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

This thing sounds and works GREAT! I ordered a Used - Very Good item from Parks Audio and what I received most certainly looked like a brand new sealed item! Anyway, setup was easy enough and the only snag I had was switching from analog output to digital output via the app. (You question why the product is silent and you're hearing no sound at first until you remember the included card in the package says "one output or the other, not both".) The app is fantastic and works great. Changing settings on the fly and hearing the changes immediately let's you adjust the sound of your vinyl playing on the turntable to however you like. The audio quality is actually really great. I haven't compared to much in my current system however, right out the gate, this thing is dead silent, music is staged properly and imaging spot on. Tonality seems neutral with all default settings, adjustable settings in the Waxwing app can be tuned hundreds if not thousands of ways. Highly recommend for turntable owners if you're in the market for a phono preamp that works with either a MM / MC cart.

I’ve been using a MiniDSP DDRC-22 for room correction in my system (digital in, digital out), which feeds into a Schiit Gungnir DAC—the most beautiful-sounding DAC I’ve ever heard. The DDRC-22 helps correct the bass response in my room, as my large floorstanding speakers can’t be moved far enough into the room to naturally balance the bass. Dirac room correction ensures a flat bass response for my system, but this setup meant my turntable bypassed the correction and had excessive bass output. After some research and watching glowing reviews, I decided to try the Waxwing phono preamp. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but now I’m a believer. The Waxwing has transformed how my records sound—they’ve never been better. The sound is clean, clear, and boasts a huge soundstage with excellent depth. In fact, I now think of my records as just 'better CDs', as the Waxwing converts them to 24-bit/96kHz, which exceeds CD quality. I couldn’t be happier with the results. The standout feature for me is the Magic setting, which lives up to its name. It effectively eliminates pops, hiss, and surface noise, leaving only the music. I don’t use the other settings much since I primarily listen to newer records, but the Magic setting alone makes the Waxwing worth it. For reference, I’m using a Fluance RT85 turntable with the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. Thanks to the Waxwing, I now listen to records daily—it delivers all the analog glory that vinyl promises, without compromise. If you’re on the fence about the Waxwing, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a game-changer.

Excellent product, great build quality, silent background and massive control over my hi-fi system, like I have in my studio. I really can’t think of anything that has been left out. You will not be disappointed. Optical out gave me even more dynamics. Thank you Parks Audio for a truly stunning product in sound quality and ease of use with the app. Waxwing had plenty of juice to power my MC cartridge with room to spare. Turntable counter and the magic feature yield excellent results. This product has major wow 😮. Opened my eyes to look at hi-fi audio differently.

Where to start?? First , I love this product. Analog purist will say they don’t want a “digital “product in their analog chain. Well, my records sound great. And I can adjust my phono cartridge performance to get the most out of it and the rest of my system. The Waxwing has RCA in from the turntable and RCA , optical and coaxial out. I run optical out to my Mimir DAC. All functions are controlled by the Waxwing App. To start enter your phono cartridge output in milivolts into the gain setting in the app. It suggests a gain setting range for the cartridge. Now you can effectively turn up the volume of your cartridge until it sounds the best. And it warns you if it’s too much gain. From there you can add warmth(bass), air( treble) to fine tune your sound. These settings let you fine turn cartridges and speakers systems to get the best results from your system and room dynamics. There’s bass, treble, bass boost controls too. All interact with each other and drop down graphs to show the changes. There’s also parametric EQ and internal DAC. Next you have stereo, mono, super mono settings to accommodate old records. There’s an FX setting that lets you add in 300b tube harmonics for that tube sound or a reel to reel third harmonics effect. They are subtle effects . I haven’t used them. The Waxwing Magic feature removes the pops and clicks from older records. I’m playing my parents Herb Albert Whipped Cream album and it sounds brand new( there’s pops and clicks galore though without Magic) Waxwing grades the quality of the album while it’s playing and tracks the hours on your cartridge and lets you store up to 21 settings for other cartridges. Waxwing handles Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges. So from the comfort of my recliner I can get the best sound out of each album with a few taps on my phone if I need to . Great product.

Having owned the Puffin DSP for a few years, the Waxwing is everything the Puffin is and more. The new easy to use interface makes changing settings on the fly super easy. I've used it with a wide selection of MC and MM cartridges and it sounds great. I have 8 different cartridges dialed in and saved. When I change one out, it's just a click and all your saved settings for that particular cart are loaded. No more having to remember settings. It's like "Magic". The optical out is dead silent and removes the use of a ground wire. Shannon Parks is a great owner/ designer, and is not so full of himself to return an email if you have questions, which is very refreshing. At $500 it's a steal for serious vinyl collectors. So many features to tailor your sound to your liking. Also, if you're an audiophile extremists, it's small enough to hide and your audio snob buddies won't ask you if it's digital or not. Lol!

