Wavac amps and Wavelength DAC

[Puma Cat]

We all know that a lot of AA members have got some really great systems, and we all know most of the names of a lot of that gear; it gets discussed pretty frequently.

But here's a new one that some or many of you may not be aware of, or more importantly actually seen or heard: Wavac.

This is my friend David's (Wino on AA) pair of absolutely gorgeous Wavac MD-805 55-watt single-ended triode monoblocks. Incredible craftsmanship and build quality, plus a unique look, these are the brainchild of Shisido, one of the master audio gurus of Japan. Power is from a single SET 805 power tube, input is a NOS GE 5751 and the driver tube is a NOS GE 6Y6GC.

Just look at these beauties, all machined from billet and then gold/champagne/blue anodized
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/fujix10pics/Wavac.jpg

Sound is as gorgeous as they look, with articulate tuneful bass that is surprisingly plentiful for an SET, tone color, harmonics, texture, and timbre that are examplary in accuracy, musicality, and naturalness, and excellent, spacious, airy imaging. Need I say the mids are to die for? Well, they are.

As good as the Wavacs are, and they are REALLY good, what really blew us away was when they were driven by this:
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/fujix10pics/Crimson.jpg

A Gordon Rankin Wavelength Crimson tube-powered USB asynchronous DAC. You know, the one with the special silver-wire uber-trick transformers and battery-based power supply?

To say that we were all blown away by the combination of these components is an understatement; we were gobsmacked, as the Brits are fond of saying.

One of the finest DACs I've ever heard at any price. Combined with the understated Wavacs, a good tube preamp, and you have a stealthy but killer system. One that is not to be taken lightly when compared to the ultra-high end systems.

Our next step is to put the C-J Premier 17LS into this system and check it out! ;)

[joeinid]

Awesome photos. Thanks Stephen. I don't think my pockets are deep enough but would love to hear that system.

[jazzhead]

Have the Wavac PRT-1 inbound ...:banana:

http://www.planetaudio.hr/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pr-wavac-prt1.jpg

http://www.planetaudio.hr/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pr-wavac-prt1-2.jpg

[Puma Cat]

Oooh, sweet! What is that system? PRT-1?

Gorgeous.

[turntable]

Wavac make the famous $350k 805m tube monoblocks. And that was in 2004.:dazed-7:

[jazzhead]

Puma....3 Box pre-amp .. Audio Control ... Power Supply Control .... External Transformer housing . No capacitors in the signal path .

[Puma Cat]

Puma....3 Box pre-amp .. Audio Control ... Power Supply Control .... External Transformer housing . No capacitors in the signal path .

Cool....let us know when you get it...sure is pretty!

[Puma Cat]

Wavac make the famous $350k 805m tube monoblocks. And that was in 2004.:dazed-7:

Wow. Wonder why that would cost $350,000.

[jazzhead]

Cool....let us know when you get it...sure is pretty!

Will do .. what speakers were the WAVAC 's driving in the system mentioned above ?

[Puma Cat]

Will do .. what speakers were the WAVAC 's driving in the system mentioned above ?

Ken Shindo-modded Altec Valencias. Makes for a big, expansive, sound.

As the Wavacs have enough power, I'd love to hear this system with something like Harbeth 40.1s.

[Car commander]

350k amps and I think 8k speakers?

[Wino]

Oooh, sweet! What is that system? PRT-1?

Gorgeous.

Line stage only !

Three more boxes for the LCR-X2 phono stage !

David

[Wino]

Have the Wavac PRT-1 inbound ...:banana:

http://www.planetaudio.hr/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pr-wavac-prt1.jpg

http://www.planetaudio.hr/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pr-wavac-prt1-2.jpg

jazzhead-

Beautiful stuff !

What made you decide on this linestage ? What else did you compare it to ?

Wish this darn stuff had a remote-

Are you a vinyl guy ? LCR-X2 next ?

David

[bakerman]

Great stuff PC! :thumbsup: If there's one person that knows about USB implementation it's Gordon. I can't imagine how good that Crimson sounds. If only he had more ports on his DAC's I would own one. I was seriously considering a Cosecant but I will eventually need more than just a USB connection. I love his stuff though! :yes:

[Puma Cat]

Great stuff PC! :thumbsup: If there's one person that knows about USB implementation it's Gordon. I can't imagine how good that Crimson sounds. If only he had more ports on his DAC's I would own one. I was seriously considering a Cosecant but I will eventually need more than just a USB connection. I love his stuff though! :yes:

The Crimson is incredible. David's Crimson has got the über-delicioso silver-wire transformer upgrade which probably has no small part in how good the Crimson sounds.

