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Review on the Rockna Audio Wavelight Pre/DAC just went up on Stereo Times

My review on the Rockna Audio Wavelight Pre/DAC has just been posted on the Stereo Times website. I have received many Emails from Gon members asking questions about it's performance in the last couple of months. There is an on-going thread about Rockna Audio DACs and I shared on that thread that I had the Wavelight in for review. This Pre/DAC has much to offer across the board and is highly competitive at it's price point of $5000. For all the details take a look at the review. Enjoy today's holiday!
teajay
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,414 posts
 
Terry,
That was VERY helpful feedback on the sound comparing the 2 DACs. This helps a potential customer make a decision on which route he/she has to go. Good to know that these < $6k DACs are achieving performance of mega $$$$$ DACs. As a reviewer you have access to these. But most folks like us do not. Hence some sort of X Vs Y helps. And like you said - one may not be better than the other - just different.
Thanks much!
rixthetrick's avatar
rixthetrick
1,060 posts
 
@in_shore
I recently purchased the Puritan PSM 156 myself, I'd like to know the difference if any the grounding (are you using the box?) does for the outcome of your system?

@teajay  Sorry about my query on the PSM 156.
I will be in the market for a newer DAC in the near future, thanks for posting.
redwoodaudio
414 posts
 
These days you can get a great sounding DAC and not have to spend more then 6K and sleep well knowing you have a level of performance that as good as far more expensive pieces without breaking the bank.
It does seem like the newer reference-level DACs coming from China and Eastern Europe (especially R2R-style) are killing it these days for $4k to $6k.  The level of engineering value that you appear to get is astonishing.  It would be fun to be able to compare them in-house, like you do, but I feel good knowing that I probably won't go wrong with any of the well-reviewed ones.  The playing field is certainly leveling out.
facten
2,882 posts
 
Might also want to checkout Mojo Audio R2R Evo DAC - US made
worldwidewholesales
135 posts
 

Hi,

As the North American importer and distributor for Rockna Audio we would like to add a little bit more information as we continue to market Rockna Audio in Canada and the US.

An interesting fact about my company is that we look at the pedigree of the designer when we are thinking about distributing or importing any audio products. The owner and designer for Rockna was the previous designer for Goldmund, PS Audio and MSB and after A/B testing 88 different digital front ends, including dacs costing $50000 USD, the Rockna digital dacs and server are among the best digital we have auditioned. There are many years of digital experience when you purchase Rockna products.  

I also believe just like Terry that there are several very good digital products available on the market today. My personal favorite three digital manufacturers are Rockna Audio, Aries Cerat and Total Dac. From our continued direct A/B testing we believe that the server is as important as the DAC. This is an area where Rockna starts to separate itself from other digital manufacturers. The fact that Rockna has designed and built their servers from the ground up to match their DACs and used the same clocking system in their DACs and servers to match each other perfectly has allowed Rockna to differentiate itself from many other digital manufacturers. In our experience, combining the Rockna DAC with the matching Rockna server via i2S connection resulted in the highest level and most analog sounding digital we have experienced.

Cheers,


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