Waxwing Phono Preamplifier Thread

[Middle Earth]

Now That the Puffin has been put out to pasture it is now the age of the Waxwing phono preamplifier.

The Waxwing is a sublime solution to phono preampfification.
For $500 it is a value purchase that will continue Parks Audio’s quest to evolve Turntable performance at a great price-point.

I hope there are some early adopters here using the Waxwing and I hope more will come join up.
The Puffin is great, but now is a good time to sell it for top dollar as it is in demand and move up to a Waxwing. The form-factor has been greatly improved.

Parks Audio

Waxwing - the new standard for phono preamp performance - from Parks Audio.

parksaudiollc.com

 

[TrainFan73]

I think this may be it?

 

[Middle Earth]

If this is it then it needs a new name or I will start a new thread.
Hopefully the ranks of the Waxwing users will grow
The Puffin thread is doing fine but now it is the age of the
Waxwing

 

[TrainFan73]

If this is it then it needs a new name or I will start a new thread.
Hopefully the ranks of the Waxwing users will grow
The Puffin thread is doing fine but now it is the age of the
Waxwing

You can rename the thread.

 

[Middle Earth]

You can rename the thread.

Crazy notion
Done
To be fair, I thought there would be a Waxwing thread I I did not want to be redundant.

 

[kvetcha]

Crazy notion
Done
To be fair, I thought there would be a Waxwing thread I I did not want to be redundant.

It's a pretty small forum! We don't have a resident Parks Audio community, but every thread's gotta start somewhere!

 

[Middle Earth]

It's a pretty small forum! We don't have a resident Parks Audio community, but every thread's gotta start somewhere!

It would be nice if we had a few members that were using the Waxwing and could advance the knowledge base.
There are smart members here.

 

[mindhead1]

Now That the Puffin has been put out to pasture it is now the age of the Waxwing phono preamplifier.

The Waxwing is a sublime solution to phono preampfification.
For $500 it is a value purchase that will continue Parks Audio’s quest to evolve Turntable performance at a great price-point.

I hope there are some early adopters here using the Waxwing and I hope more will come join up.
The Puffin is great, but now is a good time to sell it for top dollar as it is in demand and move up to a Waxwing. The form-factor has been greatly improved.

Interesting . Some would say heresy. Digital outputs from a phono pre! Madness!

How does it sound? Does it do any correction when converting to digital? Are you running it through a DAC? How does that sound vs the analog output? I’m intrigued.

 

[Middle Earth]

Mine is waiting at the mail place so it will be a minute. From what I understand it is a fantastic product. You can see reviews for its predecessor Puffin.
It runs off DSP settings on an app and analog out from there.
Hopefully we will get a few Waxwing users in here.

 

[kvetcha]

I heard great things about the Puffin. My current vinyl system is pure analog but I think if I ever had space for a second, less idealistic system I would consider a Parks Audio phono.

 

[Middle Earth]

I heard great things about the Puffin. My current vinyl system is pure analog but I think if I ever had space for a second, less idealistic system I would consider a Parks Audio phono.

I get that as I have heretofore resisted MiniDSP and electric crossovers.
This may be my gateway to tweaking my “pure” analog to my speakers.
Similarly, even pure analog from a turntable needs meddling so it is not so pure really.
I never really thought about it but even simple chokes/coils and capacitors tweak the pure analog, or more so with more complex crossovers in our speakers.
For now I am going to use MM default and only adjust the gain. It has default MC settings as well.
Since we have to use a phono stage/preamp, the Waxwing actually has less adjustments using the default setting and just setting the gain.
Just a single adjustment.
I am going to A/B it with my MM 6B
I am only advocating trying it if one is so inclined.
It is quite simple and elegant in my opinion.

 

[kvetcha]

I get that as I have heretofore resisted MiniDSP and electric crossovers.
This may be my gateway to tweaking my “pure” analog to my speakers.
Similarly, even pure analog from a turntable needs meddling so it is not so pure really.
I never really thought about it but even simple chokes/coils and capacitors tweak the pure analog, or more so with more complex crossovers in our speakers.
For now I am going to use MM default and only adjust the gain. It has default MC settings as well.
Since we have to use a phono stage/preamp, the Waxwing actually has less adjustments using the default setting and just setting the gain.
Just a single adjustment.
I am going to A/B it with my MM DB6B
I am only advocating trying it if one is so inclined.
It is quite simple and elegant in my opinion.

