WaxwingPhono DSP Preamp from Parks Audio with Magic, Optical Out & Full App Control

I have my turntable located significantly away from the speakers and equipment rack. Mostly because the room has a suspended floor (over a basement) and I wanted to locate the turntable over a support structure to reduce vibrations. Plus, this puts the turntable next to my listening chair. I use a MiniDSP active crossover, so everything in the equipment rack is in the digital domain. I had a very high-end dual-chassis and tube-rolled EAR834 phono stage next to the turntable with a long RCA cable to the equipment rack. Speakers are Triangle Acoustics with stereo active feedback subwoofers.I ordered the Waxwing, connected it at the turntable, and ran a long coax 24-bit 192kHz to the MiniDSP, all in the digital domain. I opened the Waxwing app, set it up for my cartridge, and preselected a couple goodies (such as the "magic" ). I put on the first vinyl and let 'er rip. Halfway though the first groove, I was already giving the side-eye to the EAR834s. They had to warm up. They used a lot of electricity. They took a long time to setup and get the tubes and capacitors to sound "just right" with my Triangles. I had to babysit them. They now were looking like fussy high-maintenance gear, taking up floor space. The Waxwing just worked, out of the box, first try, no hassles, with no blinky lights and fanfare. Just leave it pulled in. All it takes is a USB power port. No special power supplies (I'm sure somebody makes an audiophile grade USB power port. I use a high-quality Anker.)With my setup with the digital streamer, MiniDSP, and digital audio chain, the Waxwing was a perfect fit. It sounds great, had the "magic" function, superb rumble filter, interesting preset EQs, and warm and air settings. I can move my sources around the room and only need to manage a single long digital coax cable.Plus, it has a built-in pink noise generator. No more hooking up your PC or phone. I've used the Waxwing more than once to "burn in" new speakers, subwoofers, or raw speaker drivers.And the RCA inputs can accept line-level, MC, or MM. When my son visits, he plugs in his keyboard, mixer, computer, and his audio production gear directly into the Waxwing, which converts it to 24/96 and shoots it directly to the MiniDSP.It's my audiophile toolbox. It sounds great, works wonders with vinyl, and does a lot more other stuff. It's reliable, solid, and well-built. It works straight out of the box. You can set it and forget it or mess with the settings in the app to your hearts content. I've got it on very expensive speakers that I have spent years tweaking and fussing equipment, cables, power cords, and tubes. I know their sound and the Waxwing fit right in.

After trying a popular streamer that has a phono pre amp and equalizer as a feature, I told myself, nope, I am going back to an analog phono stage. That other streamer sounded OK , but I felt I was listening to Spotify when playing vinyl records.Then I stumbled upon some videos about the Puffin and the Waxwing and I pulled the trigger. Let me tell you something, the hardest time I had with the setup was trying to figure out if the plastic cover of the optical port was supposed to be pulled off or not (looks like it can stay put). I downloaded the app and it inmediately recognized the Waxwing and the the magic started.With default settings it already sounded better than my Cambridge Alva solo phono stage but then just by trying out all the many options , I just has a huge smile on my face. First , no digital sound signature that I could hear, it just sounds natural and analogue, I dont know how the did it. You have tons of settings to play around with and it has brought a huge enjoyment just in a few hours of playing around with them.This product is obvious that comes from a small company, and I say this in a good way, The language in the instructions both printed and online is just simple to understand, just as if your gear head friend was talking to you. The app is technical but simple to use and has great comments explaining every function. It almost feels like using an electronic lab app, but one easy to use. I wish this company a great success in the future.Who might this product not be for? If you already have a 1K usd plus phono stage (because if you are paying thousands for a phono stage it SHOULD be THAT GOOD); if you are an audiofool that cant stand the idea of converting a turntable signal to digital or wont stand the snobbery of your gearhead friends then this might not be for you.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Waxwing is the bomb. It's an excellent phono preamp (that operates in the digital domain), that allows you to correct flaws in some of your favorite LP's "on the fly". To get the most Waxwing has to offer, feed its 24/96 (or 24/48) digital output to a high quality DAC and enjoy your analog collection - in the digital realm! Sounds like analog heresy I know, but Its amazing how analog this DSP - Phono pre sounds :-). Oh, and don't forget, Waxwing has built-in Turntable set-up an dcartridge alignment tools (Azimuth, anti-skate, RPM speed check, etc.)

I bought it in March 2024. I knew the quality of Shannon Park products because I bought the original Budgie tube phono preamplifier about 10 years ago. The Waxwing is an excellent product in the same quality line as the Budgie and the Puffin, which I later acquired secondhand. It does everything its creator promises, exceeding all expectations. It's well-built, has spectacular sound, and features quality components. The app is intuitive and very useful. I wanted to write a review with all the details, but there are so many good ones here. It's a no-brainer purchase that's worth every penny.

Let’s just start with Amazing. No noise/very low noise floor. I needed rumble filter. Got that! Works great. Magic feature superb takes pops out of vinyl. The ability to tweak the sound whether it’s because your turntable isn’t great but you want it to perform the best it can…Boom! got that. Or maybe you just want to adjust sound signature, it’s right there at your fingertips with detailed explanations for each feature. Just a great phono stage!