Wattson Madison LE Streamer and Digital controller

HIGH-END DIGITAL REPLAY – WITHOUT THE COST, SIZE, AND COMPLEXITY

With the same sophisticated, DSP-based spline filtering algorithm and proprietary ethernet interface, the identical milled-from-solid casework, and minimalist but carefully selected features as the standard Madison, the LE version already offers digital input and conversion capabilities that are well beyond its price point. So, to build a better Madison, we looked at the analog output stage, the power supply, and the filtering, improving its performance in the digital domain while increasing the musical capabilities and output characteristics of the analog circuitry.

The Madison LE still uses an external energy-efficient, switch-mode power supply. Still, we were able to engineer it for reduced noise levels with the addition of an AC input filter and more excellent stability by adding linear regulation. In turn, that demanded a more giant box. We could have used the same precision machined casework as the Madison itself, but instead, given that the power supply is best placed remotely and, thus, out of sight, we chose to reduce the overall price of the product by using a cost-effective, generic case: maximum increase in performance, minimum increase in price.

We also doubled the power supply capacitance and improved the quality of the capacitors themselves. Then, we designed an all-new analog output stage. The fully balanced and differential circuit uses two pairs of op-amps per channel, allowing us to optimize the interface to the DAC chips and improve the LE’s ability to drive a connected power amp. We also took the opportunity to improve the quality of the critical coupling caps between the DAC chips and the analog output stage.

The Madison LE extends the Wattson Audio concept of value engineering. Like all of our products, it leverages the power of sophisticated, DSP-driven digital circuitry to deliver remarkable musical performance. However, budgeting additional engineering and material resources for the power supply and analog sections provides a better working environment for its digital circuitry and an even more capable output stage – with genuine musical benefits.

With its ghostly quiet noise floor and the ability to drive the connected power amp(s), the Madison LE delivers musical dynamics and authority, nuance, and subtleties that are normally the province of vastly more expensive (and far larger) products. It stays true to the Wattson Audio ethos of superior musical performance and forward-looking, space-efficient, and resource-sensitive design.

Actual high-end performance has never been more accessible – or easier to live with!