpoints out of the Qsource here (one under dac, one under extreme, 2 under preamp - doubling up can make a difference). In my system they are wonderful. When all are turned off at once, the music sounds flat in comparison. Very curious how the m12 gold switch here compares to the nordost.

Of course every system different etc etc. and obviously in no way is my system near mike’s

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Sounds like all the optimizations are paying off.

i'm enjoying the incremental progress. not sure i've ever experienced this kind of steady progressive ramping up of performance. lots of relatively small modest steps. like climbing a mountain......

Running 4 Qpoints out of the Qsource here (one under dac, one under extreme, 2 under preamp - doubling up can make a difference). In my system they are wonderful. When all are turned off at once, the music sounds flat in comparison.

i may start out with a couple of Qpoints; one each under the dac and server chassis. if i like that; i might try one of them on top of my dart pre (won't fit underneath) and see if that does something positive. if so; i'll get 2 more of them and play around and find the best combo. maybe two under each digital chassis? a no brainer at the price.....

Very curious how the m12 gold switch here compares to the nordost.

me too. hopefully someone will be able to A/B these switches and maybe a few other 'big boys'....and see where the Nordost w/LPS slots. nothing would surprise me either way.

Of course every system different etc etc. and obviously in no way is my system near mike’s

thanks, but we can't really know that. mine is well known, but beyond that it's just a serious system like other serious systems.

 

[Elliot G.]

I have been using the Nordost Network switch with the LPS and their cable for about 2.5 weeks now. I am not sure about if there is a break in period but I must admit that the sound I have in my room now is the fantastic. My listening is almost 100 percent from the server whether I am Qobuz playing or files on my hard drive. The switch replaced a commercial switch that we use in our networking business. I have NOT tried a bunch of others and most likely won't unless it falls in my lap . My point is this was a significant improvement and my system is giving me more and less at the same time. I am really happy and I am still amazed that it can keep getting better and better.
Next stop CH L10 preamp arriving shortly.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

one more layer of the Wadax onion peeling away.

today 2 Nordost Qpoints and 2 Qsource DC cables arrived. one Qpoint under the Wadax Ref dac chassis and one under the Ref Server chassis. cables plug into the Qsource LPS 5v outputs. i thought i could swap out my DC cable for my Qnet switch with these cables but they are different cables to insure you don't plug the 9v switch into the 5v output and vice versa. so since the cable is a little short the Qpoint under my Ref server is not ideally located. or rather the cable is not long enough to move it around and find the ideal spot (ordered a longer cable to swap out).

but......i'm getting ahead of myself......not got that far yet to play around with settings and location. but this is another clear step forward after 90 minutes of listening. first impressions have held true as i step through my reference cuts. they use the term "resonance synchronizer" to describe what it does......cause the electromagnetic resonances to align. huh? really i have no idea what it's doing, but whatever it is is very good.

lower noise, enhanced coherency, more liquid and fluid, greater space and ambience. increased dynamic contrasts. of a piece with stuff the switch and linear power supply have done. i view these Qpoints as keepers......and.......i've ordered one more Qpoint for on top of my dart pre. then i will play around with settings and locations. will every system get these deliverables? don't know. and a week from now how will it sound? my plan is a month from now to take all these Nordost goodies out and then add them back in one by one to find out how that goes. but right now am very impressed.

when i mentally step back now and assess where my digital music reproduction performance is it's remarkable. stunning really. and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. i feel the additions have been purely synergistic and complimentary. when you are staying natural and neutral i think that allows things to work cohesively. the musical whole is compelling and involving, i'm pulled in physically. it has great ease and authority. the music is interesting and demands attention.

one more step up is still pending......the big Ref server outboard power supply will arrive at some point. gasp! gulp!

