Wattson Audio Madison Streamer

We are full of streamers and streamer/DACs appearing, with huge displays, sometimes even on knobs, featuring strong, iridescent colorations, often totally customizable. It is an increasingly crowded landscape, that of high-end audio streaming, but Madison Streamer stands out for what it consciously chooses to avoid. It does not chase showmanship, in short, but substance. The same goes for the other products in the range: the Emersons, extremely compact; Digital, pure streamer only with AES/EBU and S/PDIF output; Analog, with RCA outputs; then Madison Amplifier, a compact 50 W/channel power amp on 8 Ω; and finally Madison Power S, a 5 V power supply that can be used with both Wattson products (Madison Streamer and the two Emersons) and any 5 V-powered product. We conducted the test with both the supplied power supply and Power S.

Looking at the Madison Streamer one has the feeling of being confronted with an object that is deliberately silent, almost backward. No display, no invasive interface, no concession to technological aesthetics as an end in itself. A compact block of aluminum, available in light or dark gray, machined with almost surgical precision, built entirely in Switzerland, that seems to want to state a precise thesis: high fidelity does not need to attract attention in order to exist. It is the epitome of Wattson’s design philosophy this Madison Streamer, which is not just a network player, but an integrated system combining digital-to-analog conversion and headphone amplifier with volume control, in a single architecture designed to minimize intermediation. It supports high-resolution streams up to 32 bit/384 kHz and DSD256 and is seamlessly integrated into contemporary ecosystems such as Roon, Qobuz, and Tidal Connect, but what is striking is the feeling that these features are never the ultimate goal of the design.

The real key, rather, lies in its technical genealogy. CH Precision, which has always been considered one of the most rigorous and respected companies in the high-end world, uses Wattson streaming platforms within its systems. This is not just a technology supply, but a deeply rooted partnership in which Wattson’s digital know-how became an integral part of the CH sound identity. The recent acquisition of Wattson Audio by CH Precision only made this bond official, enshrining a design continuity that was already evident in the Madison Streamer.

Excellent construction

Inside the Madison, this legacy translates into an extremely refined architecture. The topology is fully balanced, with dedicated Cirrus Logic 8742 converters for each channel, oscillators (two, one for each resolution or multiple) with very low phase noise, and power management designed to minimize any possible interference. The inputs are one optical, one coaxial and network (not Wi-Fi, not BT); there is no USB. But this, rather than interpreting it as a minus, convinces us more and more that the computer is now outdated as a digital source. On-demand connect platforms now rule the day, and it no longer even makes sense to have streaming software inside the products, as more and more are using that of Qobuz or Tidal. Regarding Roon, then, the Ethernet input is as good as it gets, as this connection is always to be preferred over USB. As outputs, in addition to XLR and RCA working simultaneously with separate buffer circuits, there is a high-performance dual-mono headphone output on 6.3 mm jacks, which also allows Wattson Streamer to be an absolute desktop product.

The volume control is designed very differently from that found in traditional audio devices: it is not based on an analog potentiometer, but on entirely digital signal processing. This means that the volume is adjusted by acting directly on the audio data before the digital-to-analog conversion, with extremely high precision due to the use of 32-bit processing with excellent granularity. However, Madison Streamer can also operate in fixed volume mode, so it can be connected to a chain equipped with level control. The level display system is original: a crescent of yellow LEDs flanking the volume knob follows the progress of the adjustment and is very easily visible even from a distance.

An often overlooked but crucial aspect concerns the power supply. Madison Streamer comes with a switching power supply based on a medical-grade Mean Well platform. This is anything but trivial: stable, quiet, designed for sensitive environments, and capable of providing an extremely clean base of operations. It is not the classic cheap power supply that accompanies many consumer products, in short, but a carefully selected component consistent with the philosophy of the design. Of course, it is possible to replace it, and we did, with the Power S, a mixed-technology power supply, with step-down 230 V AC-9 V DC switching and an analog filtering and leveling section; so from 9 V DC to 5 V DC, on the other hand, fully analog, stabilized really accurately and able to provide extremely clean power to the user, which, as mentioned, may not necessarily be a Wattson product, but any device with a 2.5 mm connector input. In fact, both a mini-XLR cable is supplied. > two-pin mini-XLR to power Wattson products, either a mini-XLR > cannon to make the Power S almost universal.

An interesting journey

With the included power supply, Madison delivers a top-notch performance. The sound is articulate, with a well-organized soundstage and a tonal rendition that tends toward neutrality without ever sounding cold. The low range is controlled, never intrusive, while the midrange register emerges naturally, returning credible voices and well-defined acoustic instruments. The overall impression is of a system that never forces detail, but lets it emerge gradually and consistently. This is where the Wattson Audio Power S comes in, with a change that is not immediately “spectacular” in the traditional sense, but progressive and, above all, irreversible. The soundstage gains depth, planes separate with greater clarity, and microdynamics emerge with a naturalness that makes the texture more apparent. The silence between notes becomes even more legible, almost tangible, and this contributes to an overall feeling of greater realism. The most significant difference is in the harmonic texture. With the Power S, instruments seem to gain more textural density without losing transparency. Reverb tails extend more naturally, and time coherence, already excellent with the switching power supply, reaches a higher level. This is not a change that upsets the character of the Madison, but a refinement that reveals its full potential. Interestingly, this evolution maintains absolute consistency with the Wattson philosophy and, by extension, with that of CH Precision. There is no search for immediate effect or “wow factor,” but subtle work on signal quality and integrity throughout the chain. Madison Streamer is an object deeply aware of its own identity. With the included power supply it already offers a complete, balanced and technically sound performance, thanks in part to the far from obvious choice of a medical-grade switching power supply. With the Power S, however, it takes a further step toward more refined and layered reproduction, confirming that, in the high-end realm, the power supply is not a detail, but an integral part of the sound design. In a market dominated by continuous features and upgrades, the Madison Streamer remains an item that goes against the grain. It does not try to do everything, but to do what it does best. And that is precisely why, now more than ever, it represents one of the purest and most coherent interpretations of contemporary audio streaming.

Wattson Audio Madison Streamer

Maximum resolution: up to PCM 32-bit 384kHz, DSD 256x (11.2896MHz)
S/PDIF: PCM up to 24-bit 192kHz
RCA output level: 2.0V RMS
XLR output level: 4.0V RMS
Signal-to-noise ratio: > 120dB
Harmonic distortion: < 0.001%
Headphone output: 2x 150mW 32Ω
Standards supported: UPnP/DLNA, AirPlay, TIDAL connect, Qobuz connect, Roon Ready, Audirv?na
Streaming services via Wattson Music iOS app: TIDAL, Qobuz, airable radios, DLNA
Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA
Ethernet Input: 100Mbit/s
Digital inputs: 1x S/PDIF optical and 1x S/PDIF coaxial
Headphone output: 6.35mm Jack
Dimensions (WxDxH): 174x185x52mm
Weight: 1075g
Power supply: 5V DC medical grade
Power consumption: 50mW (stby), 3.5 W (on)

Wattson Audio Madison Power S