My dad is heavy into MiniDSP on his system, and it’s hard to argue with the results, but it feels a bit like a photographer relying too much on Photoshop.

It would be fun to have a signal chain that works this way, but ultimately I have a soft spot for going end-to-end analog.

 

[Middle Earth]

My dad is heavy into MiniDSP on his system, and it’s hard to argue with the results, but it feels a bit like a photographer relying too much on Photoshop.

It would be fun to have a signal chain that works this way, but ultimately I have a soft spot for going end-to-end analog.

Funny the generational aspects of this.
Your father DSP and You analog
Me old guy photography = film = dark room
You pure digital photography ( genrerally) versus Photoshop/editing digital photography
Being old gives me some perspective of things and the vinyl revival bemuses me greatly
As does what is now understood to be photography

 

[kvetcha]

Funny the generational aspects of this.
Your father DSP and You analog
Me old guy photography = film = dark room
You pure digital photography ( genrerally) versus Photoshop/editing digital photography
Being old gives me some perspective of things and the vinyl revival bemuses me greatly
As does what is now understood to be photography

I got into photography just a few years too late to really get into film! I appreciate all the flexibility I have with digital but there is a totally different sort of art involved in shooting and developing on the real thing.

 

[Middle Earth]

I got into photography just a few years too late to really get into film! I appreciate all the flexibility I have with digital but there is a totally different sort of art involved in shooting and developing on the real thing.

Yes indeed
In the end we do what we do
For me, I see no difference between digital photography and digital audio or film and vinyl
I never thought I would get back into vinyl
A lot has changed in my lifetime

 

[Bob from Florida]

I have Waxwing SN 16 - early adopter - it is a stellar phono stage. My list of phono stages include - CJ PV7, Lazarus, an old PS Audio preamp, Cary SLP 74, Musical Surroundings Phonomena 2+, Ifi Zen phono, Luxman 507 ux2 integrated, and now the Waxwing. The Zen, Luxman, and Waxwing win the - no hum from preamp category. The adaptability of the Waxwing has no competition. Once you get past the "digital" nature of the Waxwing, it is hard to find faults. I spun some vinyl for some friends recently without telling them what phono stage was in the system. They were impressed with the playback and to their credit did not change their minds when informed about the Waxwing.

 

[Middle Earth]

It is elegant and sublime
Highly recommend

I have Waxwing SN 16 - early adopter - it is a stellar phono stage. My list of phono stages include - CJ PV7, Lazarus, an old PS Audio preamp, Cary SLP 74, Musical Surroundings Phonomena 2+, Ifi Zen phono, Luxman 507 ux2 integrated, and now the Waxwing. The Zen, Luxman, and Waxwing win the - no hum from preamp category. The adaptability of the Waxwing has no competition. Once you get past the "digital" nature of the Waxwing, it is hard to find faults. I spun some vinyl for some friends recently without telling them what phono stage was in the system. They were impressed with the playback and to their credit did not change their minds when informed about the Waxwing.

 

[Tortured Diaper Baby Dept]

I'm kind of eyeing the Waxwing. Do you all use it as your MAIN phonostage? What I mean, is I've read at least a few folks on forums talking about using it in conjunction with a "better" phono (in so much, that the Waxwing would be used for some of its features - e.g. Magic) or using it on a secondary system.

Currently, I use a many years old PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter. I've no issues with it but have been eyeing getting a Parasound JC3+. However, the Waxwing looks cool and has good reviews (as did the Puffin).

I think where I really need to realign my thinking is in the price point. With what I paid for the PS Audio new way back when (heck, I got that on a end of life deal when PS Audio was phasing the unit out) and am willing to pay for a Parasound, I need to get my mind away from the idea that a $500 unit couldn't compete with higher priced items. That is, where are the returns. So what do users think - is this your main phono and does it excel?

