WAVERSA SYSTEMS INC.

Waversa Digital Tube Harmonic Technology (WAP/X)

WAP/X (Waversa Audio Processor Extension) reproduces the sound of vacuum tubes.  The Waversa Reference and Flagship DAC series and Core PRO will feature the most advanced capabilities.

With WAP/X, the characteristics of a vacuum tube amplifier, deeply loved for its warm tone, are reproduced using digital technology. These overtone characteristics of WAP/X were developed focusing on the 1940's WE300B.  Future releases will feature digital harmonics from other classic tubes, each user selectable from the listening chair with the current virtual Waversa WRemote (Apple/Android).

The technology adds a sense of overtones in WAP/X and WAP, realizing the sound of a transparent and warm vacuum tube, digitally reproduced technology designed to be upgradeable in future firmware updates.

High-end audio processing is a fairly complicated process involving a huge amount of data in real time. Waversa addresses this in two parts. The most recent breakthrough is to task the new generation field-programmable gate array, which unknown to most of us, including myself, is an exceedingly complex fast logic circuit that has been proven to handle these resource-intensive algorithms. By tasking the FPGA to take on the overtone processing algorithm [WAP/X], this processing can be done accurately to many harmonics in real time.

Some say that analog sounds are bright and warm, while digital sounds are cool and crisp. It is also thought that harmonics are masked by jitter and electrical noise inherent in digital equipment. All DAC manufacturers have understandably focused on minimizing these issues. Waversa over the years was able to characterize the harmonics of a classic 1942 Western Electric 300B and digitally replicate them using a hardware-based algorithm integrated into both the new generation FPGA and Waversa Audio Processor (WAP). As a result, you can feel warm overtones without the vacuum tube. In fact, if you want to hear the higher harmonics present in music lost in the digitization of the music process, the only way to do so is virtual because there is a limit to the capability of a vacuum tube, no matter how good it is. The degree of harmonics and the bypassing of this type of processing are controlled by the end-user.

Dynamic Range Enhancement is another Waversa-unique processing algorithm. It's not a volume control or output gain setting, but it is also adjustable by the end-user. This novel setting brings life to compressed recordings. Both the Harmonic (WAP-X) and Dynamic Range Enhancement algorithms provide significant flexibility - and more is not necessarily better. Settings are recording and end-user preference dependent. They act as seasonings that can make a gourmet meal truly sublime.