Rockna Wavedream DAC

[DJJEZ]

- Chord Hugo TT2 : Before I tried Hugo TT2, I hope its sound is bad so I could focus on Wavedream. However, TT2 has the most neutral, smooth, relax sound with details. Until now, Billie Jean via TT2 is the best version I've ever heard. Only negative is that it lacks the bass and drum impact for my taste.

That's all for my impression. I'm sorry that I could not explain in terms of audiophile. I'm just an amateur who love music. Now for the decision, I still have to study more. If I already tried Dave, it could be a lot easier. If you tried both Wavedream and Dave before, please share your experiences. Thank you.

the DAVE has more bass and impact than the TT2. I always felt the TT2 was lacking (I used to own one) but the DAVE is the perfect balance so definetley recommend you try hear one.

 

[Ake_Y]

Nice writeup.

I had a very similar finding with the Wavedream. It's an exceptional DAC no doubt, but the macrodynamics/slam are too exaggerated for me and it doesn't have the same timbral accuracy as some other DACs. I totally get why people love it though and with a tube setup it'd probably be fantastic.

I've tried the TT2 and DAVE and can say that the TT2 sounds kinda like an upgraded Qutest. It's a warm presentation, lush, but still quite a polite/slightly soft sound. But with notably better staging than a qutest.
The DAVE doesn't have this issue, it's quite a bit more neutral, forceful and energetic so you may find that this suits your tastes much better. Though the DAVE does not offer the same quality of spatial presentation and layering as the Wavedream.



Two other DACs you may wish to look at are the Denafrips Terminator Plus and Holo May. Both of those are excellent.
The May is currently my favourite.

Thank you for your suggestion.. GoldenOne. I also watched your Wavedream review. It triggered me to demo Wavedream. When you mentioned about slam in video, I didn't know that its level is that much. I'm truly love the lush, full sound, and layers of Wavedream, but I'm not sure whether my Cayin HA-300 ( a 300B tube hp amp ) could handle that slam level.

For other two DACS you recommended, I will check on Denafrips since it has a distributor in my country.

the DAVE has more bass and impact than the TT2. I always felt the TT2 was lacking (I used to own one) but the DAVE is the perfect balance so definetley recommend you try hear one.

Thank you very much.. DJJEZ. It's good to know that Dave has better bass impact. I hope that I could try Dave someday. Based on current situation, I don't think that Chord distributor in my country will have Dave unit for demo soon.

 

[Ake_Y]

I just realized that I set Wavedream volume at maximum ( 0 dB ) , which likely equals to 6.6 V per spec. I adjusted the volume at amp instead when listening. I'm not sure whether the volume on Wavedream could be a cause of slam. If I undestand correctly, normal DAC voltage should be around 3 - 4 V. Single Ended. Please advice.

 

[Roasty]

I just realized that I set Wavedream volume at maximum ( 0 dB ) , which likely equals to 6.6 V per spec. I adjusted the volume at amp instead when listening. I'm not sure whether the volume on Wavedream could be a cause of slam. If I undestand correctly, normal DAC voltage should be around 3 - 4 V. Single Ended. Please advice.

maybe try set -6dB (or a bit more) on your software eg Roon or hqplayer etc.

 

[helljudgement]

I just realized that I set Wavedream volume at maximum ( 0 dB ) , which likely equals to 6.6 V per spec. I adjusted the volume at amp instead when listening. I'm not sure whether the volume on Wavedream could be a cause of slam. If I undestand correctly, normal DAC voltage should be around 3 - 4 V. Single Ended. Please advice.

As stated in Rockna's product page, the wavedream sig outputs 10vpp on single ended, which translate roughly to 3.5 vrms.

For my usage I typically set the wd at -5db so I have more wiggle room for some of my amp's volume. At -5db, it outputs roughly 2vrms which is normally the recommended vrms for single ended input sources. Try and see if this works for you and also thanks for sharing it was a great read.

