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

I have been considering trying another DAC in the $5-$7K range and both the Wavelight and Bricasti M3 are on my list, along with Denafrips and Holo May KTE.  Not being able to hear these different DACs makes the decision a bit of a crapshoot and has resulted in my reading the reviews closely and somewhat critically.
I currently have the Metrum Adagio, which I feed from an Antipodes DX L3 into a Metrum Ambre (Roon endpoint) then I2S into the DAC.  I use the internal volume control in the Adagio and then output that through an SMc buffer (very similar to the VRE-1 preamp but without a VC) but I can reengage the VC in the preamp/buffer if needed so I having a VC in my DAC is not a necessity. 
I was very close to pulling the trigger on the Bricasti but am a little worried about getting a delta-sigma converter since, like Terry, I have come to be very fond of R2R DACs running in NOS mode.  The Bricasti seems to be a little better reviewed than the Wavelight, which some say is great in the bass and pretty good overall but maybe a little less special through the midrange and up.  The May is also well reviewed and measures very well but the reviewers seem to stop a little short of an all our rave.  Hearing the comments about the Sonnet Morpheus on this thread and that it may be on par or close to the Bricasti makes me wonder whether the DACs I am looking at are mostly a sideways move, since I suspect the Adagio is every bit as good as the Morpheus (based on several conversations I have had with people who have owned both).   Terry, you are lucky to be a reviewer - I wish I could spend a week with all four of these DACs!

@mitch2,It looks like people want to hear the comparison between the Wavelight and the Holo May. At least I am very much interested. I am not sure even professional reviewers have been able to hear these together for a comparison. I find that not a single Holo Audio May has been resold, while many people have already sold their Wavelights. This does not necessarily make me jump into any conclusion, since the designer can tweak the Wavelight through a firmware update. I am in no rush though - just curious and if opportunity arrives, I would look at these 2 DACs.

Hi all,

I’m in that "fantasy phase" dreaming about my future DAC upgrade... and given all the characterizations of the sound, synergy with the forthcoming music server, and built-in analog pre-amp, my current fantasy-favorite is the wavelight. I want to go balanced in my system (I have no preamp, and already have a $$ set of balanced cables that I’d like to keep if possible) and so moving up the Rockna line to the wavedream would add a steep increase in cost. And not inconsequential... working with Bob at worldwidewholesale was a pleasure when I purchased my Inakustik 3500 power conditioner (a component I now consider essential that I recommend every audiophile purchase as soon as they possibly can... it improved my system in almost every way and I have yet to hear differently from anyone else who’s introduced it into their system).

My two concerns at this time are:

1) Remorse about "what could have been" had I decided not to build a deck, risk marital conflict, and purchased the balanced wavedream or wd signature instead. Can someone please describe, in candid detail, the differences and what is lost/gained in opting for Rockna’s "entry level" wavelight in contrast with their mid and top-tier balanced dac options?

2) Volume Remote control. As I will indeed be taking full advantage of the wavelight’s analog pre-amp (one of the key reasons this dac rises above the many other options out there on the market in this price-point) and direct-driving my Hegel H30 amp, can someone with first-hand experience speak to the inconvenience or normalcy of using the android app to change volume? Naturally there is always some sort of fly in the ointment... perhaps a way of keeping the universe in balance so nothing can be heralded as "all good", and it seems that remote-volume-control of the wavelight seems to be the sacrifice Rockna made to appease the vengeful audio gods. I have an Aurender N100H (which I plan to one day replace when the new complimentary wavelight server is available) which means I’m using an iPad to select music (no apple compatible volume app is available for the wavelight so I’ve heard) and even if I used the android app for the Aurender I’d have to close that app and open a different app to change volume using the phone. Just how good/bad is the experience of having to use an app to change volume? And why-oh-why couldn’t such an app simply be designed to respond to the physical volume control buttons on the phone? That would have solved everything... a hard-key I could feel in the dark on my phone without having to look at the screen.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

-Dave

@dvdboulet Let me make your question more complicated by suggesting the AudioByte VOX | ZAP | HUB. I was trying to decide between the Wavelight and the VOX. The amazing tech on the VOX made me decide on that one. The VOX and the Wavelight are made by the same designer.

The HUB is being released in the end of January and I will order the 3 components after that. Only 1 power cord is required for all 3 smallish units.

@yyzsantabarbara 

What you need to understand about the Audiobyte is the implementation of the DAC is completely different than the Wavelight. They DO NOT sound the same. Same designer, not same sound. The Wavelight sonically is an FPGA R2R (ladder) dac, the AV is not. Cooler screen, separate power supply is cool, but different sound in the Audiobyte. What is better is left to the ear of the beholder.