Recently acquired by CH Precision, Wattson Audio had not yet been tested by us. But rather than starting with the new Madison LE Amplifier power amplifier, unveiled last May in Munich, we decided to go back to the company’s basics: its streamers. The smaller of the two ranges and available in analog or digital versions, the Wattson Audio Emerson Digital, despite its compact case, demonstrates all the finesse and purity of reproduction that have made the Swiss brand’s reputation.
Having entered the market with two series of network players, Wattson Audio is now expanding its catalog with a stereo power amplifier that can be bridged to create a mono amplifier for even greater power and drastic channel separation. Called the Madison LE Amplifier, this device joins the Madison series, which already includes the Streamer and Streamer LE, the latter enhanced with even better components.
Below this, the Emerson series offers two versions of network players: the first has a DAC and Leedh Processing digital volume control for exclusive RCA output to an integrated amplifier; the other is purely digital and offers only two outputs to connect to a DAC.
Integrated into the same solid black or silver aluminum chassis, entirely handmade in Switzerland and sold at the same price of €1,750, the Emerson Analog and Digital also use the same network playback architecture, based on a Sitara ARM processor developed by Texas Instruments—a version that does not support USB, which is currently absent from all Wattson products.
For this test, and in anticipation of an upcoming review of the Madison range (which only includes DACs), we chose to focus on the Digital version of the Emerson. And while the identical price of the two models may come as a surprise, it is justified in this version without DAC by the quality of the digital circuit, purified to the maximum on the coaxial S/PDIF RCA (75 Ω) output and the AES/EBU XLR (100 Ω) output; both synchronized by the main clock and isolated by two wideband RF transformers.
On the other side, a carefully chosen connector (PulseJack) allows the small Wattson to be connected to the Internet, necessarily via this 100 Mbit/s RJ45 Ethernet connection, as Wi-Fi is not yet supported. On the same side, a final connection links the device to an external medical-grade power supply, as the Emerson’s power supply circuit is designed to achieve infinitesimal noise levels (<1 µV RMS 10 Hz-100 kHz).
In order to make the signal as reliable as possible, this little Wattson (10.4 cm long, 8.7 cm wide, 3.8 cm high, and weighing only 371 g) already uses bit-perfect technology thanks to two alternately operating oscillators and ultra-low jitter (<-135 dBc/Hz at 100 Hz and <50 fs RMS), with active clock synchronization at sampling rates up to 24-bit 192 kHz PCM.
To manage music and settings, Wattson Audio has developed an app for Android that is used solely for configuration, which becomes a true control app on Apple iOS by adding streaming—also possible with AirPlay. Development is underway to enable streaming on Android, which can currently be managed with any UPnP app, such as MConnect or BubbleUPnP.
Audirvana is also a recommended partner, or simply Roon, since the Emerson is Roon Ready, as well as Tidal Connect and soon Qobuz Connect, these two music platforms being the only two selected on the proprietary Wattson Audio app, along with Tuneln for radio.
THE SETUP OF THE WATTSON AUDIO EMERSON DIGITAL
First connected via coaxial cable to our Mark Levinson 5101 and Atoll ST300 streamer-DACs, the little Swiss Emerson was then paired with Ferrum Audio’s Polish Wandla DAC, via AES/EBU and S/PDIF, for a near-perfect match.
Purely digital and without a USB output, it only allows you to go up to 192 kHz, but that’s more than enough to enjoy high-quality, perfectly timed Hi-Res streaming, the purity of which allows this little Swiss player to be integrated into mid-range and high-end systems. Improving the Ethernet cable in particular enhances the speed or substance of the sound, depending on the brand.
THE SOUND OF THE WATTSON AUDIO EMERSON DIGITAL
Compared to the network playback section of our Mark Levinson, which usually requires products costing around €3,000 to be surpassed, the Emerson Digital, at €1,750, already refines the rendering.
Slightly less direct, the sound is concentrated or rather refined, leaving a very open soundstage, which it illuminates particularly in the midrange. Even with 44.1 kHz files, the feeling of clarity and neutrality of the timbres is almost reminiscent of analog listening, with a rare fluidity considering the price range and size of the product.
Surprisingly, it was with the Wattson Audio mother app that we obtained the best results: this demonstrates how important the links between the hardware and software developers were in enabling data packets to be sent in the most ideal way possible, in order to maximize the flow.
Less shimmering than the midrange, the extreme registers are not to be outdone, especially the ever-silky treble, while the bass does not seek to overwhelm, but remains very well contained within the overall balance. This finesse still surpasses our reference streamer, while offering the same level of precision – as long as we stick to a 24-bit 192 kHz stream, since the Emerson Digital does not go any higher.
Note: it is possible to further improve the performance of this little Wattson by upgrading the separate power supply, which we experienced with the Ferrum Hypsos in a test with the Wandla GoldenSound Edition DAC in this issue.
OUR CONCLUSION
Released more than four years ago, the Emerson Digital has lost none of its appeal for listeners looking for a highly reliable and pure network transport. Without offering the versatility of many new entrants to the market, either in terms of connectivity (no USB or Wi-Fi), a front panel display, or its app (currently being updated), it clearly remains an absolute benchmark in its price range, surpassed only by products that are often at least twice as expensive.
Author(s): Vincent Guillemin
Technical Sheet: Wattson Audio Emerson Digital
- Origin: Switzerland
- Price: €1,750
- Dimensions: 104 x 87 x 38 mm
- Weight: 371 g
- Digital inputs and outputs
- Inputs: 1 x Ethernet RJ45
- Outputs: 1 x RCA coaxial SPDIF; 1 x XLR AES/EBU
- Sampling rate: Up to 24-bit PCM 192 kHz
- Supported formats
- WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis,
- WMA UPnP/DLNA, AirPlay, Tidal Connect,
- Roon Ready, Audirvāna
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