When you are a master of the craft. ROCKNA WAVEDREAM DAC REVIEW.
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- When the WaveDream DAC reputation from Rockna proceeds it, there is a lot riding on the line.. especially when the other contenders are Vibin for your blood..
featuring
HoloAudio May KTE R2r DAC, Chord Dave DAC & Aperio from Warwick acoustics
Where to buy rockna audio products
www.rockna-audio.com
Early reviews and the link to the audio lounge private telegram chat can be found here:
/ convincemeaudio
WARWICK ACOUSTICS APERIO REVIEW.
• Coming undone by the w...
Warwick AcousticsAperio electrostatic system.
warwickacoustics.com/headphon...
Mimic Audio
Warwick Acoustics, Aperio
www.mimic-audio.com/products/...
www.mimic-audio.com?bg_ref=dWvshwSvB1
Where to buy Bliss: list of dealers
Europe
Magnahifi.com
South Korea
SonorisAudio
India
Vividhifi
Australia
IndiHifi.com.au
KitsuneHiFi for North America and Japan.
ambient, acoustic, Mad24
ambient-acoustics.ua/eng/navu...
Mimic Audio
www.mimic-audio.com?bg_ref=dWvshwSvB1
IFI
ifi-audio.com/products/idsd-d... (ifi-audio.com/products/idsd-d...)
ifi-audio.com/products/nova/ (ifi-audio.com/products/nova/)
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The CMA Podcast:
You can access this podcast on Apple Music, Spotify and here!
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S O C I A L S :
Twitter @ConvinceMeAudio
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Discord: / discord
Business enquiries
ConvinceMeAudio@gmail.com
Chapters:
0:00 Chapters
01:12 An introduction to the Rockna WAVEDREAM DAC
01:53 The Wavedream DAC unit tour
03:03 Rockna Wavedream buttons and functions
04:53 Rockna Wavedream Specs
08:05 How we tested the Wavedream DAC. Aperio, Susvara, AB1266TC.
09:23 The Rockna Wavedream overall sound, on Warwick, acoustics, Aperio, & Hifiman Shangri-La, senior
13:27 Rockna Wavedream vs HoloAudio May KTE and Chord DAVE. Using Wells Audio Headtrip & LTA z10E tube energiser
16:33 The Rockna Wavedream DAC Filters assisted by Camerton Audio Biomon-ER
18:59 Rockna Wavedream synergy and system pairing. HoloAudio Bliss, Serene KTE
21:016 Wavedream DAC caveats
22:40 Conclusion of the wavedream and its overall performance - Zábava
To our newcomers, welcome, To our old crew, welcome back.
Tracks used
open.qobuz.com/album/ixok3k42qjoka
open.qobuz.com/album/d4g3arwwolkaa
open.qobuz.com/album/n5iv26ykvj64a
open.qobuz.com/album/0191515564870
open.qobuz.com/album/qg33zb9o6gvwb
Rockna vs May vs T+A Dac 200, this is what we need on this channel 😎
I have been getting so many comments about the tea plus a, it really needs to come in LOL
Small chance LAMPi will be sorted as well
@@ConvinceMeAudio that would be great. The Basic Lampizator sounds really impresive. As for the T+A IT really impressed me, and I Had only about 20 minutes with IT. Sadly a chance to listen to IT next to the May is small, and a few people was praising the Dac 200 over the May. That way or another, You are making a really great job on the channel 💪
A DAC death match!!
@@ConvinceMeAudio I recall you told me you have been testing SUS with Lampizator for ages, which is actually the worst tube DAC I tested despite of the hype
@@ConvinceMeAudioDenafrips Terminator to the list!
Thank you for the review. As a person who is currently shopping for dacs and reading everything available on many dacs, your referencing other dacs in comparison is quite useful. Really makes it possible to get an idea of how it sounds. Keep up the good work.
You’re welcome, I’m very glad you find the content useful, welcome to the fam 🐅
Combining the strenghts of both May & Dave, without any particular disadvantages, is what I usually hear about Mola Mola Tambaqui, so it's probably a great moment to try it out against the Wavedream.
Other than that - Aqua Acoustic Quality La Scala MKII; T+A DAC 200; Weiss DAC501/502.
And once those will be sorted out, at a later date - Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD Rev. 2 & MSB Discrete.
The Weiss is awful. I sent mine back. Hideous ESS glare and crap build quality. It isn't worth £10K.
@@johnratcliffe6438 Well, I would guess among those mentioned (including Wavedream) - Tambaqui & Discrete, possibly Formula, should fight for #1 spot.
@@johnratcliffe6438what you may think is ESS glare is actually simply neutrality. Lots of DACs do not portray the ‘brighter’ tonality of instruments, instead portraying the inner body and harmonic aspects of instrument tone.The Weiss does not pad down any in the upper-mids. This more ‘live’ presentation of tone can indeed sound different and/or not preferred in some systems… but you add the Weiss DAC to a system, let’s say, that has the big harbeths and maybe a 300b DHT preamp, and the Weiss 501 has excellent aspects that can hang very well within a system of $15k to $20k each components.. Some of us wish there were more DACs out on the market that are neutral like this.
I am more from the school of add the coloration of tonal warmth and richness, etc. at preamp, amp or speakers. For source and DAC, please give me neutrality, like the Weiss.
Excellent review, Koji. Your findings seem very similar to mine. For me, Rockna wd signature is the best Dac I have ever tested.
Technically superb, I love it
Thanks mate, I really do appreciate it 🐅
Would love a review of the Mola Mola Tambaqui and Playback Designs MPD-8 DACs.
