[mrarroyo]

Nice review Rob!

 

[Skylab]

Thanks Miguel, means a lot coming from you!

 

[mrarroyo]

You have earned my friend, the old fashion way. Of course my wallet has left the building/state/country.

 

[Hawaiiancerveza]

Oh man last I spoke to you you mentioned you were going to get it but I didn't expect you to get it this fast.  Too bad it wasn't what your looking for.  I don't have the cash to fork out to get these toys.  I need to save up.  Whats next on your list to take a stab at?
 
Quote:

If after reading this review you're interested in buying one, mine will be on the for sale forum soon, it's simply not what I was looking for/expecting, I won't hijack skylab excellent review so PM me if you want details/pricing

 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Hey Rob, I really enjoyed reading this review.  I was already impressed with the RWA Isabellina at RMAF 2010 when I listened with LCD-2, and it sounds like Vinnie has made some enhancements over the past year to make the combo even better.

 

[Skylab]

Thanks Larry! Very much appreciated, coming from my fellow reviewer

 

[kwkarth]

Excellent review Rob!

 

[Skylab]

Thanks much Kevin, very much appreciated!

 

[mwilson]

Having received the RWA AE earlier today, I wanted to share a few impressions on the DAC/AMP combo.
 
1. Build quality - no complaints here. Feels solid, and understated in a classy way. External power supply gets quite warm during charging. OK, one albeit small issue - since this unit has a tube, it would have been a nice touch to not have to use a screwdriver to gain access to the innards.
 
2. Features - I understand a key selling proposition is the synergy between the DAC and amp sections. However, I wish it also featured a set of balanced analog inputs. Most of us in a position to purchase such a product already have DACs of which we may be rather fond (I know I am, of my Wyred DAC-2).
 
3. Included in the package - everything one may need, down to the RCA to BNC adapter for the digital coax in.
 
4. Headphone cable. Not so sure about this one. Granted, it can't be bad, it's an ALO after all, but to these ears my Q Audio sounds quite a bit more musical. Funny enough, that's the first thing I compared; the headphone cables.
 
5. Sound. OK, so it's not burned in, but I believe the choice of standard issue tube is not one that will bring the most out of this amp. This is a close-to-4k item; tack another $100 to the price and ship it with a better tube out the door. Right off the bat I noticed a bloat around the lower mids (or upper bass) that's not existent in my WA22. No matter, I already have a NOS Mullard in transit so I'll burn the RWA AE in for the time being.
 
Bottom line (for now). Judgment cannot be reasonably passed this early, but I see tremendous potential; to what degree a new tube will do it justice remains to be heard. I'll report back.

 

[leesure]

Thanks for taking the time to write the review Rob. It was a great read.

I've been enjoying my AE edition for several months now, but havent tube rolled yet. I will be adding a Mullard to get that last bit out of her.

As far as the ultimate portability, I've had great success attaching the iPad to the USB input using just the $29 'Camera Connection Kit' from Apple. This gives the iPad a USB out and it sees the AE right away. My Pur gives it a cleaner signal and I prefer the SPDIF to USB, but for the ultimate in portability, iPad/CCK combo is hard to beat. Give it a try. I don't think I'll be taking it to the local Starbucks any time soon, but it's great to take out onto the patio.

 

[moodyrn]

A very enjoyable read Skylab. Thanks for taking the time to do a well thought out and also very informative review.

 

[m0gwai]

 
Quote:

Having received the RWA AE earlier today, I wanted to share a few impressions on the DAC/AMP combo.
 
1. Build quality - no complaints here. Feels solid, and understated in a classy way. External power supply gets quite warm during charging. OK, one albeit small issue - since this unit has a tube, it would have been a nice touch to not have to use a screwdriver to gain access to the innards.
 
2. Features - I understand a key selling proposition is the synergy between the DAC and amp sections. However, I wish it also featured a set of balanced analog inputs. Most of us in a position to purchase such a product already have DACs of which we may be rather fond (I know I am, of my Wyred DAC-2).
 
3. Included in the package - everything one may need, down to the RCA to BNC adapter for the digital coax in.
 
4. Headphone cable. Not so sure about this one. Granted, it can't be bad, it's an ALO after all, but to these ears my Q Audio sounds quite a bit more musical. Funny enough, that's the first thing I compared; the headphone cables.
 
5. Sound. OK, so it's not burned in, but I believe the choice of standard issue tube is not one that will bring the most out of this amp. This is a close-to-4k item; tack another $100 to the price and ship it with a better tube out the door. Right off the bat I noticed a bloat around the lower mids (or upper bass) that's not existent in my WA22. No matter, I already have a NOS Mullard in transit so I'll burn the RWA AE in for the time being.
 
Bottom line (for now). Judgment cannot be reasonably passed this early, but I see tremendous potential; to what degree a new tube will do it justice remains to be heard. I'll report back.

I don't understand, yesterday you contacted me by PM because you were interested in buying mine and 12 hours later you received yours and you're posting first impression, I'm confused

 

 

[mwilson]

It's simple, actually. If I like it enough to keep it for my home, I would need a second one for my office.

 
Quote:

 

I don't understand, yesterday you contacted me by PM because you were interested in buying mine and 12 hours later you received yours and you're posting first impression, I'm confused

 

 

 

[rosgr63]

Another great review Rob, thank you.

 

[tmarshl]

Hi Rob,

Loved your review of the RWA Audeze Edition. My question relates to using the best source for the RWA AE.

In your review, you mentioned using Apple Lossless format, iPad and Pure I20 to input into the RWA AE.

How strongly do you feel about each of these choices? I am seriously considering the RWA AE (have been a prior customer of Vinnie and have been very impressed).

Apple Lossless vs. AIFF, etc.

iPad, vs. iPod vs. Mac Mini, vs. MacBook

Pure i20 vs.???

Many Thanks,

tmarshl

BTW, I currently have AKG K1000s with Stefan Audio Arts Equinox cabling into a First Watt F1 - which I love (except for enough heat coming off of the First Watt F1 to grill a steak :mad