Wadax Reference Dac and Reference Server arrive

M

Mike Lavigne

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Joined
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Location
east of Seattle
for 3-4 months i have been working on demo'ing a Wadax Reference Dac and Reference Server in my room. i had been reading quite a bit about this reported wonderous new dac, and server. finally in early December i was in West Palm Beach for business, and had a free afternoon, so drove down to Elliot Goldman's room in Davie, Florida to hear these beauties. i had been at Elliot's room 2 years prior and heard the 7-box CH Precision mono dac, and now the Wadax. it exceeded my considerable expectations, now i need to get it in my room....and hear it directly against my MSB Select dac and Taiko Extreme server.

wadax | Atlantis Reference [DAC]

added side note---after i heard the Wadax Ref dac and Ref Server in Florida i reached out to a friend who owns an MSB Reference dac and sold him my MSB Select II dac. he was supportive on my move and understood what i was doing. but he allowed me to keep the Select II for a direct compare. but; at the start of this weekend i had not committed to purchasing the Wadax yet (stay tuned).

400 pounds of digital wonder on 2 pallets shipped to me before Christmas, but it took 2 weeks to reach Seattle; and we have had 2 weeks of lots of snow, i live in the mountains east of Seattle.....and had 3 feet of snow in my yard. and snow and ice on my driveway. so if i wanted these, i needed to drive to the freight depot to pick them up. which i did. one pallet on Wednesday, the other Thursday afternoon after i picked Elliot up from the Airport.

we got home around 4:30pm, and listened from 5pm to 10:30pm to the Wadax, mostly Quboz streaming, but some files too. then Elliot went to bed (had been up since 5am EST). i stayed up till 1am, and listened more, but mostly took 2 hours to move my shelves (very tedious process) to allow the MSB and Extreme to be installed and turned on, so they could get warmed back up for Friday afternoon listening. so no comparison listening yet.

so far the Wadax combo delivers on expectations. it's a breed apart in my personal experience. you try to get your head around what is different and express it in words, but it's hard. better to sit back and let the music effect you. how is the music different? as opposed to how does it sound different? does that make sense?

for now i would say there is an analog grainless liquidity, yet also a fine textural and timbral detail, that is 'un-digital-like'. it's really quiet, yet the ambience in recordings that possess it is vinyl like. redbook files are really fine.

it seems like it absolutely is complementary to my system, and does scale and authority really well. and has an overall top to bottom balance and completeness that i value highly.

as of Friday night; no analog yet for reference, obviously no MSB or Extreme yet. (more info about Friday and Saturday sessions to follow).

some Audioshark members requested that i post this thread on Audioshark, and some Audioshark members were present this weekend during the demo's and hopefully will post their thoughts.

pic #1 below shows all 8 digital boxes on Friday and Saturday.

pic #2 below shows the MSB removed on late Saturday night.
 

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notes from early Saturday morning....

great listening day yesterday from noon on. back and forth between the Wadax chain and MSB/Extreme chain once in the afternoon, plus i did play 2 Lp's for that reference. we were joined by a MSB Ref dac owner, for dinner and then listening till 11pm, and did 4 switches between the chains for that listener. after that listener left and Elliot retired i was listening till 1230am.

this afternoon 5 people are scheduled to join us. 3 of the 5 are Audioshark members; one of which owns an MSB Select 2.

i'm listening now :) waiting for Elliot to emerge so we can go get him his coffee :p . then we dive back in.

notes from early this morning....

we had another great listening day yesterday. starting at noon had 6 visitors ending last night at 8:30pm. did a few back and fourths between the Wadax chain and MSB/Extreme chain. did a little vinyl.

changes. i have purchased the Wadax Reference Dac and am thrilled. and this is with streaming only so far. i love the look and build quality of the Wadax. the performance is magnificent. astonishing really to me. i don't want to speak for any of my visitors.....just myself.

late last night, was able to integrate the Wadax Ref server (off the rickety little table) into my rack and at least allow it a single Daiza shelf. the server question is just that. i appreciate that Elliot is allowing me to have more time with the Wadax Reference Server to investigate this possibility. work to do there.

if you want some deep info on these pieces there are some on line reviews, but the best place where i found lots of easy to understand information including owners manuals is the Goodwin's Audio website here. if you dig around it will answer lots of questions on the dac and server.

