DarKu
Reviewer at Soundnews
Okay everyone, I'm back from the High End Show Munich 2024, alcohol went out, brains went back in.
I had a long chat with Nucu regarding the upcoming WD MK2 and WD Ultra.
1. Wavedream Edition and Signature aren't discontinued, as they feel nothing still tops them at their respective price points.
2. There won't be a single-ended only version of the WD MK2, it was designed from the ground up to work with 4 R2R modules and 4 output stages, super-symmetry and a fully balanced signal was an important aspect in building it. However, it will still have RCA outputs for those with SET amplifiers.
3. Both the WD MK2 and the WD Ultra won't have Roon servers, only Roon endpoints. However, there are many other wired protocols available, Roon is not mandatory (UPNP, DLNA, OpenHome, HQPlayer Network Audio Adapter).
3. WD MK2 and WD Ultra will have touchscreens and physical remotes. They won't have a single button on their faceplates.
4. The internal layout of the MK2 was completely redesigned from the group up. We have new modules, they lowered the noise floor by around ~10dB, which of course bumped up dynamic range considerably. The power transformers a big portion of the power supply will be encapsulated in a thick copper enclosure. We'll have much better clocks set to work on a lower frequency, adding an extra sense of effortlessness and flow. The sound will be more "organic" while providing more resolution.
5. While MK2 was playing tunes on a pretty impressive setup, the horn speakers didn't do justice to this setup. However, Nucu told privately that MK2 is considerably more detailed versus the WD Signature especially in terms of low-level information/low-level signals, the noise floor was unmeasurable with their expensive equipment and they needed to amplify it by several times so it could be measured, the sound will be exactly as punchy and dynamic, while having a better flow and effortlessness.
6. WD Ultra is still a work in progress, not a lot of information was shared, just that it will have 8 R2R modules and even better clocks (Real OCXO clocks)
7. You should expect a world-first WD MK2 review from the DACMan hopefully in 2024 *Fingers crossed*
I had a long chat with Nucu regarding the upcoming WD MK2 and WD Ultra.
1. Wavedream Edition and Signature aren't discontinued, as they feel nothing still tops them at their respective price points.
2. There won't be a single-ended only version of the WD MK2, it was designed from the ground up to work with 4 R2R modules and 4 output stages, super-symmetry and a fully balanced signal was an important aspect in building it. However, it will still have RCA outputs for those with SET amplifiers.
3. Both the WD MK2 and the WD Ultra won't have Roon servers, only Roon endpoints. However, there are many other wired protocols available, Roon is not mandatory (UPNP, DLNA, OpenHome, HQPlayer Network Audio Adapter).
3. WD MK2 and WD Ultra will have touchscreens and physical remotes. They won't have a single button on their faceplates.
4. The internal layout of the MK2 was completely redesigned from the group up. We have new modules, they lowered the noise floor by around ~10dB, which of course bumped up dynamic range considerably. The power transformers a big portion of the power supply will be encapsulated in a thick copper enclosure. We'll have much better clocks set to work on a lower frequency, adding an extra sense of effortlessness and flow. The sound will be more "organic" while providing more resolution.
5. While MK2 was playing tunes on a pretty impressive setup, the horn speakers didn't do justice to this setup. However, Nucu told privately that MK2 is considerably more detailed versus the WD Signature especially in terms of low-level information/low-level signals, the noise floor was unmeasurable with their expensive equipment and they needed to amplify it by several times so it could be measured, the sound will be exactly as punchy and dynamic, while having a better flow and effortlessness.
6. WD Ultra is still a work in progress, not a lot of information was shared, just that it will have 8 R2R modules and even better clocks (Real OCXO clocks)
7. You should expect a world-first WD MK2 review from the DACMan hopefully in 2024 *Fingers crossed*
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