Wavelength Wavelink HS

[astaroth]

Maybe nobody noticed but Wavelenght finally just released his new USB 24/192 Wavelink HS interface. Can't wait to read some reviews and maybe if i'm lucky hear it by myself if my seller can receive one someday. Can't stand any longer the optical link between my mac and the alpha dac!

 

From what i can understand, and somebody stop me if i'm wrong, the wavelink gets it power from a liIon battery just like their Proton device. The literature on Wavelength website specifies that:

 

" The battery is recharged when the computer is not active, asleep or off on many desktops"

 

So logically and by reading this, when the mac is off=the battery is not charging. Since it's recommended to disable sleep mod, and thats what i'v allready done=the battery will not be charging. So the only thing left is if my computer is not active. I'm not sure about that one cause the mini is always on and so is amarra. The way amarra behave seems to always be active since when amarra is open, my alpha dac is showing the sample rate even when there's no music playing. So it would be like Amarra=active computer=the battery will not be charging!

 

So basically what i'm asking is if there's a way to charge the thing one way or another? I'm looking forward to purchase the Wavelink but If i's not possible(in my case) to charge the battery, then it's a no go!

 

Thanks!

 

[aps]

Also interested. Has anyone seen / heard the Wavelink?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Yes and yes. Listening to one now :~)

 

[aps]

And your thoughts are? :~)

 

[rlodad]

Chris,

In case you are going to review this piece, I for one have been waiting for it for a couple of years with baited breath. (This apparently was a delay caused by OSX, not Gordon Rankin, FWIW). If possible, might you compare the BADA with the Lynx feeding it to the Wavelink feeding the BADA and both of those to the Halide Bridge? I am dying to get rid of my G5 and move to something with a smaller form factor (Mac mini?) and a less Jitter prone interface to boot. It is not useful to me to have a review saying in essence: the Wavelink sounds good, almost as good as the Lynx; as was my reading of the Halide review.What sound differences if any do you hear? Obviously it is hard to not step on toes when reviewing products that are different prices and have similar features without huge differences in sound quality. I for one, do not have a Halide dealer or a Wavelength dealer nearby, so hearing before buying is not an option. Additionally, have you heard anything else from Berkeley about their USB interface about which many of us have heard comments? Sorry if I have once again led the discussion off topic, I have tried not to.

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

I'd love a comparison between the Halide Bridge & the Wavelink. Actually, I'd love a comparison between the Wavelink, the Halide Bridge, the M2Tech Evo and the ART Legato.

 

As for the Alpha USB-to-AES/EBU converter, I got a note recently saying that they were looking at late this year. The note I got said something about "software". I guess we'll have to see what that means.

 

[astaroth]

Great to know Chris is reviewing it!

 

But i think there's really something wrong with the way the internal battery is charging. Sincerely i cannot be the only one in this situation. What i mean by that is if Amarra is running on the mac, even when there is no music playing, my alpha dac still shoes the sample rate. Like the connection between Amarra and the dac is still active.

 

The way i read it, the wavelink battery only charge when there is no music playing. I don't know if others sees the problem like i see it, but the is no way the thing will charge if amarra is running, even without music playing.

 

And to answer the question that might be asked, stopping Amarra and loading it is not really and option since i would have to open my 50" flat screen just to do that. Right now i'm controlling the playlist on the macmini via "Remote" on the IPad!

 

Sorry to put the emphasis only on this cause beside what MIGHT be a inconvenient, the wavelink looks great.

 

 

[cfmsp]

"The way i read it, the wavelink battery only charge when there is no music playing."

 

Not sure what you think the problem is.

 

I use the Wavelength Proton, which also has NO power cord, runs only off battery power, and charges when not in use via the USB connection.

 

I've never had an issue with not having battery power, after several months of use. I leave my computer on all the time, I run Amarra and several other software players, etc, etc.

 

perhaps you should ask Gordon rather than continue to presume out loud that there could be an issue?

 

clay

 

 

[barrows]

Clay is right, if you really have a question, contact Wavelength Audio directly!