Well, that and the fact that Gordon's a frickin' genius...

[jazzhead]

jazzhead-

Beautiful stuff !

What made you decide on this linestage ? What else did you compare it to ?

Wish this darn stuff had a remote-

Are you a vinyl guy ? LCR-X2 next ?

David

David ... Redbook and Digital Files only . Heard the PRT-1 at a friends and was taken up by it's naturalness and purity . Have been wanting introduce tubes into my chain and this seemed like a good bet . I do not think it will beat my current pre , but will serve duty more as a secondary flavour when the mood sets in ...... and yes the exercise is much needed :D... Best.... jazzhead

[Wino]

David ... Redbook and Digital Files only . Heard the PRT-1 at a friends and was taken up by it's naturalness and purity . Have been wanting introduce tubes into my chain and this seemed like a good bet . I do not think it will beat my current pre , but will serve duty more as a secondary flavour when the mood sets in ...... and yes the exercise is much needed :D... Best.... jazzhead

jazzhead-

Thanks for the info ! Nice to have a "secondary flavour" like that, congrats-

Does your friend use a Wavac amp or phono too ? Has he compared the PRT-1 to other high end Japanese preamps, such as Audio Note or Shindo ?

David

[jazzhead]

jazzhead-

Thanks for the info ! Nice to have a "secondary flavour" like that, congrats-

Does your friend use a Wavac amp or phono too ? Has he compared the PRT-1 to other high end Japanese preamps, such as Audio Note or Shindo ?

David

Thank you . He has it paired with the MD-805MK-II monos . I am sure he has heard others, but do not think so he has compared any in-house . If I were to compare the Wavac sound to that of the Kondo from aural memory , it would be one of naturalness , that is one trait that is evident in both their presentations. The Kondo is a more mature , controlled sound whereas the Wavac is more exuberant and dynamic in nature. I will have a better perspective once I have lived with the Prt-1 in my rig.It seems you two have the yen for beauties from the Land of the Rising Sun :)

Out the corner of my eyes I can see a glint , which is the HE-833Ver1.3 monos. I dare not look any closer , lest I be beguiled by it's charms :D

[Wino]

Thank you . He has it paired with the MD-805MK-II monos . I am sure he has heard others, but do not think so he has compared any in-house . If I were to compare the Wavac sound to that of the Kondo from aural memory , it would be one of naturalness , that is one trait that is evident in both their presentations. The Kondo is a more mature , controlled sound whereas the Wavac is more exuberant and dynamic in nature. I will have a better perspective once I have lived with the Prt-1 in my rig.It seems you two have the yen for beauties from the Land of the Rising Sun :)

Out the corner of my eyes I can see a glint , which is the HE-833Ver1.3 monos. I dare not look any closer , lest I be beguiled by it's charms :D

Hey jazzhead-

Thanks for the info- I haven't heard the MD-805mkII, I wonder how much difference the external power supplies make a difference ?

Get "beguiled"....

Peter of Symposium Acoustics has the HE-833v1.3- When I got my MD-805m, they were sent to him 1st since I was going to get his Panorama speakers (will get them later, after I build a A/V room), since I wanted to make sure they would work, being less powerful- He said there are some possibly better things that the 805s do better than the 833s, such as the middle & upper frequencies, fwiw-

I would definitely advise you consider an audition, comparing the two in house- Of course the 833 does bass better on less efficient speakers- Another consideration is, that the 833s are heaters, Peter said they heat his room 10 degrees F !-

Nice description of Audio Note vs Kondo- I've heard a few mention that Kondo can be unreliable, though I have no experience-

Can't wait to here your impressions of the super sexy PRT-1-

Yes, I'm enamored by the Japanese temptresses- Getting a Shindo Giscours soon, although I would love to try a PRT-1 too- Of course having just gotten back into vinyl, I'd need a LCR-X2 too- Lots of boxes !

David

[jazzhead]

Hey jazzhead-

Thanks for the info- I haven't heard the MD-805mkII, I wonder how much difference the external power supplies make a difference ?

Get "beguiled"....