 

[Ake_Y]

maybe try set -6dB (or a bit more) on your software eg Roon or hqplayer etc.

Thank you.. Roasty

As stated in Rockna's product page, the wavedream sig outputs 10vpp on single ended, which translate roughly to 3.5 vrms.



For my usage I typically set the wd at -5db so I have more wiggle room for some of my amp's volume. At -5db, it outputs roughly 2vrms which is normally the recommended vrms for single ended input sources. Try and see if this works for you and also thanks for sharing it was a great read.

Thank you very much... helljudgement . Initially I thought Vpp and Vrms are the same as V.

It was Wavedream Edition that I demoed. So Vrms I set up at that time is @ 2.33 ( 6.6 Vpp ) , which is normal per your suggestion.

 

[helljudgement]

It was Wavedream Edition that I demoed.

For what it's worth Rockna has discontinued the SE version of the Wavedream Edition. At that pricing you might want to consider testing the Signature SE instead of getting the Balanced version of the Wavedream Edition if you have no use for the XLR out.

 

[Ake_Y]

For what it's worth Rockna has discontinued the SE version of the Wavedream Edition. At that pricing you might want to consider testing the Signature SE instead of getting the Balanced version of the Wavedream Edition if you have no use for the XLR out.

Sorry that I didn't clarify. Distributor in my country has only Wavedream XLR Edition for demo. When I tested at the shop, Leben CS600X is only amplifier that has headphone output. Moreover, it has only RCA inputs so I had to test based on what were available. I really hope to compare directly between WD Signature SE and Chord Dave since both are my primary choices.

 

[skylinekursk]

Hey mates..
question for wavedream NET owners... can it be connected to DAC by USB output? I've read it's possible for Roon but what about other apps?

 

[Ake_Y]

Just want to update that I demoed Dave yesterday. Dealer contacted me last Sunday that a customer left one for burn-in. I spent an hour at distributor. Dave sound is more lively than Hugo TT2, but it's not musical like Rockna Wavedream. I still prefer Rockna Wavedream to Chord Dave. Right now, my choices are narrowed to either Rockna Wavedream / Denafrip Terminator Plus / Audio-GD R7-HE.

I'm trying to find a way to deal with over-emphasize bass/drum of Wavedream. For Terminator plus, Denafrips distributor in my country has only Terminator 2 available. If I could not deal with Wavedream bass/drum and don't like Terminator sound signature, I might go with R7-HE.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Just want to update that I demoed Dave yesterday. Dealer contacted me last Sunday that a customer left one for burn-in. I spent an hour at distributor. Dave sound is more lively than Hugo TT2, but it's not musical like Rockna Wavedream. I still prefer Rockna Wavedream to Chord Dave. Right now, my choices are narrowed to either Rockna Wavedream / Denafrip Terminator Plus / Audio-GD R7-HE.

I'm trying to find a way to deal with over-emphasize bass/drum of Wavedream. For Terminator plus, Denafrips distributor in my country has only Terminator 2 available. If I could not deal with Wavedream bass/drum and don't like Terminator sound signature, I might go with R7-HE.

The Wavedream has strong emphasis on Bass impact?
Interesting

 

[Ake_Y]

I just demoed Wavedream again yesterday. I also tried Audiobyte Hydra Stack ( Vox/Zap ) for the first time.

- Setup : Spotify on my iPhone connected via WIFI -> Lan Interface -> Wavedream Edition / Hydra Stack via Coax -> Leben CS600X EL34 mode via RCA -> Focal Utopia

Note : Staff and me could not find the way to enable headphone output on Hydra Vox so we use Leben instead. I just found out later that DSD Direct must be disabled to enable headphone output.

