Стримеры — Wattson Audio Emerson DIGITAL

The Emerson DIGITAL is a network bridge from Wattson Audio of Préverenges, Switzerland, now part of CH Precision. Lacking an internal DAC, it takes music from the network and hands it to an external DAC in digital form, so it can add streaming to a DAC that lacks it or replace the network section of an existing streaming DAC. The Emerson line pairs it with the Emerson ANALOG, which shares the enclosure but converts internally. The price is USD 1,750, with a two year warranty, and the unit is designed and built in Switzerland.

Key specs that matter

Input is Ethernet on RJ45 at 100 Mbit/s, with no Wi-Fi. Two digital outputs work simultaneously - AES/EBU on XLR at 2.8 V peak to peak into 110 ohm, and coaxial S/PDIF on RCA at 500 mV peak to peak into 75 ohm, each with its own isolation transformer. PCM passes at up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, and single-rate DSD is supported. Files in WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis and WMA can be played. Power comes from an external 5 V DC, 18 W universal adaptor through a centre positive 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel plug, and the bridge draws about 2.5 W in playback, around 1.5 W at idle and under 0.5 W in standby. Its dark grey housing measures 104 x 87 x 38 mm and weighs 0.40 kg.

Engineering and use context

The streaming engine runs on a Texas Instruments Sitara processor with Wattson's own software, which the company has supplied to other brands and updates over the Ethernet link. Data stays bit-perfect from the network socket to the outputs. An FPGA encodes the S/PDIF and AES3 streams in parallel, each through its own modulator matched to its format. The internal clock uses two ultra-low-noise oscillators, one for the 44.1 kHz family and one for 48 kHz and its multiples, and only the one in use is switched on so the idle one adds no noise. Wattson mills the housing out of one aluminium billet. It works as a Roon Ready endpoint and a UPnP or DLNA renderer, accepts AirPlay, Qobuz Connect and TIDAL Connect, receives airable internet radio and plays with Audirvana. Control is through the Wattson Music app on iOS or Wattson Remote on Android. Each Wattson product is tested for IECEE CB electrical safety certification.

Pairing

Any DAC with an AES/EBU or coaxial S/PDIF input can follow the Emerson DIGITAL, and the XLR output suits converters that favour the balanced link. The DAC must handle volume itself or feed a preamplifier. The Madison Power S external supply is listed as compatible with the Emerson models.

Alternatives

The Wattson Madison Streamer is the brand's larger network player with built-in DAC, handling PCM to 384 kHz and DSD256 in a 175 x 185 x 52 mm case.