WADAX - Digital Sources | Goodwins High End
 
Mike,...Congratulations on the major upgrade to the Reference DAC and all the best for the continuing trial with the Reference Server/Streamer.

This certainly all qualifies as a second "Merry Christmas" for sure and I'm very happy for you. They look right at home in your system!
 
I was one of Mike's guests. I was really impressed with the wadax. When I saw it in pictures, it seemed ugly to me. In person, it oozed class and craftsmanship. Quite a striking statement piece. I don't know if "beautiful" is the right word, but it definitely looks impressive and does not disappoint in sound quality, either.

My overall opinion is is that the wadax combination provided a more engaging, emotional experience than the msb. The msb has the resolution nailed, but is just a little flat sounding in comparison.

We even tried a single track to compare vs vinyl. To my ears, and astonishment, it was a draw! This is extremely high praise, because Mike's vinyl playback is the best I've ever heard.

So the wadax combination is certainly industry leading gear, with impeccable build and sound quality. Of course, it sure is expensive.

What I don't know is, how much the wadax server played a role in this, vs the taiko. That will be for Mike to figure out!

Either way, congrats Mike! Thanks for the experience!

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for sharing your experience Mike. Most of us only get to wonder about such equipment. I am very interested in your take on the Wadax Server versus the Taiko Extreme.
 
2fastdriving said:
I was one of Mike's guests. I was really impressed with the wadax. When I saw it in pictures, it seemed ugly to me. In person, it oozed class and craftsmanship. Quite a striking statement piece. I don't know if "beautiful" is the right word, but it definitely looks impressive and does not disappoint in sound quality, either.

My overall opinion is is that the wadax combination provided a more engaging, emotional experience than the msb. The msb has the resolution nailed, but is just a little flat sounding in comparison.

We even tried a single track to compare vs vinyl. To my ears, and astonishment, it was a draw! This is extremely high praise, because Mike's vinyl playback is the best I've ever heard.

So the wadax combination is certainly industry leading gear, with impeccable build and sound quality. Of course, it sure is expensive.

What I don't know is, how much the wadax server played a role in this, vs the taiko. That will be for Mike to figure out!

Either way, congrats Mike! Thanks for the experience!

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Mike, if I understand correctly, the Taiko was feeding the MSB and the Wadax server the Wadax? Will you eventually be comparing both DACs fed by the same server? Providing feedback on this apples to apples comparison would be most helpful recognizing that servers also impart their own sonic signature and can influence performance.

Thx
 
Battles said:
Mike, if I understand correctly, the Taiko was feeding the MSB and the Wadax server the Wadax? Will you eventually be comparing both DACs fed by the same server? Providing feedback on this apples to apples comparison would be most helpful recognizing that servers also impart their own sonic signature and can influence performance.

Thx
Click to expand...
I'm not Mike, but you quoted me. Yes, you are correct in what we compared. Yes, Mike will be doing a deeper dive into what each component brings to the table. We'll have to wait a little to see what he finds.

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk
 
My mistake, Marc. Yes, very much looking forward to hearing Mike’s apples to apples comparison. Wondering if some of the relative flatness in MSB’s presentation is the Select or a performance disparity between the Wadax and Taiko servers.
 
Congratulations! I had a chance to listen to the setup, briefly, at the LA show. They were limiting how long each group was allowed in the room. Really nice gear but of course not close to being able to really listen to the setup like Mike has in his home.
 
Congratulations Mike and a great deal of gratitude for sharing your experience!
With kind regards, GN
———————————————
MSB Select II, Taiko SGM Extreme, Naim Statement, Shunyata Everest&Sigma
 
Too funny... yea we will trash MSB because a $145,000 DAC was determined to be slightly better :D...
 
