Waversa Wmini HPA Streaming Headphone Amplifier is ROON ready. A versatile, ROON-enabled headphone amplifier by Waversa. The Wmini HPA can power some of the most demanding headphones, including the HD800 and Abyss 1266.
Finding a product of this caliber that was totally ROON compliant and offered incredible audio performance for any music played over it took a very long time. The very wonderful Wmini HPA enables the user to fully enjoy their music from a huge number of sources with just one device sitting on their desk or next to their bed.
Addressing the issue of several boxes doing various functions. The Wmini HPA includes a built-in, very capable headphone stage that can easily drive some of the most demanding headphones on the market. It also contains an incredibly high-quality streamer and DAC.
It offers users with a wide variety of cords and connections and great versatility with its balanced and unbalanced output for both headphones and earphones.
The hiss can be heard from powerful headphone amplifiers. When using extremely sensitive earphones like the Campfire Audio Andromeda was the second issue that proved difficult to solve. Only when you pay close attention can you notice the Wmini HPA’s faint hiss when used with the Andromeda.
With its variety of available inputs, the Wmini HPA is the ideal companion for your music streaming needs. Because it is ROON Ready, you can easily operate it using a smart device by using it as an endpoint for ROON’s RAAT protocol.
It contains common interfaces including USB, Coax, Optical, and Ethernet and is DLNA and Airplay compliant, so you can stream to it using compatible apps on your phone.
Aesthetic Design
It is loaded with technology on the inside, including the Waversa System’s WAP or Waversa Audio Protocol, a collection of algorithms that do their best to reconstruct lost information instead of upsampling, which can produce digital distortions and noise.
This algorithm directly communicates with the ESS Sabre ES9018 and the input interface, such as the USB controller, using its own high-precision master clock.
This implies that Waversa, unlike other implementations, has total control over the data stream and makes use of sophisticated async transfer and a low-speed clock on the input to lessen jitter.
The WAP algorithm in their flagship DAC consumes more than 10 times the computing power of an Intel Core i7, and the Wmini HPA, which employs WAP Level 2, has incorporated some of this capability.
Waversa chose to use two Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 reference amplifiers for the headphone amplifier, which employ direct-current topology to guarantee enough current is given to demanding headphones. This gives you a ton of headroom and mobility to convey your music as effectively as possible.
The ES9018K2M, a well-liked DAC chip with outstanding performance, the OP275, a neutral I/V converter chip, and the TPA6120, a headphone chip with astounding performance, are all confirmed performers in the headphone amplifier.
As it is found in many recognized brands’ reference brand headphone amplifiers, this combination is renowned for its exceptional audio quality.
Waversa Systems, Inc. carefully integrated its premium audio technologies into the Wmini HPA to achieve this amazing performance.
Similar to its high-end products, Waversa created its own algorithm for the H/W processor (WAP). As opposed to using the standard DSP used by many other commercial products.
Strong Combo
Waversa’s cutting-edge technology combines with the potent specs of the ES9018 and TPA6120A2 to produce a sound that is both typical and exceptional.
The eight output channels of the ES9018K2M are paired with one another to produce a total of four signals in the left/right normal/reverse phase.
The input digital signal is communicated to the ES9018K2M with a considerable amount of data (144dB) inferred from analog waveforms in the WAP. Four signals are converted from I to V on two OP275s before being amplified on two TPA6120s.
With a secured wide dynamic range and low noise ratio. The input digital signal is appropriately conveyed to the analog stage to assure outstanding sound quality.
In particular, the ability to express macro-dynamics and microdynamics is greatly enhanced by the power output of the TPA6120. As well as the additional bandwidth of the OP275 and TPA6120.
Amplification in Current Mode
The most potent TPA6120A2 is also the headphone chip when combined with the ES9018. Since the OP-AMP is not produced using the original load driving method. Operating headphone amplifiers manufactured of generic OP-AMP is challenging.
However, Texas Instruments’ TPA6120A2, which was created specifically for the headphone amplifier, has since been introduced. With its tremendous output and excellent sound quality, has taken the lead as a headphone amplifier chip.
The TPA6120A2 has a maximum output current of 700 mA. Which is more than 10 times more than that of conventional op-amps. Produces 120 dB more output than typical op-amps.
Typical op-amps have a very low output for driving a load. With a maximum current output specification of less than 100 mA. Its dynamic range standard is high.
The TPA6120A2’s power output is secondary to its present feedback architecture. Through feedback circuits, transistor-based amplifier circuits reduce distortion; voltage feedback is frequently employed in conventional audio amplifier designs.
The TPA6120’s current feedback design, as opposed to traditional voltage feedback, permits a broader frequency spectrum.
Waversa Wmini HPA Advanced Technologies
The advanced technology from Waversa fuels the Wmini HPA. The majority of DACs are constructed using several firm products that are readily available in the marketplace. Including USB modules, upsampling modules, DSP modules, and DA converters.
The Waver Wmini HPA, on the other hand, is a DAC. Headphone amplifier with every element coming from a simple design, such as DACs, network modules, USB inputs, and DSP algorithms.
Comparing the inputs, the Wmini HPA shines out. Waversa uses a low-clock bespoke universal serial bus-only chip in place of high-clock XMOS.
Through reliable clock input, a separate master chip (WAP) lowers the jitter. A transformer is used in the SPDIF input stage to isolate the outside world and enhance audio quality.
WAP is at the core of the superb sound quality of the Wmini HPA. At the moment, technology is not sufficiently safe enough to allow DAC makers to use their own algorithms.
The basis of a DAC’s sound quality is algorithm technology. Therefore well-known DAC manufacturers throughout the world have different levels of goods with varying degrees of algorithm quality.
Waversa boasts cutting-edge algorithmic engineering. In high-tech medical devices, Waversa’s algorithm is a created system for identifying and restoring biosignals. That can track sound more accurately than distorted up sampling.
The W DAC3 generates large amounts of digital data that demand more than ten times the processing power of the Intel i7 CPU. By taking a lot of data based on the incoming digital signal and approximating the original analog signal.
The Wmini HPA has benefited from the use of this unmatched technology (WAP Level 2). This allows you to perceive a real, organic sound from a digital source.
Line-out and fully balanced headphone output
Four signals—left and right, normal and reverse—are sent to two TPA6120A2 amplifiers. In order to amplify the digital signal produced by the WAP. High dynamics and minimum distortion are achieved by driving the headphones in this fully balanced manner.
For perfect stillness, the source of outside noise is prevented there. It is advised to utilize the balanced connection since it can produce enough output for high impedance headphones.
Specification Waversa Wmini HPA
- WEIGHT : 3 kg
- BRAND: Waversa
- COUNTRY: South Korea
- ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Duralumin
- COLOUR: Silver
- DAC: Custom WAP, ESS ES9018
- PRODUCT WEIGHT: 2kg
- DIMENSIONS : 130mm (L) x 100mm (W) x 21mm (H)
