Rockna Wavelight thoughts?

@in_shore , thank you! i've been updating it fairly regularly so if you havent been to the thread in the while i've made further comparisons. 

this morning, i'm sitting here with the extreme playing and i'm taking care of my morning emails etc and I'm just blown away by what i'm hearing. no hyperbole, the soundstaging is just the best i've ever got out of my system. all that said, the rockna is a fantastic piece and already playing at a high level so please don't take this as "you must upgrade now!!". i think too often in our hobby there is an exaggeration of improvements etc. realistically, the extreme is very expensive and i think if you got it you'd be happy with the improvements (as i am, and they are still working out via burn in) but the rockna is still a tremendous server

How does the  Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE DAC compare with the Rockna Wavelight? I am looking for a new main or second DAC that is sufficiently different sounding than my current main DAC, the very neutral and quiet Benchmark DAC3B.

Ideally this new DAC is also very quiet which I find is very important for my current musical enjoyment.

Hey yysantabarbara,

Both DACs are the antithesis of your Benchmark DAC3B. Both are much more fuller sounding regarding image density and have better tonality/colors then your DAC3B. I have reviewed both DACs that you are asking about, my review on the Wavelight for Stereo Times has been submitted but not yet published yet. Because the Wavelight is a solid state design it is slightly quieter then the Tubadour SE III that uses tubes in its analog conversion section. Both are great DACs.

Thanks Terry. I am leaning towards trying the tube one to go to the opposite extreme of the DAC3B. The DAC3B will still be the main DAC I use.

So many quality DACs these days.

Would the Wavelight be a good upgrade point from the Metrum Onyx? What is the consensus vs other r2r dacs? Is there a switchable OS/NOS option?