If you’re reading this review you may be considering purchasing this product, to save you time I’d stop reading and just buy it. This product is everything I wished the Puffin was. The most incredible feature is the controls which can be easily controlled from your listening position from the app on your phone! I’m not gonna go into a whole bunch of details but if you have the puffin this is a great upgrade and worth it. If you’re just looking for a phono pre, this is perfect. I’ve used both MM and MC. Is this the best phono pre? Very doubtful, but it sounds great and it’s fun to play with the settings, I have some albums that are just poorly recorded, well no problem with the waxwing, with a few adjustments it sounds incredible! If you’re an analog purist this product is probably not for you. It take the analog signal and coverts it to a digital signal which allows all the adjustments and then you have the option of using the built in DAC or running digital signal out via coax cable. I’m not an audiophile, I just love music and gear and if you’re on the fence about this product I’d seriously just buy it. If it’s not what you like Amazon has a great return policy

I’ve had mine for about 8 months now and have zero complaints. It’s awesome! Great features that are configurable from an app. I also love that it will track runtime. It’s super clean and the “magic” feature reducing unwanted feedback is very subtle. I highly recommend!

What a simple yet so clever idea. And how so flawlessly implemented and delivered! Stop reading reviews here and just get it. You won't regret it. This device does it like no other. I don't subscribe to the culture of "analog purists" and just regretted for years that my vinyl records would never sound as "crisp and alive" as when I played music from CDs or streaming platforms in my home audio system. I struggled for a long time in finding the right combination of components (I even tried old school graphic equalizers) or settings that could make vinyl records sound as close as possible to the other sources, but always had to settle with a rather "muffled" or less exciting audio signal. Enter this Waxwing little marvel, and suddenly now all my vinyl records sound even better than any of my CDs or any Hi-Res music streamed from Apple Music or Qobuz. Music played from my turntable sounds now so alive, full of body, clarity and full tridimensional staging, filling all my listening space to make me "feel" the whole recording coming alive like never before right there in my living room. Not to mention I can now gladly digitize with confidence my precious vinyls, as the ones I buy are albums or tracks that have never been released in CD or that are not available to buy in digital format from lossless music stores. And I can get practically almost-like "direct master" sounding quality in my files from ripped vinyl just by passing them through the Waxwing. Set-up is dead simple. No complicated steps. Just connect it, plug it, and it just works. And the amount of controls it offers to fine tune the quality of the sound (in real time!!) are on a league of their own as well. You can have hours of fun just by playing around with each control, to find that best sweet spot for each record you put on your turntable, and custom adjust each to your own listening environment and preference. Won't even go here into the detail of the "Magic" filter available, just know that it honors it name in all justice. Its creator Shannon Parks has really unearthed the holy grail of next-level vinyl reproduction with this. I can't be more in love with this little wonder. The Waxwing is a keeper.

I have a Rega P6 turntable factory fitted with an Rega Ania moving coil cartridge. This model of turntable has a fixed headshell and I cannot easily swap over cartridges to play Mono records. Of course you can play Mono records using a Stereo cartridge, but they really don't sound their best this way. I inherited a lot of vinyl records from both of my late brothers, who were vinyl record era deejay's in the 1970's. Some of their records are not in the greatest condition, some are irreplaceable; but this preamp with its features allows me to listen to what were previously unlistenable records, much more comfortably. It has a huge amount of adjustments available in the free downloadable mobile phone APP available from Google Play store or the Apple App Store. It is a slightly complicated piece of kit, (not exactly plug and play) but is perfect for those, (like me!) that are tweakers and "setting knob twiddlers!" You also need to download and install a Bluetooth app as well, called 'Light Blue" this is the app that allows communication between your mobile phone and the Pre-Amp. Connection is by RCA phono leads or by Optical Toslink connection and is very easy to connect up. If you live in the UK you will need a regular mobile phone charger, as the one supplied with the Waxwing is for the US. I should add that It doesn't have to be a very expensive charger either. However, you do need a USB A type socket on the charger to connect to the supplied lead with your Waxwing. Lastly, does it work? Simply, yes! And it's excellent too in the "Super Mono Mode" with the "Magic" crackle, pop and surface noise suppression noise reduction feature engaged. With some careful setting up, there is little or no artificial artefacts in the sound. The App looks a little workman like looking, but with the Bluetooth App is very responsive and there are help guides and explanations in the Waxwing's App to guide you. It does not erase every crackle, pop or click but smoothes off the loudness of them to enable the unlistenable record becoming a bit more listenable again. "Magic" mode, I should warn in advance is not nearly as good when playing Stereo records though. For Mono records especially, it's excellent. For those that enjoy old early Mono record pressings I highly recommend the Waxwing!

