Enjoy.
Wadax Reference Dac and Reference Server--arrived in my room.
i debated with myself whether Audiogon was an appropriate forum to talk about these products. a certain number of Audiogon members might like to hear about them, some others might like to take some target practice that such products exist. others just like to make jokes or spout nonsense. such is the way of the ’Gon. to each their own.
http://www.wadax.eu/reference/
both the Wadax Reference Dac and Wadax Reference server arrived last week, and over the weekend i had 8 visitors through my room hearing these new products compared directly with my outgoing MSB Select 2 dac, and my resident server, the Taiko Extreme.
here is a thread with pictures of the Wadax Ref dac and Ref server in my room. scroll down for more pictures.
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/wadax-reference-dac-and-server-arrive.34173/#post-771357
as a result of my listening this weekend, i have purchased the Wadax Reference dac, and am in the process of comparing the Wadax Reference server to my Taiko Extreme server to determine which one will remain. the MSB Select 2 is outbound on it’s way to a new owner.
the Wadax combo is the best sounding digital music reproduction i have heard, and not by a little bit. they cross thresholds of sounding analog and like good vinyl in ways i’ve never heard before. i am stunned at how digital in my room sounds, how great redbook files i’ve heard for 30 years have now come alive.
happy to answer any questions, or maybe observe a little chaos. let the fun begin.
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Hi @mikelavigne I sent you an email. Thanks for your reply. |
This thread is interesting as I've been wondering how far to go with digital? At a much lower level than Mike, my Hi Fi Rose 150 sounds very good but not at the level of my TT rig, which admittedly costs 4 times more. Mike, you answered the question: great analog still beats great digital. Now I can rest easy ...... |
@mikelavigne - in your opinion, how much would one have to spend on an analog system to match the quality of a $100k digital rig? Including the phono preamp of course. It’s just a game really, but I was curious if you thought a, say $15k vinyl setup could match a $100k digital. I don’t know. I was invited to hear the Vivaldi stack at a private demonstration by DCS, and I remember not being thrilled. |
@chayro it’s hard to give answers in purely price terms with analog, and performance is not that predictable relative to price. some vintage is not so expensive, and DIY efforts can make big differences. and the quality of the pressings of vinyl has more effect than the hardware. a modestly priced turntable set-up with the very best pressings easily surpasses any digital. but finding and buying the best pressings is a daunting task. and on the digital side, price is a little more predictable, but maybe taste/preference is very significant. some listeners like tubed dacs, so this can influence preferences and price. a tube lover likely can find a cheaper dac that pleases. solid state IMHO has a higher ceiling of performance, but the best solid state dacs are expensive. but if i had to come up with a number; i would say generally a $30k-$40k (new retail price) analog system (tt, arm, cart, phono) will surpass a $100k dac such as the MSB Select II with Taiko Extreme server, or dCS Vivaldi Apex stack....if the analog system is well set up and good analog sourced pressings (but maybe not the very best) are used. if the vinyl pressings are mostly modern digitally sourced pressings, then the result is unpredictable. with vinyl the pressings are the limitation. |
- 48 posts total