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Wavelength Brick

I just ordered one for audition. Curious to hear from anyone and everyone who has experience with Wavelength and their products.

Just for background of my system, I am going to stream from a Mac Mini, to a VTl 5.5 Preamp to a Krell 2250, to B&W Nautilus 803's.

My overall goal was to simplify, but not lose any of the fidelity potential of my system. I want to pull some good detail out of my system. That goal has led me on quite a journey, that ended with the inevitable expense of trying to accomplish it. There are very few products worth buying in this space in the market, and the ones that are worth it, are expensive. I was thinking about the Cosecant, but I prefer to work in pragmatic steps and at least audition the Brick first, if it is sufficient, then I keep it. If it lacks, I move to the next step. From what I read I shouldn't be disappointed...

Would love to hear from people who have experience..
jc51373
ckorody
643 posts
 
Boy do I love a happy camper!

IMHO the Opticis does provide complete isolation from the Mac, and a USB cable does not - I proved this to my satisfaction pre-Brick and owning the Opticis never considered using anything else. I do have a Sprocket battery pack on it.

All that said, Gordon is a very smart guy and one of the few who will not say you don't need something to make his product seem complete.

FWIW he did tell me that he prefers the RCA Cleartops to the Telefunkens in the Brick - that will save you a buck or two if you are undecided about where to start.

Lossless has some significant advantages from a file management point of view since it provides a robust tagging environment which WAV and AIFF do not. Also a lot more reasonable to load on an iPod should you wish to etc. All but the most golden-eared EAC/FLAC/Foobaristas seem to be happy with the choice - but then they are dealing with PCs...

Steve at Empirical Audio did a comparison of some of the formats you might want to take a look at. Apple Lossless is like 2nd or 3rd.
jc51373 OP
525 posts
 
Ck, so my question to you on the Opticis is, do you feel it makes a difference in sound? Albe it small, or placebo, what are your thoughts on it?

I got two new CD's, Cassandra Wilson (blue light till Dawn) and Sarah Vaughn (Jazz Profile) and they sound amazing. Two great reference CD's for sound thats for sure. This thing is getting quieter and quieter, and better sounding.

Gordon actually mentioned he was using cleartops, so maybe I will give one of those little puppies a shot at some point. Maybe Opticis first then Tubes...But first I need to know how you rigged the battery supply.
splaskin
170 posts
 
Here is what I have found using a 65 foot Opticis powered by a Socket battery with a 12 inch USB cable from the folks who sell the Opticis VS a 6 foot Kimber USB Cable:

I'm using a Wavelelngth Audio Crimson DAC with a new MacBook Pro.

The Opticis has a bigger soundstage and sounds more open. The sonic picture seems more real and dyanamic.

Steve
jc51373 OP
525 posts
 
Thx Steve....I envy your Crimson, must just be amazing.

Anway I am sold on the Opticis, but I need to know how people are powering them with batteries, and how long the battery lasts?
splaskin
170 posts
 
Jc51373,

The SOCKET MOBILE POWER PACK battery will last a very long time. The Opticis draws very little current. I have had my battery 9 months. I have also seen cheaper lithium batteries 5v on the web.

I have used the Opticis with the Cosecant as well. Is it worth the trouble and expense?

I would ask folks who have a Brick at the AA PC Forum what they think. You may find that the optical USB cable is a waste of money. I purchased it before I had the Mac laptop and used a PC around 60 feet away from my stereo. I still use the PC and control it with a pocket PC.

When dealing with computer stuff, there are many options.

And yes, The Crimson is very special. Gordon is brilliant!

Steve
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