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

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.

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.

I am extremely pleased with my purchase and this item is worth every penny you pay for it. The customization via the app is unreal and it unlocks a whole new listening experience across different vinyls I own. Features like the Hi cutoff filter is wonderful for filtering out some of that treble that pierces your ears. There are many other features and filters that you can read about in the product manual on their website. The device itself is built really well with a professional look and feel. Setup was extremely easy and the app immediately found and connected to the bluetooth receiver in the Waxwing. Without changing anything, the out-of-the-box settings resulted in noticeably better sound quality than my previous phono amp. However, I did make adjustments to the standard settings like treble and bass after setting my speakers to their neutral values. I've paired my Waxwing with a Fluance RT85N turntable and Fluance Ai41 bookshelf speakers. I am using SKW Entry Level HC Series RCA cables for connectivity between the turntable, Waxwing and speakers.

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