I see @Bob from Florida has compared it to many other phonos (at various price points) with positive thoughts, which is reassuring.

Regarding use and the outputs: RCA, coax, optical....

What are the pros/cons of each? If I am correctly understanding (and forgive me if I am wrong), the RCA output would utilize the built-in Waxwing DAC (and therefore could be used with an amp with no internal DAC) and the optical and coax bypass the Waxwing's DAC and would utilize an off-board DAC?

As well, according to the Waxwing manual, regarding digital outputs: "Useful for those wanting to bypass the internal DAC and use their own DAC, but also extremely useful for decoupling the turntable from the systems leakage currents when using the optical connection (recommended)."

Can a science nerd explain the bolded part to a simpleton (I mean, not me, ha ha...but any simpletons who may be reading this in posterity).

 

[Bob from Florida]

I'm kind of eyeing the Waxwing. Do you all use it as your MAIN phonostage? What I mean, is I've read at least a few folks on forums talking about using it in conjunction with a "better" phono (in so much, that the Waxwing would be used for some of its features - e.g. Magic) or using it on a secondary system.

Currently, I use a many years old PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter. I've no issues with it but have been eyeing getting a Parasound JC3+. However, the Waxwing looks cool and has good reviews (as did the Puffin).

I think where I really need to realign my thinking is in the price point. With what I paid for the PS Audio new way back when (heck, I got that on a end of life deal when PS Audio was phasing the unit out) and am willing to pay for a Parasound, I need to get my mind away from the idea that a $500 unit couldn't compete with higher priced items. That is, where are the returns. So what do users think - is this your main phono and does it excel?

I see @Bob from Florida has compared it to many other phonos (at various price points) with positive thoughts, which is reassuring.

Regarding use and the outputs: RCA, coax, optical....

What are the pros/cons of each? If I am correctly understanding (and forgive me if I am wrong), the RCA output would utilize the built-in Waxwing DAC (and therefore could be used with an amp with no internal DAC) and the optical and coax bypass the Waxwing's DAC and would utilize an off-board DAC?

As well, according to the Waxwing manual, regarding digital outputs: "Useful for those wanting to bypass the internal DAC and use their own DAC, but also extremely useful for decoupling the turntable from the systems leakage currents when using the optical connection (recommended)."

Can a science nerd explain the bolded part to a simpleton (I mean, not me, ha ha...but any simpletons who may be reading this in posterity).

Science nerd from Florida here - I mean Bob from Florida. First, Waxwing is my main phono stage. The Zen is my backup in case of failure. I have used the analog outputs on the Waxwing with no issues. I currently use the optical out into my Schiit Modius DAC and switch the selector from USB to Toslink to play records. Both ways sound good. If you were chasing a ground loop hum between your turntable and your amplifier, you can "break" the ground loop by disconnecting the analog outputs of the Waxwing and using the digital output via Toslink. Price is not always an indicator of performance. The Waxwing is a remarkable product at $500, it would still be remarkable at double or triple the price.

 

[Tortured Diaper Baby Dept]

Science nerd from Florida here - I mean Bob from Florida. First, Waxwing is my main phono stage. The Zen is my backup in case of failure. I have used the analog outputs on the Waxwing with no issues. I currently use the optical out into my Schiit Modius DAC and switch the selector from USB to Toslink to play records. Both ways sound good. If you were chasing a ground loop hum between your turntable and your amplifier, you can "break" the ground loop by disconnecting the analog outputs of the Waxwing and using the digital output via Toslink. Price is not always an indicator of performance. The Waxwing is a remarkable product at $500, it would still be remarkable at double or triple the price.

Yes, I could utilize either option (RCA or digital). I have never had any issues with hum in my current setup (Technics SL1200G to PS Audio) so hopefully a Waxwing - which I've read is very capable and quiet - wouldn't introduce anything.

Hums aside, are there any tangible sound differences you hear between digtial and RCA out? I could do RCA straight to my amp utilizing the Waxwing's DAC but I could also toslink it to my Marantz SA-KI Ruby's DAC and then to my amp (e.g. I currently use a coaxial setup from my Bluesound Node to the Marantz to the amp for my digital library to great success).