In my (somewhat speculative) opinion, the Wavelink looks like a no brainer purchase for anyone looking to get the best performance from an SPDIF input DAC and a computer. First, Gordon Rankin's work with Async USB is known to be, if not the outright best, then at least equal to any other interface available (consider the Wavelength DACs, the Ayre QB-9, the Halide Designs Bridge, and the Art Legato). For a fair price the Wavelink offers: Async USB to SPDIF conversion, handles sample rates up to 24/192, well implemented clock circuits, a nice compact form factor which requires no AC power, and is powered from a very low noise source (battery) with a clever circuit that keeps the battery charged without the user having to hassle with it. And it is made in the US, nice.

Considering the problems people seem to be experiencing with some other interfaces, and the trouble free nature of Gordon's previous work, and the beauty of not having to install any drivers (for Mac users at least), this just seems like an very easy decision for anyone looking for the best way to get from computer to SPDIF DAC.

 

[Randall Smith]

how much is the Wavelink selling for? Is it Async?

 

[barrows]

usbdacs.com

 

for more info.

 

[jstrouth]

Was there ever a review?

What is the usb to spdif converter to have for hi rez up to 24/176?

 

[barrows]

a lot of choices for this: Wavelink, Audiophilleo, Hiface Evo, and Empirical Audio's forthcoming Offramp 4, are a few of the best. All of these will handle up to 24/192 data rates.

 

[57gold]

Not a review, but some observations made in another post:

 

Had a H Bridge and Wavelink for a couple of days, feeding the BNC input of a Wadia 861i.

 

Mac Mini with SSD, 8GB RAM, Pure Music and AyreWave.

 

Bridge was very clean, articulate and detailed...more detail extracted from familiar recordings.

 

WaveLink more full sounding, like adding color intensity to a TV. Bass seemed deeper and more powerful that Bridge with similar detail. Added a Black Cat Veloce and performance even better...more detail, depth to images and even better bass control.

 

Had I not had the WaveLink to compare with Bridge, would have been happy with performance of Bridge, especially given the price differential (50% less with improved BNC cable).

 

Both very good products that made me glad I didn't sell Wadia, which has a "boogie factor" that other dacs I listened to seem to miss, including few USB models that I have heard (Ayre, Benchmark...so far). Mini + WaveLink + Wadia more musical than Wadia playing same disc...am using memory play and, on older recrodings, upsampling to 88.2 and really digging into 600 or so CDs ripped, only 900 more to go.

 

Would be cool to try these and Offramp 4, Legato, Audiophilleo...but had trial period with these two and enjoyed the WaveLink a bit more...and now with Veloce even more.

 

Also tried two USB cables; WW UltraViolet and AQ Coffee. Coffee smoother and more image depth with WW BNC cable...but with Veloce added, UltraViolet works as well.

 

Edit on 1/2/11: Try the Veloce with WaveLink!

 

Broke in over past week...wow...listening to a Michael Broadbent Trio recording and interplay between piano, stand up bass and drummer, a master with the brushes, is lifelike and involving.

 

Gordon said he has good experience with the Nirvana (as much as WaveLink) and Analysis Plus BNC cables. For $123, worth a try with this BNC cable...opens the window for me!

 

 

 

 

 

[skyline]

I would be interested in how well the built-in battery works. I'm using a Sanyo battery supply for an Off Ramp, and it's a pain to charge up, connect, and disconnect. I can see paying for the convenience of having all of that done transparently.

 

I'm surprised you didn't find a bigger difference between the Halide and Wavelink. I would have assumed the Wavelink jitter would be in the same league as the Legato, meaning very low.

 

[57gold]

But, nothing indicates if it is charging, charged or depleted that I can see. Did not stress over Bridge versus WaveLink...both good sounding in my system.

 

Picked the unit that seemed to do more of what I like to hear and that was the WaveLink. Then tried some cables swaps, but only a couple as I don't have the time to stress out about BNC cables or which USB cable is the best on the planet, or the most unique technology, or which one the geeks at Stereophile or Absolute Sound or 6 Moons write on to feed the obsessions of audio psychos who listen to their equipment instead of music.

 

Music sounds fantastic with WaveLink into the 861i. Just listened to P Metheney, D Holland and R Haynes live and the cymbal work was incredibly "undigital"...music swings and churns and the bass pops...just like the real thing and those guys can play.

 

The WaveLink is a great box that has improved my life...I'm excited to play music, particularly since I can now actually locate the music I have collected over a quarter of a century and I'm meeting up with old friends every evening.

 

[ar-t]

"I would have assumed the Wavelink jitter would be in the same league as the Legato, meaning very low."