All in fun all this stuff is way above my pay grade
Lets get you to a better server first then we both can trash msb lol. Just kidding
I heard taiko gone too is this true ?
 
Alrainbow said:
So does this mean we can trash msb now 😳
Click to expand...

I gave the Wadax/Gobel system a long listen at Capital Audiofest with several visits to the room. I wish I could say I loved what I heard but to be totally honest the sound left me cold. The system lacked the lifelike sonic qualities that immerse me in the music. It was lacking the magic that evoke an emotional response, no chills down the spine, no smiles or tears of joy. It just left me flat.

Contrast that with my trips to the MSB room at Axpona in successive years where I was as emotionally captivated as I have ever been by the music emanating from the Select DAC and adjoining system. I ended up spending nearly half of my time at Axpona in the MSB room savoring every minute of the music.

I will certainly give the Wadax Reference System another listen the next time I have the opportunity. There could have been something off with the room at Capital Audio Fest. IMHO, I thought the Wadax sounded very similar to the DCS Stack, which never moved me. I much preferred the new Esoteric Grandioso components in the VAC/Von Schweikert room for realism. MSB was not at Capital Audio Fest.

Ken
 
All joking aside the msb is marvel of digital
but not an analog sound to me but music ls
How we each hear it. vinyl when done well
Is just above digital yet it makes no sense to me how.
the msb always was a detail monster making you take notice to of what you felt you never heard
i can’t say how the wadax sounds but the ones who did felt it was more analog then the msb was
it’s like Lampi dacs it’s a different sound if you love it it’s amazing
If you don’t you might like msb more.
i like dcs dacs always had a sound I loved some love them some don’t.
anyway I Ty for taking the time to Answer. from
I have read the of you and have been told you really know great audio.
 
I can agree on the wadax there and the dcs too. the big vac room was best digital of the show no doubt two years at that
Location
What I can’t get is how when they played vinyl the wheels came off
Both years too. how did you feel about there vinyl ?
 
Alpinist said:
I gave the Wadax/Gobel system a long listen at Capital Audiofest with several visits to the room. I wish I could say I loved what I heard but to be totally honest the sound left me cold. The system lacked the lifelike sonic qualities that immerse me in the music. It was lacking the magic that evoke an emotional response, no chills down the spine, no smiles or tears of joy. It just left me flat.

Contrast that with my trips to the MSB room at Axpona in successive years where I was as emotionally captivated as I have ever been by the music emanating from the Select DAC and adjoining system. I ended up spending nearly half of my time at Axpona in the MSB room savoring every minute of the music.

I will certainly give the Wadax Reference System another listen the next time I have the opportunity. There could have been something off with the room at Capital Audio Fest. IMHO, I thought the Wadax sounded very similar to the DCS Stack, which never moved me. I much preferred the new Esoteric Grandioso components in the VAC/Von Schweikert room for realism. MSB was not at Capital Audio Fest.

Ken
Click to expand...

Ken makes a interesting observation. Not all of us are looking for the same end result. What pleases one may not please another. There is no single correct or best solution.

I am interested in following Mike's journey with his Wadax set-up. (Un) Fortunately a Wadax move for me is along the lines of a jump to Relentless or XVX's, likely an improvement but not worth the price of entry or the space required.

Mike had the benefit of being able to A/B the two set-ups in his own system and make his decision. The synergy with other components is always a factor.
 
Alrainbow said:
I can agree on the wadax there and the dcs too. the big vac room was best digital of the show no doubt two years at that
Location
What I can’t get is how when they played vinyl the wheels came off
Both years too. how did you feel about there vinyl ?
Click to expand...

I thought the vinyl in the VAC/Von Schweikert room was good but certainly not ground breaking. I preferred the Esoteric Grandioso stack, which I thought sounded quite wonderful.

Ken
 
I felt the best analog was the kharma room
It was music bliss to me the tidal room was also good digital but not in the league of the vac room.
 
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