The Studio Player from Spanish audio company Wadax has already been announced at the High End audio fair that took place in May of this year in the German city of Munich. According to the designers, the new digital player contains all the knowledge of Wadax combined in one beautiful chassis as the ultimate digital total solution. The Studio Player is a DA converter, streamer and (SA)CD player, including high-resolution Hybrid Volume Control. The Studio Player will be available soon, but you can already listen to it.
All digital functions in one housing
The actual DA conversion in the Wadax Studio Line is identical to the all-surpassing Wadax Atlantis Reference DAC. The modular construction makes the Studio Player a player for life that grows with the technological evolution within Wadax and beyond.
The Studio Player is an impressive work of art to behold. It is beautifully organic in its sculpture with a two-tone chassis where the silk-matt silver, curved top and bottom plates contrast with the black base chassis. Like an oyster guarding its pearl, the housing protects more than 4,500 discrete components from the outside world, spread over forty individual printed circuit boards. The device is fully balanced and set up in dual mono style where both the digital and analogue signal processing as well as the left and right signals are built completely separately and isolated. The power supply (the foundation of every audio signal) has been optimized to the extreme with an extremely low ripple of 0.5 microvolt as a result. Five different DC rails followed by thirty independent, local regulation circuits supply each circuit exactly what it needs. This is nothing less than perfection at its best.
Feed Forward Error Correction
Wadax’s holistic approach alone is enough to place the Studio Player among the absolute world’s best. However, a large part of Wadax’s ability to communicate music with unprecedented authenticity lies in the unique, self-developed Feed Forward Error Correction technology. It is this technology that forms the basis for the creation of Wadax and answers the question of why digital, however good it can sometimes be, still sounds ‘digital’. Intrinsic to DA conversion is the creeping ‘pollution’ caused by errors and non-linearities during and after the DA conversion. They add something that has nothing to do with the original or mask the smallest nuances that make the difference between good and magical.
Since 2004, Wadax has, according to its own statement, dedicated itself to analyzing this pollution and has developed a unique algorithm that can effectively and in real time correct or reduce errors introduced by the conversion. In a highly simplified manner, the special algorithm in the WADAX MusIC Processor maps the non-linearities introduced by the circuit, introduces an inverted variant of this error, which cancels it out with the final output signal. In reality, this requires a gigantic computing power with which the DA converter errors under load are mapped in order to perform minimal but crucial feed-forward corrections. The result, however, is difficult to express in words. “Free from any limits in depth, width and height. Lifelike,” according to importer Reference Sounds.
The ability to adjust both the Player’s output level (output voltage) and output impedance to match the system allows you to truly customize the WADAX Studio Player to perfection.
Plays Everything
The Wadax Studio Player plays CDs and Super Audio CDs from the super solid internal drive. Although streaming seems to be the norm, it is amazing to rediscover your own, physical discs with the Studio Player. Free from sound-influencing peripherals such as network stability, switches and network cables, a press of the Play button always delivers the optimal sound quality immediately.
The Studio Player is however nominated for Roon certification, which means it is simply a matter of time before the Player can function as a Roon Endpoint. Direct Streaming via Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect makes access to streaming services super easy. Wadax will add more streaming audio services in the future.
The volume control of the Wadax Studio Player is of the highest level. The possibility to influence the analogue output level with a DA converter is far from unique. In its simplest form, the bitrate is simply cut, which automatically scales the output level down, and the resolution does the same. Various manufacturers have developed alternatives for this, but the addition of a high-quality analogue preamplifier continues to have a major positive impact on the final sound experience. However, the direct connection of the Wadax Player to the power amplifier produced a wonderful result. As if the listener is drawn even deeper into the sound of Wadax. The hybrid volume control works superbly and offers a phenomenal simplification of the audio system.
More Members in the Pipeline
As mentioned, the Studio Player is just the beginning. Later this year, an optional, separate Power Supply Unit (PSU) will be introduced that further optimizes the crucial power supply. Isolation of the power supply from the audio circuitry further reduces interference while the power supply circuits can be built even larger and therefore with more capacity. A direct result of more space and a dedicated, proprietary housing with extensive electromagnetic shielding.
In addition to the PSU, there is also an optional external Clock. The Clock Oscillator is responsible for all data movements in the digital domain. Sampling and conversion accuracy depend on the precision of the master clock. Here too, external influences such as temperature, mechanical stability, power supply and interference have a direct influence on the result. Isolating the Clock from the power supply and the other audio circuits offers Wadax the opportunity to further optimize the stability of these and to further minimize the jitter that directly results from this.
Although the Wadax Studio Player performs incredibly well on its own, the external PSU and Clock offer the flexibility to expand its class even further.
Price and Delivery Information
The Wadax Studio Player has a suggested retail price of just under $40,000. Together with a number of selected dealers, the Studio Player will be heard at various locations in the coming months. Anyone who wants to experience the class of the extraordinary Wadax Studio Player for themselves can contact Reference Sounds to make a personal appointment.
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