In eerste instantie had ik zo mijn bedenkingen bij de DSP phono stages van Parks Audio. Een paar jaar geleden keek ik al met een scheef ook naar de Puffin. Het apparaat was destijds lastig te bestellen in NL en heb het om die reden nooit besteld. Toen ik las over de introductie van de Waxwing was ik gelijk enthousiast. Ook nu weer lastig om te bestellen en had eigenlijk de moed alweer opgegeven tot ik de Waxwing op Amazon.de tegenkwam. Mijn bestelling werd relatief snel geleverd en was uitstekend verpakt. Eenmaal uitgepakt, aangesloten en grofweg ingesteld via de app werd al snel duidelijk dat wij vrienden gingen worden. Wat gelijk opvalt, de Waxwing is stil! Geen ruis of ander achtergrond geluid. Bij de eerste plaat die ik opzette werd ook gelijk duidelijk dat het met de rest ook wel goed zit. Zonder verder de diepte in te gaan en in details te treden kun je stellen dat de Waxwing uitstekend klinkt. En alles met is de app vanaf je smartphone of tablet te bedienen vanaf de luister positie. Hoe luxe is dat! Ik gebruik de Waxwing nu een paar weken in combinatie met mijn Technics SL1200G en AT RigB-LNR540ML en ben zeer tevreden.

Este es el segundo equipo que compro de este fabricante. Se trata de un preamplificador de phono para ser utilizado para conectar una tronamesa a un equipo de audio. Las agujas de los tocadiscos son de dos tipos bobina movil y magneto movil, dejando de momento al lado la diferencia tecnica, las agujas de bobina mobil tienen una salida al rededor de diez vevces mas baja que las de magneto movil pero a cambio en general las de bobina movil suenen mejor y sos mas caras, algunas de ellas increiblemente caras. Este pre de phono es realmente muy bueno y el único de los dos que conozco, que funciona con una aplicación en el celular, que permite hacer ajustes que le permiten al usuario variar no solo los valores que algunos pre de phono permiten ajustar, este pre permite ajustar muchos mas y son realmente útiles, de entrada lo básico se puede ajustar la impedancia de entrada a 200 ohms para cartucho bobina móbil y a 47k ohms para magneto móvil y la ganancia ha cualquier valor hasta 70 db mas que suficiente para cualquier cartucho, pero tiene varios otros ajustes muy interesantes. La opcion majic disminuye el ruido causado por el uso y el polvo, los clicks, sin afectar el sonido del disco, se puede incrementar o disminuir los bajos o los agudos que genera el cartucho y es útil para balancear el sonido, puede llevar la cuenta de cuantas horas hemos utilizado el cartucho, todo desde la app en el celular. Ademas una algo único de este pre de phono, tiene tanto la salida normar amalógica rca asi como dos salidas digitales óptica y coaxial, esto porque dado que es un pre phono digital, convierte la entrada en digital hace los ajustes de la señal en digital y convierte ya preamplificada de nuevo a analógica, asi que es posible tener salida tanto analogica como digital, y esto es algo fantástico y que permite usar un dac externo. Yo no uso la salida analogica uso la digital porque mi dac es muchisimo mejor que el convertidor analogico digital de este pre phono, y el resultado es un excelente sonido, con una tornamesa Linn LP12 y un DAC Benchmark, lo recomiento ampliamente! Después de casi un año me doy cuenta que la opción de TEST incluye la posibilidad de medir los niveles izquierdo-derecho y ajustar el balance para que sea idéntico en ambos canales, como? colocar un disco MONOAURAL, reproducir, medir con opción AZIMUT cual es el balance y ajustar con la opción balance hasta lograr un balance 0-0, yo logré un balance 0-.1, mas que suficiente. Muy IMPORTANTE, una ves terminado, pasar a OFF Azimut y balance, de hecho hay que alternar, mides azimut, apagas, enciendes balance y ajustas, apagas balance y checas azimut, sucesivamente hasta lograr 0-0 o lo mas cerca posible, al ermionar apagar azimut y balance, o todo se escuchara monoaural!! Y listo, es increíble la mejora de la imagen y el escenario.

Having used Preamps worth 10's of thousands in Studios to work on archive discs and built my own 25 years ago, this is the thing you need. lets you transfer 78's with a complety flat top end!

I like the sound of good vinyl records. However, I think there are too many vinyl records cheaply made these days. This device is versatile and can do many things right. I am not an analog purist and I think perfecting the sound in the digital world and converting it back to analog is not a sin. It is a good thing. This device can also reduce the vinyl annoying tick and clicks. A Very small number of recordings are done in analog studios these days. This device can make each record sound at its best. However you will need to create a few profiles and save them to be used later when needed. Older records are bright with thin bass. Newer records have a lot of bass but highs are dull. With the waxwing you can get the best sound of most vinyls in your collection. You will need to play a bit with the adjustments and save them in your app. Also, as a bonus you can use the device to fine-tune your turntable. I highly recommend this device even if I think it is too expensive.