- Rockna Wavedream Edition ( v. 4.80 Firmware / Linear Filter / Local Clock / Normal Phase / Dither On ) : I spent about 2 hours with it. I could say that Wavedream sound has texture, upfront, spatial and lush. However, bass and drum impact is still quite too aggressive for me, especially R&B and dance music like Earth, Wind & Fire, Christina Aguilera. If the bass/drum impact could be reduced around 1 - 2 steps out of 10, I will buy it without any hesitance. I think it is suitable for speakers and might pair well with bass light headphones, such as Audio technica ATH-ADX5000 / Sennheiser HD800s.

- Audiobyte Hydra Stack ( Linear Filter / Normal Phase ) : I spent 30 mins with it. I think Hydra Stack sound is in the same tone as Wavedream, but laidback and less bass/drum impact. I prefer its sound to Wavelight. I mean Hydra Stack sound is closer to Wavedream than Wavelight. To tell the actual differences, I have to test A/B between them again. I did not do this time because I would like to spend time with Wavedream, which I like most among them.

Next step, I will contact both Denafrips and Audio-GD distributors for demo ( Terminator 2 and R7-HE ) . Thank you for reading.

 

[skylinekursk]

Has anyone chance compare wavedream signature balanced to terminator plus ?

 

[GoldenSound]

Has anyone chance compare wavedream to terminator plus ?

I have

They're very different sounding DACs.

The Wavedream is a more detailed, spacious and 'technical' sound overall. But the main downside is that it is somewhat on the aggressive side of things and somewhat exaggerates macrodynamics which doesn't necessarily suit all chains or preferences.

The Terminator Plus is not really a neutral or necessarily 'normal' sounding DAC. It has an almost 'over-emphasis' on layering, though it's evident that this is somewhat the result of the extensive DSP it's doing as I found that elements didn't stay static in position. As the track got busier, things got further away and more spaced out. Then when there was just one thing like a solo vocalist, they sounded closer to you.
Not by a huge amount but once you hear it you can't unhear it.
But it's a very nice overall sound. Ever so slightly dark but without smoothing things or losing technical ability (though not quite matching the Wavedream). And never feeling too laid back or too forward. It strikes a nice balance that makes it 'tastefully altered' to sound more fun.
But the overall presentation of timbre beats the wavedream and I also felt that it was a bit less dry overall which will appeal to a lot of people.

Both are truly excellent DACs, but it's really not a case of one being 'better' than the other.
The Wavedream is without doubt more detailed IMO, but not without tradeoffs and the Terminator Plus does not have the fatigue issue that some experience with the Wavedream.

 

[skylinekursk]

I have

They're very different sounding DACs.

The Wavedream is a more detailed, spacious and 'technical' sound overall. But the main downside is that it is somewhat on the aggressive side of things and somewhat exaggerates macrodynamics which doesn't necessarily suit all chains or preferences.

The Terminator Plus is not really a neutral or necessarily 'normal' sounding DAC. It has an almost 'over-emphasis' on layering, though it's evident that this is somewhat the result of the extensive DSP it's doing as I found that elements didn't stay static in position. As the track got busier, things got further away and more spaced out. Then when there was just one thing like a solo vocalist, they sounded closer to you.
Not by a huge amount but once you hear it you can't unhear it.
But it's a very nice overall sound. Ever so slightly dark but without smoothing things or losing technical ability (though not quite matching the Wavedream). And never feeling too laid back or too forward. It strikes a nice balance that makes it 'tastefully altered' to sound more fun.
But the overall presentation of timbre beats the wavedream and I also felt that it was a bit less dry overall which will appeal to a lot of people.

Both are truly excellent DACs, but it's really not a case of one being 'better' than the other.
The Wavedream is without doubt more detailed IMO, but not without tradeoffs and the Terminator Plus does not have the fatigue issue that some experience with the Wavedream.

Such a nice feedback! I also read your review...
I have wavedream net and terminator plus connected by i2s cable. I liked what you wrote about "pros" of WD dac because for me aggression in sound is very important... I can't say T+ is laid back, but more aggression of rockna will be better for heavy music. How can you compare bass on both DACs?

Thank you!