Wattson Audio-Emerson DIGITAL

The clearest path from the internet to your system’s DAC

Don’t be fooled by the small size and outward simplicity of the Emerson DIGITAL, its lack of facilities or the apparent simplicity of the task it has been designed to perform. There’s nothing simple about taking a music stream from the network and feeding it to a DAC – and an almost infinite capacity for error. Every aspect of the Emerson DIGITAL, from the components selected to the circuit topology, the milled from solid casework to the proprietary software, is based on our extensive work with many of the highest profile and most highly regarded brands on the market. This really is high-end performance and engineering distilled down to its most minimal form.

Network replay and compatibility

The Emerson DIGITAL’s network interface employs Wattson Audio’s own, highly regarded streaming engine. It’s a proprietary solution we build around the Sitara processor from Texas Instruments, which depends on our own, updatable software and which you’ll find in some remarkably high-profile and expensive products. This handles the ever-increasing number of network communication protocols and has been continuously developed and updated since its introduction. Signal handling has been optimized to ensure audio data integrity, transmission reliability and support for Hi-Res file formats without transcoding, all while delivering a smooth and responsive user experience.

Emerson DIGITAL is a “bit-perfect” device, from its RJ45 input to its AES/EBU or S/PDIF output. We build the Emerson DIGITAL’s circuit around an exactingly executed internal clock, with a pair of superb, ultra low-noise oscillators, one to accommodate material sampled at a base frequency of 44.1kHz, the other for 48kHz (as well as any multiples thereof). The distribution of the clock signals has been carefully designed to minimize jitter throughout the digital audio signal path, while only the active oscillator is powered to minimize noise and jitter.

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The digital output stages

The provision of both S/PDIF and AES/EBU outputs makes the Emerson DIGITAL the perfect partner for any DAC or digital component that doesn’t offer a streaming input – or the perfect upgrade to DACs that do. In order to precisely match the specifications for both S/PDIF and AES/EBU, we use separate modulators for each output. High-speed output stages, synchronized by the main clock to further avoid jitter, and two wide-band RF transformers, ensure the rejection of common mode problems and deliver superior performance from the independent, isolated outputs. The sophisticated LEEDH loss-less digital volume control can also be selected for either output.
Thanks to the Wattson Remote for Android and Wattson Music for iOS apps, you can control your Emerson ANALOG, and access your streaming sources from your phone or tablet, respectively.

With its distinctive, compact design, carved from solid billet aluminium and protected by powder coating, the Emerson DIGITAL is a surprisingly solid yet discrete addition to any system. But its astonishing musical impact is hard to miss: musical AND engineering integrity delivered by a single, affordable unit.