 

[Tango]

one more layer of the Wadax onion peeling away.

today 2 Nordost Qpoints and 2 Qsource DC cables arrived. one Qpoint under the Wadax Ref dac chassis and one under the Ref Server chassis. cables plug into the Qsource LPS 5v outputs. i thought i could swap out my DC cable for my Qnet switch with these cables but they are different cables to insure you don't plug the 9v switch into the 5v output and vice versa. so since the cable is a little short the Qpoint under my Ref server is not ideally located. or rather the cable is not long enough to move it around and find the ideal spot (ordered a longer cable to swap out).

but......i'm getting ahead of myself......not got that far yet to play around with settings and location. but this is another clear step forward after 90 minutes of listening. first impressions have held true as i step through my reference cuts. they use the term "resonance synchronizer" to describe what it does......cause the electromagnetic resonances to align. huh? really i have no idea what it's doing, but whatever it is is very good.

lower noise, enhanced coherency, more liquid and fluid, greater space and ambience. increased dynamic contrasts. of a piece with stuff the switch and linear power supply have done. i view these Qpoints as keepers......and.......i've ordered one more Qpoint for on top of my dart pre. then i will play around with settings and locations. will every system get these deliverables? don't know. and a week from now how will it sound? my plan is a month from now to take all these Nordost goodies out and then add them back in one by one to find out how that goes. but right now am very impressed.

when i mentally step back now and assess where my digital music reproduction performance is it's remarkable. stunning really. and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. i feel the additions have been purely synergistic and complimentary. when you are staying natural and neutral i think that allows things to work cohesively. the musical whole is compelling and involving, i'm pulled in physically. it has great ease and authority. the music is interesting and demands attention.

one more step up is still pending......the big Ref server outboard power supply will arrive at some point. gasp! gulp!



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Gosh Mike. Your Wadax must be skinless by now.

 

[howiebrou]

one more layer of the Wadax onion peeling away.

today 2 Nordost Qpoints and 2 Qsource DC cables arrived. one Qpoint under the Wadax Ref dac chassis and one under the Ref Server chassis. cables plug into the Qsource LPS 5v outputs. i thought i could swap out my DC cable for my Qnet switch with these cables but they are different cables to insure you don't plug the 9v switch into the 5v output and vice versa. so since the cable is a little short the Qpoint under my Ref server is not ideally located. or rather the cable is not long enough to move it around and find the ideal spot (ordered a longer cable to swap out).

but......i'm getting ahead of myself......not got that far yet to play around with settings and location. but this is another clear step forward after 90 minutes of listening. first impressions have held true as i step through my reference cuts. they use the term "resonance synchronizer" to describe what it does......cause the electromagnetic resonances to align. huh? really i have no idea what it's doing, but whatever it is is very good.

lower noise, enhanced coherency, more liquid and fluid, greater space and ambience. increased dynamic contrasts. of a piece with stuff the switch and linear power supply have done. i view these Qpoints as keepers......and.......i've ordered one more Qpoint for on top of my dart pre. then i will play around with settings and locations. will every system get these deliverables? don't know. and a week from now how will it sound? my plan is a month from now to take all these Nordost goodies out and then add them back in one by one to find out how that goes. but right now am very impressed.

when i mentally step back now and assess where my digital music reproduction performance is it's remarkable. stunning really. and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. i feel the additions have been purely synergistic and complimentary. when you are staying natural and neutral i think that allows things to work cohesively. the musical whole is compelling and involving, i'm pulled in physically. it has great ease and authority. the music is interesting and demands attention.

one more step up is still pending......the big Ref server outboard power supply will arrive at some point. gasp! gulp!



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Mike, it is an oft mentioned comment but I guess it begs the question of how a relatively inexpensive tweak can improve the sound of a maxxed out killer server dac combo so easily that it is immediately discernible? And if it is so easily improved, where do you stop? I'm thinking Steve's philosphy of leave it alone is a masterful bit of self preservation to avoid going down the rabbit hole.

 

[bonzo75]

where do you stop?

Imagine you started running with Eliud Kipchoge, and didn't know exactly what he was, and then asked, where do we stop.