Peter of Symposium Acoustics has the HE-833v1.3- When I got my MD-805m, they were sent to him 1st since I was going to get his Panorama speakers (will get them later, after I build a A/V room), since I wanted to make sure they would work, being less powerful- He said there are some possibly better things that the 805s do better than the 833s, such as the middle & upper frequencies, fwiw-

I would definitely advise you consider an audition, comparing the two in house- Of course the 833 does bass better on less efficient speakers- Another consideration is, that the 833s are heaters, Peter said they heat his room 10 degrees F !-

Nice description of Audio Note vs Kondo- I've heard a few mention that Kondo can be unreliable, though I have no experience-

Can't wait to here your impressions of the super sexy PRT-1-

Yes, I'm enamored by the Japanese temptresses- Getting a Shindo Giscours soon, although I would love to try a PRT-1 too- Of course having just gotten back into vinyl, I'd need a LCR-X2 too- Lots of boxes !

David

David..... Thanks for the heads up on the 805 v 833 , quite surprising though , one would assume the 833 had it all over 805 . My Coltrane 2 @89dB and 8ohms (4.1ohm min ) is quite a tame load , however being full range am sure will be better served by the 833 .Your observation will surely bear some investigating if I am to pursue the WAVAC power amps .

Will keep you posted on how the PRT-1 settles in . I have been scoping around for 12AU7 variants to roll , do let me know your thoughts on this .

I sadly have no exposure to the Shindo sound. That is something I intend to set right , seeing the fantastic following the brand has on AA . The Giscours , I have been told posses the Shindo magic in spades, so do please keep us posted .

Yes 6 boxes for the duo if one were to add the LCR-X2 , would make for one pretty sand castle though ! :-)

[Puma Cat]

David..... Thanks for the heads up on the 805 v 833 , quite surprising though , one would assume the 833 had it all over 805 . My Coltrane 2 @89dB and 8ohms (4.1ohm min ) is quite a tame load , however being full range am sure will be better served by the 833 .Your observation will surely bear some investigating if I am to pursue the WAVAC power amps .

Will keep you posted on how the PRT-1 settles in . I have been scoping around for 12AU7 variants to roll , do let me know your thoughts on this .

I sadly have no exposure to the Shindo sound. That is something I intend to set right , seeing the fantastic following the brand has on AA . The Giscours , I have been told posses the Shindo magic in spades, so do please keep us posted .

Yes 6 boxes for the duo if one were to add the LCR-X2 , would make for one pretty sand castle though ! :-)

Think about Mullard NOS CV4003...

[jazzhead]

Think about Mullard NOS CV4003...

Puma....wil look up the Mullard NOS CV4003, any particular vintage ?.... how about the RCA 5814s ... which tube store would you recommend .. Thanks .

[Wino]

Puma....wil look up the Mullard NOS CV4003, any particular vintage ?.... how about the RCA 5814s ... which tube store would you recommend .. Thanks .

Hey jazzhead-

I've never bought from them, however I really like the selection etc. of TubeWorld- Lots of info on there, including recommendations-

Put 12AU7 in the search & you'll see tons of choices, including both the variants you and the Cat are talking about, including descriptions of the various sounds-

I wish we lived near each other, I'd love to compare the PRT-1 to the Giscours ! Are you in the UK ?

When do you get your new toy ?

David

[bakerman]

Puma....wil look up the Mullard NOS CV4003, any particular vintage ?.... how about the RCA 5814s ... which tube store would you recommend .. Thanks .

I've heard that the RCA 12AU7 Clear Top is pretty wonderful and they are affordable as well. If you don't mind new production tubes, Gold Lion also makes a 12AU7. I really like their 12AX7's...

Check out tubedepot.com. I've bought from them many times before and have always been happy with their service. Also check with Bob (Vintage Tube) for many new production tubes. He has great service and great prices. :thumbsup:

[jazzhead]

Hey jazzhead-

I've never bought from them, however I really like the selection etc. of TubeWorld- Lots of info on there, including recommendations-

Put 12AU7 in the search & you'll see tons of choices, including both the variants you and the Cat are talking about, including descriptions of the various sounds-

I wish we lived near each other, I'd love to compare the PRT-1 to the Giscours ! Are you in the UK ?

When do you get your new toy ?


David

David... thanks for the info . Not in the UK , though I am a regular visitor there . Hoping to get the PRT-1 in a fortnight or so , will keep you posted. When does the Giscours arrive ?


I've heard that the RCA 12AU7 Clear Top is pretty wonderful and they are affordable as well. If you don't mind new production tubes, Gold Lion also makes a 12AU7. I really like their 12AX7's...

Check out tubedepot.com. I've bought from them many times before and have always been happy with their service. Also check with Bob (Vintage Tube) for many new production tubes. He has great service and great prices. :thumbsup:

Doug.... Useful pointers , thank you . Will check with Bob and check up on his thoughts :thumbsup: