QUICK START
1) Install the Waxwing app by Parks Audio from the Google Play or Apple
App stores onto an Android or iOS device with Bluetooth LE. While the
Waxwing DSP doesn't require the app to function, it will be needed to
change settings & behave as a full-featured remote control.
2) Connect the 5V power supply & cable to the Waxwing. There's no on/off
switch so the Waxwing turns on immediately & stays on (a mere 1W used).
Then connect the analog input from your turntable (or other audio device)
& the turntable ground wire if it has one.
3) Choose a Waxwing output: you have options. The default output is the
RCA analog out. Connect using an audio cable to an AUX or line input on an
AV receiver or integrated amp. To use the digital outs, you'll change 'Output'
via the Waxwing app.
4) Start playing records & have fun!
HOW TO RESET YOUR WAXWING
If an app restart and a power cycle (unplug-replug USB power) doesn't fix an ailing Waxwing (e.g. can't connect), then a factory reset is probably needed. The trick is that it is only active for the first 5 seconds after a power on. Using a toothpick, you can feel around for the reset pushbutton (located about 1" or 25mm inside) and you can test press it anytime in order to get the feel for it. Then power cycle and immediately press the reset switch a couple times (for good measure!). You'll know you are in the 5 second window because the optical red light comes on after 5 seconds. You can then verify you have reset your Waxwing by looking at the Settings gear icon in the Waxwing app.
1. VOLUME
Typically the Volume will be left at -0dB and a system master volume control will be used elsewhere. But it can be used as a cue mute when changing records and cleaning the stylus, as well as a volume control for a minimalist system. Another method is keeping the Volume set to -6dB (but first be sure to match cart's Gain to your system with Volume at -0dB), which then permits fast adjustment of volume depending on mood or source material. It behaves like a traditional logarithmic volume pot.
Possible Settings:
Muted
-53dB
-47dB
-43dB
-39dB
-35dB
-31dB
-29dB
-27dB
-25dB
-23dB
-21.5dB
-20dB
-18.5dB
-17dB
-15.5dB
-14dB
-13dB
-12dB
-11dB
-10dB
-9dB
-8dB
-7dB
-6dB
-5.2dB
-4.5dB
-3.7dB
-3dB
-2.2dB
-1.5dB
-0.7dB
-0dB (default)
2. GAIN
Get your sound source well matched to your stereo system with the Waxwing’s wide range of gain settings: from -4dB for high level inputs (CDs, DACs) to 72dB gain (low output moving coils). 38dB is a typical gain setting for most phono setups.
Always turn down the main system volume when adjusting the gain to prevent loud surprises. Gain is adjusted in 1dB steps. When switching between gain settings there's a short muting event in which the Waxwing allows settling to occur to prevent any thumps. It is recommended to use the presets located in 'File': MM, MC, CD, or PC. You can fine adjust the Gain and settings from there.
A red triangle icon will alert that a clipping event occurred at the input stage (ADC) and it indicates that you should adjust Gain lower. The number of input clip events will be shown when you click the alert icon. Meanwhile a black triangle alerts that a clipping event occurred at the output stage (DAC). This is less of a concern than input clipping as it may just indicate a needle drop or bad pop. You can monitor the number of DAC clips by clicking on the alert icon. Ten or more clips per session at the DAC will turn the alert icon red indicating a need to lower Gain. You can reset these clipping alerts from the clip alert popup window and changing the Gain setting will also reset the clips. Headroom can be confirmed via the peaks in 'Levels'.
Possible Settings:
-4dB (default for CD preset)
-3dB
-2dB
-1dB
0dB
1dB
2dB
3dB
4dB
5dB
6dB
7dB
8dB
9dB
10dB
11dB
12dB
13dB
14dB
15dB
16dB (default for PC preset)
17dB
18dB
19dB
20dB
21dB
22dB
23dB
24dB
25dB
26dB
27dB
28dB
29dB
30dB
31dB
32dB
33dB
34dB
35dB
36dB
37dB
38dB (default for MM preset)
39dB
40dB
41dB
42dB
43dB
44dB
45dB
46dB
47dB
48dB
49dB
50dB
51dB
52dB
53dB
54dB
55dB
56dB (default for MC preset)
57dB
58dB
59dB
60dB
61dB
62dB
63dB
64dB
65dB
66dB
67dB
68dB
69dB
70dB
71dB
72dB
3. WARMTH
Warmth may be the most useful of the four tone controls. Like a seesaw, it pivots the frequency response around 800Hz, the fulcrum frequency. This quickly adjusts toward either a warmer or brighter sound character. Go higher for more warmth or lower for a brighter, cooler sound.
When changing records, Warmth will be the easiest way to get the right sound to your ear as it can quickly fix the mix. For example, try +2 with a thin sounding recording (many 70s pressings) or -2 with a dark sounding recording (unfortunately many modern pressings).
Possible Settings:
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
+0 (default)
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
4. AIR
Air is a higher frequency treble control (above 8kHz) that is intended as a cartridge loading adjustment. This will help extend frequency response of high inductance moving magnet cartridges, but can also tame other overly bright cartridges or other sources. It is an improved substitute for capacitive loading techniques on MM carts or over damped MC loads searching for a sweet spot. Works great for non-phono sources as well.
Possible Settings:
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
+0 (default)
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
5. TREBLE
This is a treble shelving control with a corner frequency of 3kHz. It adjusts in 1dB steps. If the vocals seem veiled and not punching through, more Treble will bring the vocals forward for a better balance.
Possible Settings:
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
+0 (default)
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
6. BASS
This is a bass shelving control with a corner frequency of 300Hz. It adjusts in 1dB steps. If the sound seems muddy or boomy, less Bass cleans up the sound.
Possible Settings:
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
+0 (default)
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
7. BASS BOOST
Adds an adaptive boost (relative to Bass setting) with a corner frequency of 100Hz, so the low frequencies can be improved without boominess.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
8. HI (High-Cut Filter)
This is a 4th order Butterworth filter to attenuate higher frequencies. It is extremely flexible at reducing surface noise on old LPs and 78s. It is also useful at adjusting the frequency response combined with the previous tone controls, Treble and Air. Adjust by taste and give your ears a break from unnecessary fatigue.
Possible Settings:
5kHz
7kHz
8kHz
9kHz
10kHz
11kHz
12kHz
13kHz
15kHz
20kHz (default)
30kHz
48kHz
9. LO (Low-Cut Filter)
This is a 4th order Butterworth filter to attenuate lower frequencies. While mainly it is used to eliminate vinyl rumble and tonearm resonances, it can be adjusted higher for use with older LPs and 78s. It can also be adjusted to 100Hz or higher to reduce mains hum which may be present on many older recordings.
Possible Settings:
5Hz
10Hz
15Hz
20Hz
25Hz (default)
30Hz
35Hz
40Hz
45Hz
50Hz
70Hz
100Hz
200Hz
400Hz
10. MODE
There is one stereo mode and four monaural modes. The monaural modes - when using a stereo cartridge - are either: Mono, Super Mono, Mono Left, or Mono Right.
Mono sums both the left and right channels. This may lower noise by summing out of phase pops and clicks.
Super Mono quickly determines (hundreds of times a second) if the left, right, or summed content has the best noise floor characteristics and uses that section of the vinyl. This eliminates a lot of noise just using the LP itself without digital filtering or interpolation. Then it greatly helps Magic to work more effectively with Monaural LPs - so Super Mono and Magic are a fantastic pairing. But don't use Super Mono with a Stereo recording - it will sound poor, like a broken or dirty stylus. A red triangle alert will let you know when a recording is Stereo - great for when you forget or possibly are uncertain whether the material is Mono.
Sometimes previous groove damage to one channel or the other means that using the Left or Right modes may provide superior sound. You can quickly switch settings to determine the best setting, particularly for a noisy recording. You can also use Left and Right modes for a fresh album experience with a stereo recording. You'll hear things otherwise hidden in a stereo mix. Classic stereo recordings like Beatles and Hendrix are recommended.
Possible Settings:
Stereo (default)
Mono (Summed Left & Right)
Super Mono
Mono Left
Mono Right
11. GRADE
This function determines a letter grade for an album side based on scratches, vinyl surface noise, and groove wear. It works best in conjunction with your own ears. Uses: sorting duplicate copies, confirming your best sounding records, determining records that are candidates for replacement, and providing an objective assessment that can be used for sale or trade. Even determine cartridge performance for a given media type or type of groove wear, as different stylus geometries will grade differently.
Grade uses the same detection algorithm as Magic, but Magic - whether ON or OFF - doesn't affect the grade. The grade is determined by time divided by defects, so any length recording may be graded. The calculated value will normally vary as the record plays. This is due to the randomness of some wear and because defects become more apparent during quieter passages - to both our ears and the algorithm. So a more dynamic record, like many classical ones, will be graded more strictly.
Once the music starts and has faded in completely, turn Grade on or restart Grade with the refresh icon if already running. Do it in this manner to avoid all the noise in the outer groove. A clock now lets us know that the process has started and after ten seconds the initial grade will show. This grade will continue to average over the course of the album side. Score the final letter grade as the record starts to fade out. Tapping on the elapsed time shows a popup list of grades, times, and levels. The final grade is usually the last strong level (>-50) before the runout groove which (-50 to -80 range).
Possible Grades:
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
12. MAGIC
This function gently lessens many of the small pops and clicks normally heard during vinyl playback. It consists of a click detector that monitors the music for outlier, transient sound events which are then flagged. An algorithm then determines whether the flagged event was likely noise or musical in nature - perhaps a trumpet or drum snare.
Once it has determined that the event was noise, a selective filter is engaged for around half a millisecond. So the Magic function is not processing 100% of the audio like a normal DSP filter, and actually may only be filtering a few seconds of audio per album side. This gentle method makes the record sound cleaner with fewer artifacts distractions, and doesn't have a processed sound at all since very little processing is actually done.
It will make your best records sound transcendent and some of the well worn ones will be much more listenable. It is recommended to be left on all the time.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
13. FX (Effects)
Use nonlinear transfer functions of classic analog sounds.
'Tube' has very dominant 2nd harmonic distortion like a 300B triode vacuum tube with as much as 7% THD at full signal.
'Tape' has a dominant 3rd harmonic distortion like classic Ampex tape machines (3.5% THD at full signal). Amazingly, the high levels of distortion may not be noticeable to many listeners. A benefit of the 'Tape' setting is additional clipping headroom.
'Brown Noise' is an Eno-esque experimental tool for a relaxing sound from any music source. You can also adjust the Lo Filter higher to tweak the regular noise to sound more like rain or wind (Lo: use 25Hz to 1kHz).
'Pink Noise' is a pink noise source suitable for testing room equalization using an octave real-time analyzer. Many octave RTA apps are available for free using your phone or tablet.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
Tube 2H
Tape 3H
Brown Noise
Pink Noise
14. DERUMBLE
In the stereo LP era, many mix mastering consoles used elliptic equalizers: filters that normalize the bass phase relationships and make the low frequencies monaural. LP manufacturability was improved in this way as records were less prone to skip and also had greater recording capacity. Furthermore, stereo perception at these low frequencies is poor and can be unpleasant sounding. The Derumble function is a similar filter at 150Hz with a 12dB/octave slope. It is like a speaker crossover with frequencies less than 150Hz in mono and frequencies greater than 150Hz in stereo.
The usefulness of this type of filter as a rumble filter during vinyl playback was first mentioned in 1979 by J.P. Macaulay in Wireless World. A great deal of rumble content is unwanted vertical stylus movement caused by: the tonearm resonance, the turntable bearing, the vinyl media’s ripples and warps, and external vibration to the turntable itself. Summing these out-of-phase signals greatly attenuates them and can even make some nasty warps completely disappear. It can also greatly isolate your turntable from the surrounding environment and less prone to footfalls and less than ideal turntable locations.
Derumble is recommended for all thinner vinyl LPs and works best in conjunction with the Lo filter set to 25Hz or higher. It only functions in Mode: Stereo, otherwise it is bypassed.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
15. PEQ (Parametric EQ)
PEQ is a single parametric control that allows great flexibility as a peak, notch, or general tone control.
The default settings of 10kHz, +4dB, and Q=2 can emulate a high inductance MM loaded with lots of capacitance, making the percussion pop out more realistically but not with the treble content being overbearing.
It can also be used as a notch filter for mains hum or a general EQ fix for odd 78 equalizations. Once you find a good PEQ setting you are encouraged to share it with others.
Possible Settings:
Frequencies: 10 to 24000 Hz (64 settings)
Gain: -40dB to +6dB (47 settings)
Filter Q: 0.125 to 128 (11 settings)
16. LOAD
This is the Waxwing's input impedance and will almost always be left at 47k. For moving coil users, the 200 ohms setting will provide a very good load for a wide range of moving coils (though HOMCs should use 47k). For those looking to tweak the sound of the cartridge - historically a hit and miss procedure through loading methods - use Waxwing’s Air instead. 200 ohms can also be used to attenuate the input when the -4dB gain setting has level clipping due to a source with non-standard line levels (some DACs or proaudio devices). But it is suggested to lower the output on the source device if possible for best fidelity, as 47k is an ideal load for line level devices.
Possible Settings:
200 ohms
47k ohms (default)
17. BALANCE
This provides balance control between the left and right channel in 2dB steps.
Possible Settings:
L15
L14
L13
L12
L11
L10
L09
L08
L07
L06
L05
L04
L03
L02
L01
+00 (default)
R01
R02
R03
R04
R05
R06
R07
R08
R09
R10
R11
R12
R13
R14
R15
18. PHASE
This has four settings: Normal, Invert, Mixed, and Null. Normal is the same phase as the incoming signal while the Invert mode has the phase reversed. Mixed phase has the two channels 180 degrees out of phase. It can be used to troubleshoot speaker wiring or for an interesting stereo effect. Null subtracts the two channels from each other and helps adjust Fine Balance. Null also permits full support of the Vertical format for some very old records.
Possible Settings:
Normal (default)
Invert
Mixed
Null
19. OUTPUT
The Output menu option switches between the usual analog RCA outputs and digital ones: a coax and optical output. Useful for those wanting to bypass the internal DAC and use their own DAC, but also extremely useful for decoupling the turntable from the systems leakage currents when using the optical connection (recommended).
Possible Settings:
Analog (default)
24/48
24/96
20. EQ
For most vinyl users, Phono will be the only setting ever used. Meanwhile for sources like CDs or digital music it should be set to Line In, which is a flat response. For enthusiasts with older LPs and 78s, the alternate EQ settings will provide proper equalization for best sound from these records. The bottom menu EQ setting even allows custom record equalizations, with adjustable turnover, bass shelf, and roll-off. The default custom setting is the RCA RIAA standard: 500R-13.7. If you can sort out the critical turnover frequency, then many times the bass shelf and roll-off can be adjusted by ear. For older recordings, also use the LO and HI filters to limit the frequency response.
Possible Settings:
Line In
Phono (default)
Teldec LP
London LP
AES LP
NAB LP
Columbia LP
CCIR 78
Columbia 78
Blm300 78
Eur500 78
Eur250 78
Custom
21. LOG
The function acts as a both a music elapsed and cartridge timer, logging play time and its wear on the stylus. Once you select it, the timer becomes active and will log time whenever you are playing a record - you needn't mess with it again. It can be fun to see how music actual vinyl music you had a chance to listen to over a day. Meanwhile for measuring a cart's wear, the timer will log up to 10,000 hours. There's a bit of a detection scheme, so moving coil users should use 200 ohm loading for best detection. These logged times can be saved to a file when a user has many cartridges that they are tracking.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
XXXX:XX:XX (hrs:min:sec)
22. BYPASS
This turns off all the tone, mode, Magic, and phase controls. Only the EQ and Lo settings are not bypassed. This lets you compare your settings with default settings to verify improvements. Bypass turns off as soon as you change another function.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
23. LEVELS
This shows the average as well as peak input and output values. They are specified as dBc values, relative to a maximum level. The ADC max level is 1.05Vrms and the DAC max level is 2.1Vrms.
24. FILE
You can load four factory default presets and save twenty-one of your own. You can also backup all your files to a text file, as well as share individual save files with others.
Possible Settings:
MM 38dB (default)
MC 56dB
PC 16dB
CD -4dB
User Save (21 Slots)
25. TEST
This separate menu has a test suite of functions like turntable speed testing (RPM) and Azimuth setup.
25a. RPM33, 25b. RPM45, 25c. RPM78
The three RPM controls are fast and accurate: just select while playing in a runout groove and it measures the distance from click-to-click using the Waxwing's 50 ppm oscillator. With an auto return turntable that can't use the runout, use a record with a bad scratch instead. I typically check it three times to make sure I get good, consistent readings.
33 and 45 RPM mode will show speed deviation in tenths of a percent. Meanwhile 78 RPM mode will show actual RPM (to hundredths) in order to fully support all the different standards, e.g. 78.26 is the US standard.
I do recommended using LPs even for 45 and 78 rpm measurements. It is possible that some records may not give good results (not enough runout click), but I think the vast majority of LP runouts will work well.
Possible Settings:
Go! (default off)
Running
25d. AZIMUTH
The Azimuth control can show the separation the Left and Right channels have from each other. The Ultimate Analogue Test LP and the Ortofon Test LP both have very good azimuth tracks: one channel has 1kHz signal and the other channel is silent. Try to get these values as high and as balanced as possible.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
25e. FINE BALANCE
This lets you balance the channel levels with 0.1dB resolution by adding or subtracting an offset to the left channel for perfectly balanced channels. Use a mono LP and adjust for 0dB imbalance.
Typical error here (in descending order): 1) cartridge imbalance, 2) record imbalance, and 3) Waxwing imbalance.
Note: 'Off' or 'On' refers to the imbalance measurement. Slider offset adjustment is always active.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On
25f. SINEGEN
This is a 20Hz to 20kHz signal generator and may be used with a SPL meter (dedicated or a phone app) to monitor system and room performance. The 'Volume' control can be adjusted before and after use to control the tone level. Note: use earplugs and don't damage your hearing or tweeters with this, or annoy your significant other or neighbors. This may give more concrete results than using Pink Noise or similar methods with a spectrum analyzer.
Possible Settings:
Off (default)
On