IIs transport:
Hallo.
Going to elaborate?
ETA is first week of December followed by a comprehensive report - at least this is the plan.
Anything in particular you want to know?
Just wondered what led you to it. Positive buzz, reviews, personal experience?
Several things really;
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Rockna designed the PWT (and ladder dac module for MSB Platinum). Audiobyte is a doughter company.
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It uses I2s (PS Audio standard) for hook-up to the DS
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It is built with no compromise, mechanically, electrically and avant garde wrt. technology (SATA clock slaved, quad DSD, etc.)
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It can be used both as a transport and music server (uPNP and up to 2TB SSD internal storage)
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You can choose between Windows and Linux OS
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It plays everything except SACD media
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It might host Roon and Tidal
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Software upgradable
I consider it the player that the PWT MKII should be and the player to beat…
I use to be an early adopter, so my decision is normally not founded on existing reviews, etc. This unit has been on my radar for quite some time but it has not been launched before now.
This sounds like a very promising piece of gear, Frode – please let us know how it works out.
I would like to replace my old SACD/CD player with something like this. I’m very happy with my NAS/Bridge II/ethernet setup, except that I can’t play double-rate DSD and the DAC in my old SACD player is nowhere near as good as the DS. Anyone know of a unit similar to this Rockna with SACD?
I will.
Note that it can play DSD and DSD files on DVD-R discs. It can even handle 11.28MHz DSD. It just haven’t a licenced SACD drive (which is not made anymore, nor the decoding chips - so no huge problem except for your current library, IMO).
What could scare some people away is an MSRP of around €9k:
http://stereodesk.com/collections/rockna-and-audiobyte/products/rockna-wavedream-net
Have you looked at the Electrocompaniet EMP-3 Multiplayer?
http://www.electrocompaniet.com/products/classic/digital/EMP_3
Thanks, Frode. I had not looked at the Electrocompaniet but I just checked it out quickly. The question I have regarding the Electrocompaniet and other ‘universal’ players like the Oppo is what effect (if any) all that video circuitry has on audio playback. I don’t have, and never will have, a TV in the listening room. So I would like to get a component in which the money and time have gone into optimizing audio playback. If the video can be turned off or has been carefully designed not to compromise the audio, that would be OK also.
$$$ Whoa! 
Let us know what she sounds like.
magister;
The videopart of the EMP-3 is Oppo 103 and completely isolated from the non-HDMI audio part, however there is no button for powring off the video circuits that I know of (I am an EMP-3 owner).
Confirmed delivery date is December 3rd.
magister said Thanks, Frode. I had not looked at the Electrocompaniet but I just checked it out quickly. The question I have regarding the Electrocompaniet and other 'universal' players like the Oppo is what effect (if any) all that video circuitry has on audio playback. I don't have, and never will have, a TV in the listening room. So I would like to get a component in which the money and time have gone into optimizing audio playback. If the video can be turned off or has been carefully designed not to compromise the audio, that would be OK also.Oppo's have a "Pure Audio" button on the remote which does just that.
From the 105D manual:
Pure Audio Mode
You can enjoy higher quality audio by turning off the video processing and output. The Pure Audio mode reduces any potential interference
between the video and audio signals.
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Press the PURE AUDIO button on the remote control to turn off video and enter Pure Audio mode. Video output will cease, the
power light will dim and the front panel displays will turn off. -
Press the PURE AUDIO button again to resume video and
cancel Pure Audio mode.
Thanks for bringing that up.
I found the button on my Remote for the EC EMP3 as well, so its there.
Update:
I have just learned that my Rockna WD Net has shipped from factory as planned.
I expect to report my first impresssions in a week’s time.
Looking forward to hearing more about this. It sounds like an interesting product, in spite of the company name that leaves me uninspired.
J.P.
I believe I have to take my DS out for a toe to toe test:
Here’s what Fred Crane, dealer/importer of StereoDesk and AudioPrana, had to say about the Wavedream: “Nucu worked very hard on his own module. It deserves to be heard first on your pages. The feedback on it has been at the top of the game. The fully loaded unit is $20K stateside but once auditioned, has a very high success rate. To be more specific, the four owners with the top version all had them on contingency first but all kept them. The competitors we had to beat were Berkeley’s new top unit, the new Nagra HD, a Bricasti and a Playback Design unit. Not bad company to keep. Two of those gents had systems designed by us so it’s no wonder the Rockna played well.”
Speaking of diff gear I have had a Yggdrasil for couple weeks, stunning, for only $2300 but no DSD, remote and steel box case but still rather nice.
Roger, if we don’t go too far off topic could you tell us how the Yggi sounded compared to the DS? I heard one at RMAF though a pair of headphones I know and thought it sounded pretty nice.
Tony, I think I have pretty good ears but I’m not good with words describing what they hear, but I would say it’s especially good at reproducing acoustic music, eg, making strings just more real sounding with an abundance of air surrounding them, actually much as described in the CA review. For me it has pristine clarity, further lowering treble harshness, which I’m sensitive to, as unlikely as that is for a DS owner.
Prior to the Yggy I preferred Bridge II played from my Synology/ minimserver/iPad. I’m playing the Yggy with Roon from my laptop with a Regen, Jitterbug and Fidelizer Plus, which despite the tweaks I would expect to be inferior sq, but nevertheless I prefer it. Running the same laptop set up USB to the DS is my third choice.
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Btw I’m keeping both DACs.
Elk, I don’t want to hijack this thread so if you want to move it.
I’ll try to clean things up if Frode objects, but it is a bit of a mish-mash in any event. I bet it will get back on track once Frode’s new toy arrives.