 

I can not speak for Gordon, so do not take this as such.

 

We both have similar test equipment, but ours is a late model. He has sent me some of his stuff, to corroborate his measurements. (Supposedly, ours is a bit better.)

 

I can go with "in the same league".

 

Of course, my measurements only gauge the output signal, which is not dependent on what the USB side is doing. The USB side should be about the same. Each unit has its own way of getting the signal out. So, "in the same league" is close enough, for government work.

 

The battery thing...........

 

One of the things he sent us did have a Li-ion battery. It is my impression the USB power is used to power a charging circuit, for the battery. When there is no USB, he powers down all the circuitry, so it won't drain the battery. Of course, what we saw may not have been a production model, so take what I say with a grain of salt. In any case, my guess is that if the battery was drained, nothing would work.

 

Personally, I think it is a clever idea. Wonder if he would get mad if we stole it!

 

[fmak]

Having spent some years using battery and rechargeable stuff, I now avoid it. Reliability is a real problem, and finding battery replacements down the years, who know?

 

In Hong Kong, you can get almost any replacement. Quality may be a problem.

 

In Europe, you are lucky if you can find one, but then the prices are high and sometimes unreasonable.

 

 

 

[barrows]

As far as I can tell, there is no battery supply in the Wavelink. My belief is that it just runs off of the USB power. Internally, one can trace where the USB power comes in, and see that there is quite a bit of sophisticated filtering circuitry, and then some voltage regulators. My suspicion here is that Gordon Rankin originally intended to use the battery supply method, but found by filtering the USB supply properly he got very clean power without the additional complexity of the battery supply. I do not think there is any mention of a battery supply on his website in the descriptions of the Wavelink.

fmak-I tend to agree with you regarding battery supplies, I experimented with them on my Buffalo-II DAC, and got tired of dealing with charging, etc. Then I tried a few different shunt regulator approaches. I found that with the right shunt circuit, good diodes, and good parts, the shunt supply actually outperformed the (very good LiFePO4) battery supply in listening evaluations (no scope or spectrum analyzer here).

 

[57gold]

When I spoke to him, but we quickly get into "guitar talk"...a shared passion, so I may be mistaken.

 

Waited several month for the WaveLink to be released. So long that I considered the Legato as an alternative...but got hung up on its apparent limitations 16/44.1, without knowing that for me it really would not be a serious limitation. I have been using PM in memory play, HOG made and 88.2 upsample to the Wadia and like what it does to older 80's recordings..though most music sounds just fine, maybe slightly more direct and exciting in native sample rate with PM or AyreWave in memory play. Have not found one file in 24/96 that I feel the need/desire to download...was hoping for some more, current jazz or alt country or even some classic rock stuff in hi rez remixes...and I learned the hard way to forget about iTunes, was deluded into believing that Apple would sell files in AIFF...yeah, I know, I should read this forum and other more careully.

 

It is a good time for music lovers as computer audio is cost effective way to get superior sound and extraodinary access to music. Guys like Gordon and Mssrs. Weiss and Hansen, Mr Legato, Devilsound team, W4S guys...all deserve as much credit and, hopefully, some financial rewards for their efforts as pioneers and creative product engineers.

 

 

 

[blueheronhollow]

Yes, the website is a bit confusing. I think it's the Proton that has the battery. From the Proton section of their website:

 

"The Proton is for desktops, home audio, travel whatever! The idea is to make a dac that could run without a power supply and still sound wonderful. The idea is simple: we can use the USB power to provide for the necessities and then for the critical areas the LiION battery can supply the extra clean power for the dac and the headphone outputs. The battery is recharged when the computer is not active, asleep or off on many desktops."

 

The above description is just above the picture for the Wavelink.

 

[Dan.Hagelin]

I made sure there was no battery in the Wavelink before buying it since I found the battery-modified HiFace a pain to live with. Gordon assured me there was no battery, just good filtering.

 

 

[amir57bs]

gordon rankin told me the art legato is good.

I have contacted Pat but it seems legato has no production.

 

I am not sure but I think wavelength crimson (or ultimate) usb dac use battery for input +5v usb power (Berkeley usb do not use it and it uses PC 5v power) and the input signal isolated by optocoupler and the spdif circuit use the regulated power from wall AC.

 

does legato use +5v from battery?

does Legato use optocoupler?

does legato use AC regulated DC for spdif?