The Waxwing Thread

[Middle Earth]

Just received my Waxwing phono stage/preamp and I am hoping that others who are or will be using Waxwings will share their experiences and expertise herein.
I have high hopes for it.

 

[312elements]

Just received my Waxwing and am hoping that others who are or will be using Waxwings will share their experiences and expertise herein.
I have high hopes for it.

I googled and it was hard to find. For others like me who are clueless it’s a Parks audio DSP phono pre.

 

[GPJ]

I still have 2 Budgies and a Puffin digital and perfectly happy with them. Will be interesting to see if the Waxwing appears for review here. I have no plans to obtain one at this point.

 

[Middle Earth]

I googled and it was hard to find. For others like me who are clueless it’s a Parks audio DSP phono pre.

Sorry, I should have been more explicit.
Fixed it.

 

[ctbarker32]

I got one of the first twenty made. Like the Puffin, it is a groundbreaking product for the Phono world. As new firmware features are developed it will transform phono listening in ways no pure analog phono preamp can muster. In some ways it is aanobvious product evolution. I am shocked that no other phono preamp maker has tried to copy this approach.

 

[Bob from Florida]

I have serial number 16 and am quite happy with it. The app interface is just about a must for this type of device. Currently using the optical output into my Schiit Modius. No detectable hum with MC - gain set for 60, or MM - gain set for 38. Monitoring the ADC input levels is very handy when matching gain to the cartridge in use. This allows you know when you are getting close to overdriving the ADC and thereby avoiding that situation. Rather versatile!

 

[Middle Earth]

I got one of the first twenty made. Like the Puffin, it is a groundbreaking product for the Phono world. As new firmware features are developed it will transform phono listening in ways no pure analog phono preamp can muster. In some ways it is aanobvious product evolution. I am shocked that no other phono preamp maker has tried to copy this approach.

From what I can tell, a couple improvements include, but are not limited to, an improved case design and not having to crack the case open for upgrades.

 

[Puoskari]

I just received mine and it's honestly amazing. I recently transferred from passive speakers to active, which caused me to ditch my old Mitsubishi amp in favor of smsl DO100 dac. The issue is: it had no analog input for my LP player!

There's almost no economical way to get the player working without sacrificing setup simplicity (I want to have multiple digital inputs). This way I can switch between a network streamer, phono and bluetooth seamlessly using the budget friendly DO100.

 

[Middle Earth]

 

[mhardy6647]

Waxwings.



03 March 2021, across the street from our house. All are Bohemians save one Cedar (the smaller, yellowish individual at roughly 11 o'clock).

 

[Deleted member 21219]

I beg to differ, @mhardy6647 ! THESE are waxwings ... it even says so on the box!

Jim

 

[Ron Texas]

Looks like a wax job to me.

 

[Bob from Florida]

Wax job....

 

[GPJ]

Time to get the thread back on the tracks.

Just arrived today .... really impressive device.

 

[Middle Earth]

Time to get the thread back on the tracks.

Just arrived today .... really impressive device.

View attachment 353657
View attachment 353658

That is my impression as well
Impressive

 

[Jimshoe]

Just ordered mine (in UK) due to arrive Monday.

Doug

 

[Middle Earth]

Just ordered mine (in UK) due to arrive Monday.

Doug

Excellent
Hopefully there will be enough adopters to make this a significant Waxwing resource group.

 

[jhaider]

I still have 2 Budgies and a Puffin digital and perfectly happy with them. Will be interesting to see if the Waxwing appears for review here. I have no plans to obtain one at this point.

I was thinking the same - but starting to reconsider. Reason is Puffin needs to be exposed, whereas Waxwing can be hidden. The cables sticking out the top of Puffin do present an aesthetic challenge. And obviously with BT control there's absolutely no need to touch it for any reason once everything's plugged in. So I'm seriously thinking about selling my coax-out Puffin and buying a Waxwing.

 

[GPJ]

The one thing I despise in a phono stage is mains hum. My Hagerman Cornet MM and Trumpet MC do not have any. This Waxwing is dead silent as it should be using the optical into a D30 Pro. It is so cool to get comfy in a chair, grab my 10 inch Android tablet, and mess around with all of the settings during playback. The Waxwing CAN run with the big dogs. I have a MP7B slated for mid March arrival. I will be happy if it too has zero mains noise.

 

[GPJ]

I was thinking the same - but starting to reconsider. Reason is Puffin needs to be exposed, whereas Waxwing can be hidden. The cables sticking out the top of Puffin do present an aesthetic challenge. And obviously with BT control there's absolutely no need to touch it for any reason once everything's plugged in. So I'm seriously thinking about selling my coax-out Puffin and buying a Waxwing.

What's funny is I sold off my 2 Budgies and Puffin last week with no intention of buying the Waxwing. But when I saw the price was $499 I went ahead and ordered. I thought for sure they were going to be a hundred more. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.