Wattson Audio Madison Streamer Review: Reference-Level Sound, Desktop Form
Read Time: Approx. 14 min.
TL;DR:
- At $4,995, the Madison delivers reference-level sound quality that rivals components costing four times as much, with Swiss engineering and CH Precision pedigree throughout.
- Don't let the compact size fool you—the Madison produces punchy bass, wide/deep soundstage, and infectious musical energy that belies its modest footprint.
- Achieves the difficult balance of being both analytically revealing and emotionally engaging, with exceptional detail retrieval, impressive imaging/separation, and natural tonal balance that never fatigues.
- Supports PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256, works seamlessly with Roon, Qobuz, Tidal, Audirvāna, and includes innovative LEEDH Processing volume control that eliminates the need for a separate preamp.
- Swiss-crafted from precision-machined aluminum billet, upgradeable external power supply, updatable firmware, and available in light or dark gray finishes for discerning audiophiles seeking long-term performance.
Compact Swiss Powerhouse Proves Size Isn't Everything In High-End Audio
Wattson Audio's flagship digital streamer and DAC, the Madison Streamer, delivers accuracy and musical fidelity in a compact form factorAt $4,995, the Madison Streamer is a full-featured component with a DAC, headphone amplifier, volume control, and built-in streaming capabilities. Every element in this streamer exists to serve the music, nothing more and nothing less. This is one of the few network streamers on the market designed with the audiophile in mind.
With the retirement of the classic and lounge edition models, the Madison line now converges into a single unified design that preserves the performance and topology of the Madison Lounge Edition, while introducing refined exterior detailing. This is a component that promises pure sound, pure power, and reference-level performance without the astronomical price tag typically associated with components of this caliber.
These Swiss Amps & Streamers Deserve Every Audiophile's Attention
PROS
- Exceptional sound-to-size ratio
- Swiss engineering at its finest
- Versatile streaming ecosystem and easy-to-use UI
CONS
- No USB Input
- No balanced 4.4mm jack
- No screen may disappoint some
Design
You're probably asking yourself, "Where's the screen?" Well, that's the beauty of the Madison Streamer. It's a low-profile, easy-to-use audio solution that doesn't need a screen. Let's face it: the flashy features, tiny buttons and knobs, and over-the-top UI are great, but they're not always needed. Sometimes, all the extra fluff can be more of a hindrance than a luxury. So while you may look at the Madison Streamer and see a plain chassis, I see a component designed intentionally–one that delivers you exactly what you paid for; no more, no less.
This minimalist approach keeps as many extra bells and whistles out of the picture as possible to make things as pure as possible. At 6.9" x 7.3" x 2.1", the Madison Streamer is smaller than most home audio hi-fi components. It's the perfect desktop unit that rests comfortably on a shelf or sits hidden away in a cabinet. You don't have to play "keep or toss" with your things to make room for the Madison.
As a true Swiss manufacturer, every detail, from design to assembly, takes place in Switzerland. The Madison is crafted from durable, sustainably sourced materials chosen for their acoustic integrity and minimal environmental impact. The precision-milled aluminum chassis is carved from a solid aluminum billet–a process that is more costly than conventional methods, but it reaps incredible benefits: Structural integrity, superior mechanical damping, and optimal electromagnetic shielding. Each unit is built to perform flawlessly over many years of happy listening.
Externally, the Madison Streamer has been updated with two distinct finishes available: light gray and dark gray, allowing you more flexibility to match the streamer to your existing setup and preferences. A separate external power supply not only provides the ability to upgrade it in the future, but also a clear signal path. While you won't find a screen on the face of the Madison Streamer, what you will find is a large digital volume control that enhances transparency, a 6.3mm headphone jack, and four LED indicator lights for power, coaxial input, Toslink input, and network connection. The 1/4" headphone jack is capable of delivering 150mW on 32 ohms, 50mW on 150 ohms, and 10mW on 600 ohms–more than adequate for most audiophile-grade headphones.
The Madison is primarily controlled through the Wattson Music App (Jump to Features for more information), with access to your library, streaming services, and settings. To power on/off the unit, press and hold the volume control knob for roughly three seconds. Short-press it once to enter standby mode, and long press to power off the unit entirely.
The Madison's connectivity options are curated to serve its primary purpose as a network streamer. There is no USB input, so the component must be connected to your network via Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet connection. If you choose Wi-Fi, there are dedicated Wi-Fi access points available to support that connectivity. A 100Mbit/s Ethernet port on the back panel provides reliable wired network connectivity for those who prefer a stable, hardwired connection.
The Madison supports S/PDIF digital sources with both RCA coaxial and Toslink optical inputs on the back panel, making it easy to pair with a CD player or other digital sources in your system. The analog outputs include one single-ended pair of RCA connectors and one balanced pair of XLR connectors. The RCA output delivers 2.0V RMS at 0dB FS, while the XLR outputs provide 4.0V RMS at 0dB FS, giving you plenty of output voltage to drive most amplifiers with authority.
Sound
After setting up the Madison Streamer at my desk, which entailed plugging the separate power supply into the unit and connecting an Ethernet Cable, I turned it on, enabled it as an audio zone in Roon, and started enjoying my favorite demo tracks. All in all, this setup took less than 10 minutes–quick and painless. I have a standing desk riser placed on top of my large desktop. There's about seven inches of clearance underneath the riser where the Madison sat perfectly nestled out of the way, yet incredibly close for quick volume adjustments.
I spent about an hour listening via Roon on my desktop and then decided to check out the Wattson Music App, which I had downloaded on my iPhone. I'll be honest, I didn't expect much to change between Roon and Wattson's dedicated app, but there was a noticeable difference in sound quality once I started listening with the app...for the better. The sound was richer, more lively, and came in much clearer and closer. I'm not sure how or why, but I'm not complaining.
Once I launched the app, I faced initial frustration because it kept telling me there was no device to connect to. It prompted me to confirm that both the streamer and my phone were on the same network. What do you know, I had made the rookie mistake of using the guest Wi-Fi, which was indeed not the same network the Madison was connected to. I quickly switched to the correct network, reopened the app, and almost instantly, the Madison popped up as an available device to connect.
Once I connected the device, the app prompted me to access my personal library, one of the supported streaming services, or protocols. Qobuz is our go-to here at Moon Audio, so I logged into my account, accessed my favorites, and started listening. Simple and painless.
The Madison Streamer delivers a sound quality that prioritizes neutrality and accuracy above all else. The headphones or speakers paired with a piece of gear can have a significant impact on the overall sonic presentation. If the headphones are naturally bass-heavy, the entire system can skew that way, making it difficult to decipher which sonic qualities originate from the headphones and which come from the component. Over the years of testing audio gear, I've developed a systematic approach: Begin listening with a neutral-sounding headphone to establish a baseline of the gear's tonality. Once identified, I introduce headphones with more pronounced colorations.
To achieve that neutrality, I started with the Meze Audio 105 AER Headphones, a balanced and naturally organic-sounding pair of cans. From the first few songs, it quickly became clear to me that the Madison is engineered to provide an authentic listening experience, where vocals are rich with emotional depth, instruments are layered with impressive separation and imaging, and details emerge naturally.
The bass response has been a topic of discussion among reviewers, and it deserves a special mention. For a component of this size, the Madison delivers a punchy low-end that's impressive and unexpected. The infamous phrase "Never judge a book by its cover" is what makes the Madison the ultimate underdog. You initially look at this component and think, "How good can the sound quality really be from a unit this small?" Well...pretty dang good. The bass response is perfect. It's not overly bloated and doesn't rumble, but when paired with bassy headphones, it delivers a big, bold mid-bass presentation.
The soundstage is equally impressive, stretching both wide and deep for an awesome three-dimensional space. The most important takeaway from my listening sessions, though, is the Madison's ability to deliver infectious energy and emotion that draws you into the music. There's a lively quality to the sound that keeps you engaged–details are presented with clarity and refinement, but never in a way that feels analytical. The Madison Streamer manages to be both detailed and musical, a combination that's harder to achieve than it might seem.
Whether it's the rhythmic flow of reggae that draws you in, or the nuance and detail of jazz, classical, and complex passages, the Madison conveys your favorite songs with authenticity and emotion. The type of finesse that reveals music exactly as it was meant to be heard.
