Rockna Wavelight DAC

FEATURES:

The Rockna Wavelight is a high-end R2R ladder DAC (digital-to-analog converter) designed and manufactured by Rockna Audio.

• R2R ladder DAC architecture using Rockna’s proprietary RD-1 R2R modules
• FPGA-based digital processing running custom Rockna firmware
• Supports PCM up to 384kHz and DSD up to DSD256
• Multiple digital inputs including USB, AES/EBU, coaxial, optical, and I2S
• User-selectable digital filters (NOS, linear, minimum phase, hybrid phase)
• Built-in analog preamp functionality with volume control
• Balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs

SOUND QUALITY:

The Rockna Wavelight DAC is known for its natural tonal balance, excellent dynamics, precise timing, and holographic soundstaging. The R2R ladder architecture gives it an organic, resolving, and musically engaging sound compared to delta-sigma DACs. Many reviewers preferred the “minimum phase” filter setting for its optimal performance.

.

DESIGN:

The Wavelight uses an FPGA chip to implement all digital processing, allowing for a software-defined architecture that can be updated via firmware. It upsamples all inputs to 16x the original sample rate using custom digital filters before decoding by the R2R ladder modules.

.

The Rockna Wavelight is a well-regarded R2R ladder DAC from a company specializing in high-end digital audio, offering excellent technical capabilities, highly flexible operation through its FPGA platform, and an organic, musically engaging sound praised by reviewers.

.