Rockna Wavelight Impressions/Review

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by ChaChaRealSmooth, Oct 15, 2020.

  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    Right, I think you all covered anything else I was going to add in regards to transformers. They're all going to impact the sound, but not necessarily in the same way. Gotta think of your whole setup. These aren't always plug-and-play protocols, so to speak.

    It's totally OK to prefer the sound! And, yes, sometimes even transformer "coloration" is going to give the best sonic results when thinking holistically.

    No doubt, opamp-based solutions can change the sound too! Some seem to impart less of their own characteristic than others, of course. This will depend on circuitry and the opamp itself.

    I mean, think of the Bifrost 2. It uses an opamp to derive the balanced output. I believe it is generally perceived as being a fairly transparent approach, at least relative to how SE sounds. (BF2 being inherently SE as well....Unless I'm mistaken that SE and XLR outs both from from that opamp? I can't recall with total accuracy.)

    Either way, you have the BF2 as one example, and plenty of other opamp-based solutions that are counter to that.

    I'm a bit surprised no one grilled me on the Magnius. I mean, couldn't it too be impacting the sound depending on input? Or could it be imparting so much of its own characteristic to obliterate any differences?

    Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I have used it to compare DACs somewhat successfully before, but it definitely has a bit of a heavy handed characteristic even after my mods. Even then, that meant minimized differences, vs. the "not sure I can hear a lick of difference" when comparing the Wavelight's outputs.

    So, I'll circle back to something I tried to hit on earlier. Sure, maybe there are differences, but it's really tough to judge SE vs XLR unless you're very careful and control for variables. And I'm inclined to believe the company when they say it's inherently SE and shouldn't sound much different out of XLR. Even if there are differences, I still thought the Wavelight sounded damn good enough out of SE that I really didn't see a reason to care, I guess. Good shit is good shit, and I wasn't phased at all comparing SE w/ XLR outs.
     
  2. Baten

    Baten Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    EU
    Jensen PO-2XX, Stereo Audio Line Output Isolator, 1:1
    Jensen PC-2XR, +4dB to -10dB Pro to Consumer converter / isolator, 4:1
    Radial Twin-Iso, Stereo Line Level Isolator, 1:1
    Radial J-Iso, also a +4dB to -10dB converter / isolator... it's Radial's PC-2XR. 4:1

    If you trust Radial's specs though, the J-Iso actually shows better distortion performance. But I don 't believe it's a 1:1 solution, since everything in its description shows otherwise.
     
  3. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,268
    Trophy Points:
    113
    How much more proof do you need!?

    Look at the specs: https://www.radialeng.com/product/j-iso/specifications
    It uses the Jensen JT-11-YMPC, which is a 1:1 transformer (1:1 BIFILAR WINDINGS, per the datasheet).
     
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    It is curious, though...Yeah, the spec lists a 1:1 transformer, but everything else mentions +10dB to -4dB.

    I suppose it's possible they're using a voltage divider of sorts to reduce the signal, with the transformers only serving balanced-to-SE duties.
     
  5. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

    Staff Member Pyrate Gearmaster
    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2018
    Likes Received:
    10,824
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The Complex
    Very curious. The JT-11-DMPC that I use doesn't seem to mention anything about +4/-10 dB (unless I'm missing something).
     
  6. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,268
    Trophy Points:
    113
    [​IMG]
     
  7. Baten

    Baten Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,130
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    EU
    Looks like you're right but I can't say it's obvious from the specs :D anyway sorry to go off-topic here guys.
     
  8. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,709
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    India
    I'll write more detailed impressions once I receive the Pi2AES. This definitely has the Schiit DAC like sound for the most part. It shares so many similarities with the Bifrost 2 that, one could easily mistake Wavelight for a TOTL DAC from Schiit themselves. Which brings me to the aspect that I am actually finding not to be in line with, what a few others have reported here, which is the incisiveness. It is more incisive than the Bifrost2 and per my tolerance and preference, this is definitely a bit over-incisive. It is possible that it is just me who is more sensitive to incisiveness than the rest here. The incisive nature combined with the high resolution can get quite fatiguing for me, when used in the wrong chain. And this is on the NOS mode, which has been my preferred mode. The only other filter I have tested was the Linear filter, which is less warm and more incisive and quicker. But the differences aren't that far apart and even on NOS, it still sounds like a Wavelight, perhaps just a tad mellower/warmer/smoother than the Linear filter.

    The overall sound is bold and authoritative with commendable bass slam, as well as sufficient body and density in the midrange. The slam while authoritative, it hits like smacking a big-fat wet dictionary on a wooden table, rather than hitting it with a sledgehammer. But this level of slam should be satisfactory to the most of us. The tone is definitely on the neutral side, and it is quite a transparent DAC (lack of veil), letting the tone of the recording or the downstream gear come through. I personally prefer a tad more warmth, but it's not a big deal. The deal breaker for me however, is the over-incisive nature, which renders the sibilant syllables and notes quite sharp and edgy, and this attribute for me, seems to kill the timbre of instruments and vocals. And I have tried leaving the DAC ON for more than 24hours without much luck on this aspect. Perhaps the PiAES will help with this, let's see. One thing I noticed was, during my first week with the DAC, I was on the firmware V1.06, and I found the midrange to lack a bit of body and texture. I don't know if it was the FW update to V1.10 or the run in improvement, but I don't have that issue anymore.

    Coming back to resolution, this definitely is a high resolution DAC with high level of transparency. People with music library comprising of mediocre quality may find it a bit ruthless, so take caution there. If Bifrost 2 is a 40 in resolution, Hugo2 a 60 and Dave a 90, then Wavelight is in the 75 range. And this resolution gives you some excellent separation, layering and depth. And the stage as such is very large and airy. On headphones, on some tracks, the stage has the wrap around feel, which I am not a big fan of, YMMV.

