[Jalo]

And pretty much all of ibasso Dac and amps use the WM8740.
D4, D10, D12, D6, P4, DB1

 

[Elanzer]

FiiO E7 is WM8740.
 
You could also say Audio-gd's Sparrow and FUN use WM8741 as well.

 

[Kassem]

I'm looking for a wolfson DAC.  This list will be helpful if it ever gets complete.  I'd be interested in getting a list of the DACs that also have USB & Optical in.

 

[TheWuss]

Add meier stagedac to the list.
Dual wm8741.

 

[vrln]

Quote:

Quote:

Indeed... The Wolfson naming system makes very little sense. The WM8742 is a mid-range chip, somewhere between the WM8740 and WM8741. Their highest performing and most expensive chip is the WM8741.

So is it possible to rank the wolfson chips in term of performance or is it not possible?  If so, will it be something like this:
 
Wm8741
Wm8740
Wm8742
Wm....
Wm....
 

Sure! All the specs are on the Wolfson site. One can even download the full sheets, not just a marketing advertisement like on ESS Sabre32 (they require an NDA to get the real sheet!)
 
1. WM8741 (128 SNR)
2. WM8742 (126 SNR)
3. WN8740 (120 SNR)
4. WM8716 (112 SNR)
 
The (3) is by far the most popular, as it´s pretty cheap. It´s used in mostly entry level audiophile gear like DacMagic and Cambridge Audio products. The high end flagship (1) is only found in more expensive products usually. All of the chips can be run in a dual mono configuration, so the highest Wolfson solution right now is a dual WM8741. That can be found in Audio-gd NFB-1, 12 and 8, and for example PS Audio PerfectWave DAC +´Meier Audio StageDAC. The NFB-12 is by far the cheapest dual WM8741 product on the market right now.

 

[Skylab]

The AVA (Audio By VanAlstine) Vision DAC I just bought uses WM8742's. Frank VanAlstine is very insistent that the WM8742 sounds better than the 8741, and that is why he used the 8742.  Certainly the finished product if his (I bought the tube-hybrid version) sounds absolutely terrific.

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Indeed... The Wolfson naming system makes very little sense. The WM8742 is a mid-range chip, somewhere between the WM8740 and WM8741. Their highest performing and most expensive chip is the WM8741.

So is it possible to rank the wolfson chips in term of performance or is it not possible?  If so, will it be something like this:
 
Wm8741
Wm8740
Wm8742
Wm....
Wm....
 

Sure! All the specs are on the Wolfson site. One can even download the full sheets, not just a marketing advertisement like on ESS Sabre32 (they require an NDA to get the real sheet!)
 
1. WM8741 (128 SNR)
2. WM8742 (126 SNR)
3. WN8740 (120 SNR)
4. WM8716 (112 SNR)
 
The (3) is by far the most popular, as it´s pretty cheap. It´s used in mostly entry level audiophile gear like DacMagic and Cambridge Audio products. The high end flagship (1) is only found in more expensive products usually. All of the chips can be run in a dual mono configuration, so the highest Wolfson solution right now is a dual WM8741. That can be found in Audio-gd NFB-1, 12 and 8, and for example PS Audio PerfectWave DAC +´Meier Audio StageDAC. The NFB-12 is by far the cheapest dual WM8741 product on the market right now.

Thanks so much for the input above.  But I have to think that the difference between 1, 2, and 3 is more than just the SNR.  Because the difference between 120, 126, and 128 is non distinguishable to the human ears.  There must be other factors and method of implementation that differentiate the top three models from each others.  By the way, if it is not too much trouble, do you know which one of these chips has an output power of 2Vrms? Just curious about a product I am about to receive 

.
 

 

[vrln]

There are a lot more differences than just the SNR, it was just the easiest spec to paste so I included it there There are differences in available filters etc etc. You can find the specific details on Wolfsons site (if you want the really hardcore info, just download the spec sheets): http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/products/dacs/'
 
1-3 all have an output power of 2Vrms. 
 
And as for Skylabs post, I´ve read somewhere too that some prefer the WM8742 chip, but at least officially it´s not the flagshig.
 
Another important thing to check is what SPDIF receiver is used. The Wolfson chip doesn´t have an onboard one like the Sabre32 if I remember correctly. Kingwa uses the one made by Wolfson to match the DAC chip. According to Kingwa, they both have a slightly smooth "analog" touch in the sound, bringing them close to the famous R2R multibit chips. It has good specs (only 50ps jitter) too: http://www.wolfsonmicro.com/products/spdif_transceivers/

 

[Jalo]

Vrin, much appreciated for the info above.

 

[vrln]

No problem... I´m looking into buying a Wolfson DAC too, so I´ve been browsing the spec sheets etc anyway.

 

[nick77]

Why does there seem to be two different camps, Sabre vs Wolfson? Why do some perfer one over the other? I am actually waiting on a NFB-2 and still hoping i made the right decision. Thanks...

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Why does there seem to be two different camps, Sabre vs Wolfson? Why do some perfer one over the other? I am actually waiting on a NFB-2 and still hoping i made the right decision. Thanks...

It's just sonic preference, I'm sure.  VanAlstine also preferred the sound of the WM8742 over the Sabre.  That is just one designer's opinion, but I know that I hear things the way he does most of the time, which is why I have bought a lot of his gear over the years.

 

[KSB1978]

It's interesting that you guys would pick a DAC purely based on the chip... despite the fact that the analogue output stage and the implementation of the chip has more to do with the overall sound quality at the end of the day...
 

I own a DAC Magic (dual WM8740), and I'm now moving on to the Rega DAC (dual WM8742) (I have one on order). Would be interesting to see the difference in the sound.

 

[Skylab]

It's interesting that you guys would pick a DAC purely based on the chip... despite the fact that the analogue output stage and the implementation of the chip has more to do with the overall sound quality at the end of the day...
 

I own a DAC Magic (dual WM8740), and I'm now moving on to the Rega DAC (dual WM8742) (I have one on order). Would be interesting to see the difference in the sound.

Who is picking the DAC based just on the chip? Certainly not me. I bought my DAC solely because of the analog output stage!

 

[KSB1978]

May be not you, but I saw a couple of posts up there who said "I'm looking to buy a Wolfson DAC"...
I buy mine to complement the overall sound. I wish more Hi-fi places would let me audition at home, so I know how things sound in MY SYSTEM.