@@a.s.2426 they are both on my radar, especially the PBD, but only unforeseen opportunities allow for such a review and I will take full advantage of it when it crops up
@@ConvinceMeAudio Thanks! I own both DACs; hence my curiosity your opinion. For me, the PBD basically obsoleted the Tambaqui from the day I got it, onward. Hope you're able to review it at some point. Great channel, BTW!
Berk ref 2 or 3 and nagra hd dacs would be my target of moving up to this price point. But this still seems like a nice upgrade over the other mainstream dacs (May / Dave ). End end game would be Aries cerat kessandra II or lampi horizon.
Hope you get to try the Bricasti M3 sometime and compare it. I have it and love it, but I have never tried the Wavedream.
Like what else have you tried in the sea of DACs other than boosting your entry level M3 for centuries
Great review, I like how you describe the sound differences. I might have missed it but please call out what the source system was and how it was connected. For example did you use the May with HQPlayer with a USB connection between the source and the DAC?
So holo red ddc streamer, or the network streamer inside Aperio
This works over UPnP over the network
Then using a program as the source like Roon H Q. Player or audervana to control the music and the devices
So, to clarify, Mac mini, hollow red, then waveddream then the amplifier
@@ConvinceMeAudio thanks that is a nice set up. If you still have the May you really should try it with HQPlayer. the sound improvement is beyond words. Sure HQPlayer is a pain in the butt initially but it is well worth the investment in money and time. Keep up the great reviews
@@ericstefko4852 that’s how I have been running it, and have tested it
with M Scaler, review should be coming at some point soon, it’s already filmed.
Thanks, I appreciate it
@@ConvinceMeAudio cool, sorry for bugging you but I do respect your opinions. What HQPlayer settings do you use for PCM ? so far the best all around settings are 1x = Poly-Sinc-gauss-long; Nx = Poly-Sinc-gauss-hires-Lp with LNS15
@@ericstefko4852 don’t apologise,
I appreciate it, I think we use sync XL if I’m not mistaken I have the set up somewhere I will look for it and drop it here when I find it,
Great work Koji, when you compared the DAVE vs. Wavedream on the Arperio did you do so with the MScaler?
I’m trying to recall, I think HQ player
I'm really curious about this DAC.
Have you tried the Dave with an LPS upgrade like the Sean Jacobs or Farad3? I have a Farad3 and it was like having a Dave 2.
Also, what is your CF set for the Dave. 0, 1, 2 or 3? I personally use 1. I think it makes the Dave more special.
Not yet, only stock,
Koji. Could you add a Naim NAP 250 DR to power the speakers and use as pre/dac?
In theory, and practically, but please please please, never use digital volume with power amps
Like stated in the review not only do you lose dynamic range by attenuation but in case of a system error, you have the potential of going to maximum volume
It’s always best to have resistors and a good pre-between
@ 6:24 I literally laughed out loud.
What advantage can you get with the 20v XLR output?
Please review the Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000.
Thanks
Adx5000 suck.. just awful peeky midrange
@@lextr3110 peeky? I have them now and don't totally love them but having trouble deciding exactly what it is. I really didn't think it was the midrange
It would be interesting to compare WD Signature with Holo May upsampling to 1.5 Mhz
The signature is coming very shortly, but the limitation is 768
@@ConvinceMeAudio WD Signature without upsampling vs Holo May with upsampling at 1.5 Mhz would be a fair comparison
@@larazss3254 I will certainly put it through its paces
Forget the DAC, show us the Nautilus!
well check soulnote product... and how can you compare a Rockna with a Dave they are at the opposite spectrum......
Opposite ends of the spectrum, what are you talking about? I would like you to clarify this statement a bit more, because it doesn’t make too much sense
In regards to comparisons, not in the slightest.
@@ConvinceMeAudio well to different concept to different signature and for me the rockna is superior and I will never have a Dave even if they give it to me for free....
@@patrickblum2456 okay, let’s separate the subjectivity from the objectivity.
Which one you prefer, which one is more to your liking, that’s completely valid and subjective .
Objectively, both units are digital to analog converters, despite whatever approach, has been taken by the separate companies.
Secondly, both units reside around the same price point and deliver the same functions to the end user,
Taking all that into account, they are very comparable for a comparison and an analysis.
Subjectively, I have decided to choose the wavedream as the channel reference
Objectively in this scenario, I pick the rockna personally
well noted but still check the d-2 soulnote.....
So who was right? Goldensound or CMA. You said the Rockna Wavedream is better. Your quote "definitely the next step up".
The best advice I can give you with CZcams reviewers is understand each review as preference that you have a tendency to watch and then draw the average LOL
Remember, I own a holo audio May kte 😎 versus all the other DAC here that was my findings in all of my testing, and the conclusion I came to, but if you’re planning to spend this amount of money, I don’t recommend blind buying anyways
I had both, I like May more but I don’t think they are far part from each other.
why is better to you?
@@megadoodoo5088
Is this Dave without a Mscaler ?
Must it be powered on continuously and does it run hot?
Yes, best not to shutdown R2r
No, very cool
@@ConvinceMeAudio cool is very good. Didn’t know R2R s could run cool. Does it require a lot of power?
Rockna is not a legendary dac in my community! Lampizator, DCS Vivaldi, MSB reference DAC. Hell even Esoteric has a better reputation.
We are sorting out lampi there is a possibility of a review.
Different circles 😅 Vivaldi that’s going to be a treat for review but it’s four times the price and getting hold of it’s not going to be easy
Funny because Rockna is using the R2R chip from MSB, but implements the volumecontrol and powersuply different!
@@Homeaudionl not anymore. It’s my understanding that they make their own R2R boards now and no longer use MSB.
A pare of lampizators are in the house 🐅
Plus aic10