    If it had just a tad more warmth and smoothness and less incisiveness, this would have been my holy grail DAC.

    Mac (USB) / Hobby Rs (Coaxial) > Wavelight / Bifrost 2 > BW2 / Yamaha A-S2100 > HD800 (SDR, SBAF) and EQd LCDi4
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2021
  9. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    2,062
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NY
    Well I haven't heard wavelight but if over incisive nature of the DAC is an issue then I'm not sure if Pi2AES would help as its known to bring out incisiveness from DAC missing it.
     
  10. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2016
    Likes Received:
    4,112
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Rhode Island, USA
    Home Page:
    Okay the last guy I asked what "soft sound" was couldn't answer. Can you explain to me what "incisiveness" is? And does it have a goodness/badness quotient?
     
  11. AdvanTech

    AdvanTech Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    May 13, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,667
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC
    I’d call a deficiency in incisiveness a slight blur around the edges.
     
  12. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    2,062
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NY
    Well for me it means clarity of sound by making it sound direct and by giving some bite to it.
     
  13. zonto

    zonto Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,975
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Perhaps also a de-emphasis of the initial attack or leading edge of a transient.
     
  14. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,735
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Canada
    Is the fundamental note sharp/tight/quick vs blunt/soft/rounded/slow essentially. As with anything in audio terms, people use it to mean different things and use it in both positive and negative ways.

    There’s a balance people are generally trying to achieve relative to their preferences and what their other gear brings to the table.

    In my opinion, most times people complain about too much ‘incisiveness” is because of distortion or noise somewhere in the chain - there’s an unpleasant edge, sibilance or peakiness to the sound that fatigues the ears. This may have something to do with the digital filter being used, an excess of odd order harmonics being generated, electrical noise carried through the signal chain, or other factors.

    I know that my own experience with using different power supplies on the Pi2AES for instance, a good LPS can kill most of the remaining noise and sibilance, but it comes at a cost of some loss of quickness and transient impact to the notes. So it becomes less incisive, but also less fatiguing and less noisy and less “digital sounding” to me at least (aka “more analog”, although that is also a slippery phrase).
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2021
  15. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2017
    Likes Received:
    2,542
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    SF Bay Area Peninsula
    FWIW I found the Pi2AES to reduce the "Schiit Shout" I was experiencing with my Gungnir A2 with Gen 5 USB. @EagleWings you may find the Pi2AES helps.
     
  16. AdvanTech

    AdvanTech Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    May 13, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,667
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC
    I was a little surprised at your review, considering that I, and others, heard this as a slightly mellower DAC, so I checked my firmware. I was on v1.04 and you were talking about v1.10.

    I updated mine to v1.10 and I think your review makes more sense, now. Just to make sure, I asked Nicolae the designer of this DAC if there is a bit more incisiveness with the updated firmware, and if there were other sonic changes I haven’t gotten around to noticing yet. I’ll post here if he says something worth sharing.
     
  17. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,268
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I, too, prefer firmwares < 1.10.
     
  18. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

    Staff Member Pyrate Gearmaster
    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2018
    Likes Received:
    10,824
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The Complex
    This is an interesting observation. My review on the Wavelight is based on version 1.07, and while I found it excellent per my tastes (I think I like thick R2R timbre), "incisive" is not a word I would use to describe the Wavelight; in my listening I found it less incisive than the Yggdrasil GS. I will link this to Nicolae and let him know.

    That being said, I did want to ask if it's really the incisiveness and not the Wavelight's slam/macro, of which it has a lot. The Wavelight slams the hardest out of every DAC I heard while having the overall characteristic of being kind of laid-back. Someone who auditioned the Wavelight at my place also thought that the Wavelight was kind of fatiguing in this way.

    The best way I can describe this is being the opposite of "relax-fi." More in-your-face, more "taut."

    The more extreme end of incisive would be something like the Matrix X-Sabre Pro. More relaxed end being the NOS Abbas audio DAC I heard. Or if you want to extrapolate to amps, more incisive is like the DSHA-3F, and the opposite end is older ampsandsound or Feliks Euforia type stuff.
     
  19. Jonah

    Jonah Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2021
    Likes Received:
    106
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Here were the release notes for 1.10:

    Support for I2S mode setting.

    Improved clock and muting management.

    To perform update, unpack the wav file and play bitperfect via usb input. You should see "UPD." on dac display during update. At the end you should see briefly "DONE" , then reboot the dac and check if new firmware is installed (you can check version as last entry in the menu by pressing frontal panel menu key).


    In other news, I've recently acquired a used wavelight and been enjoying it a lot.

    Just some initial impressions, but here are a few things that stood out:

    - By far the best DAC I've heard in terms of rendering decay. dac2541 has a tendency to truncate or undershoot decay, making notes sound lacking in natural reverberation and weight. Holo spring 2 had the opposite problem, having decay that felt too long, contributing to a slow and mushy-ish experience.

    - Can confirm that Rockna is quite thick in timbre. I'm worried in the long run, that it will be cloyingly thick, especially with my Auteurs. Might have to pay more attention to system synergy.

    - The dynamics, both macro and micro, are stellar. Nuances and soft gradations in volume are made quite a bit more apparent than the other DACs I've tried.

    - 2541 -> SW51+ -> HD6xx had quite the narrow stage, and imaging was hazy. Wavelight -> SW51+ -> HD6xx has a significantly more open stage, with much sharper imaging and layering.

    I'll share more impressions as I become more familiar with the DAC.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2021
  20. JeremiahS

    JeremiahS Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2015
    Likes Received:
    286
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Jakarta, Singapore
    Is the Wavelight a good upgrade if you enjoy Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 or SFD-2 house sound?
     

Share This Page