Network Player Wadax Atlantis Reference Server Silver

Wadax Atlantis Reference Server – music server with digital waveform correction and the AKASA optical interface

The Atlantis Reference Server is a reference music server for playback of locally stored files as well as streamed music, built on the same design approach as the Atlantis Reference DAC. At its heart are two in-house solutions: Digital Waveform Control for correcting transmission errors over USB, and the proprietary AKASA optical interface, developed in cooperation with a Japanese optics manufacturer and with Neutrik. The construction is based on a card-cage layout, which allows individual modules to be upgraded or replaced later on.

Power is supplied by a multi-stage, heavily regulated power supply derived directly from the Reference DAC topology: three bespoke power transformers, five stages of regulation and more than 200 discrete components. The supply is optimised to suppress both conducted and radiated interference while also draining electromagnetic noise generated inside the chassis, and it is mechanically isolated from the critical digital circuitry. The noise floor of the DC voltage at the active devices is so low that its development called for virtual modelling and new measurement procedures. The server is ready for connection of the external Reference PSU.

The chassis is machined from 150 kg of high-specification aluminium alloy and consists of more than 50 precisely machined parts. These are sorted and assembled according to their mechanical and vibrational behaviour so as to form a mechanical cascade that drains and disperses structural energy. The individual circuit blocks are housed in separate slots and grounded both mechanically and electrically, which limits the transfer of vibration and radiated energy between sections. The same attention is paid to the USB output: Wadax uses its own USB physical-layer driver and a mechanical support for the connector that eliminates stress on the joint from heavy audiophile cables.

Digital Waveform Control stems from the understanding that USB transmission takes place in the analogue domain and that imperfect voltage pulse shapes remain embedded in the reconstructed digital signal. The feed-forward correction technology known from the MusIC Chip 2 is applied here to the transmission line: three rotary controls allow the leading edge, the amplitude of the transmitted signal and the spacing in the return channel to be adjusted, suppressing reflections and timing shifts. The user can store three presets for different streaming services or local files. The circuit comprises more than 200 components on 12 bespoke boards. The result is greater timing accuracy of the transmission and an audibly cleaner, spatially more stable presentation with better resolution of detail. Library management is handled by the integrated Roon browser, which ensures compatibility with existing Nucleus and NAS storage.

Key features

• Digital Waveform Control: User-adjustable correction of the USB signal waveform
• Power supply: Three transformers and five stages of regulation
• Chassis: 150 kg of aluminium, over 50 machined parts
• AKASA: Proprietary optical link to the matching DAC
• Connectivity: USB Audio, Ethernet 1,000 Mbps, 4 storage bays
• Formats: WAV, WAV64, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, OGG, DSD