Tangerine
By Glass Animals
(Dreamland)
365 featuring shygirl bb trickz
By Chari XCX
(Brat and it's completely different but also still brat)
Creatures in Heaven
By Glass Animals
(I Love You So F***ing Much)
NUEVAYoL
By Bad Bunny
(DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS)
Features
- Proprietary bit perfect and asynchronous streaming solution
- Support for PCM and DSD high-definition formats
- New up-sampling process with time-domain optimization, legacy of the famous Anagram Technology up-samplers
- Lossless LEEDH Processing volume control for direct connection to power amplifiers
- Adjustable bass response to compensate for speaker placement near walls
- Ultra-low phase noise oscillators
- One D/A converter chip per channel in dual differential mode
- Full-symmetric analogue output stages
- Very low-noise power supply circuits
- CNC-machined out of a solid aluminium block
- Design, manufacturing and assembling entirely made in Switzerland
The Madison Streamer's technical excellence is attributed to CH Precision, the renowned Swiss high-end audio manufacturer and parent company of Wattson Audio. Internally, the Madison remains identical to its predecessor, the acclaimed Lounge Edition, preserving the topology and circuitry that made that model so successful.
The Madison is built around Wattson Audio's proprietary streaming platform, renowned for its natural, accurate musicality. With a fully balanced differential design using two pairs of op-amps per channel, an exceptionally low noise floor, and a robust output stage, the Madison has the authority needed to drive connected amplifiers with precision. Ultra-low-noise voltage regulators are used to provide optimal power to every critical circuit section in the Madison, from clock generators to synchronization circuits and the analog stage. Upgraded critical capacitors between the DAC chips and the analog output stage have been placed to improve transparency.
The Madison supports PCM playback up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD256 via network streaming, and PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz through its S/PDIF inputs. The internal headphone amplifier is capable of delivering 150mW on 32 ohms, 50mW on 150 ohms, and 10mW on 600 ohms–more than adequate for most audiophile-grade headphones.
DAC Architecture
At the heart of the Madison Streamer sits a powerful DSP-based DAC that merges advanced digital signal processing with a meticulously executed analog output stage. Built around the highly capable Sitara Processor from Texas Instruments and an upgradable DSP-driven DAC, the Madison elevates fidelity and musicality for an emotional listening experience.
LEEDH-Processing: Pure Sound, Simplified Volume Control
Wattson Audio streamers use the company's LEEDH Processing Volume Control, built on a mathematical approach that virtually eliminates quantization errors while preserving the purity of the audio signal. This method allows for seamless adjustment of digital signal amplitude without introducing any degradation or coloration to the sound.
With LEEDH Processing, a direct path is created from the digital-to-analog converter to a power amplifier or active loudspeakers, eliminating the need for an analog preamplifier. By simplifying the signal path, listeners will enjoy the excellent clarity, dynamics, and precision of their Wattson Audio component. The 64-bit attenuator preserves even the smallest signal changes, ensuring that volume adjustments don't compromise resolution or detail, even at lower listening levels.
Music Sources and Streaming Integration
The Wattson Music app provides comprehensive access to multiple music sources. Once the Madison is detected and the connection is established, navigate through the following music sources: Tidal or Qobuz, radio stations offered by Airable, or your local UPnP/DLNA media servers. You'll have access to the full catalog and personal favorites on your Tidal and/or Qobuz account, making it easy to dive into curated playlists, discover new music, or search for the perfect track.
The Madison Streamer is Roon Ready, granting you access to the plethora of features Roon's software provides. The streamer is also designed to work with Audirvāna, a platform capable of playing high-resolution music files on Mac and Windows. With integrated support for streaming services like Qobuz, TIDAL, and HRA, the Madison Streamer integrates seamlessly with Audirvāna's proprietary playback engine.
The Wattson Music app will automatically select the highest streaming quality supported by your subscription, with the option to adjust this setting through the menu beside the service name. With Wattson Music's Queue feature, you can plan an entire listening session, adding full albums, playlists, or individual tracks from your streaming service or media server.
Dragon Cables
[Silver Dragon Coax Digital Cable, Silver Dragon Premium Interconnect Cable, Silver Dragon Network Cable]
To unlock the Madison's extraordinary capabilities, we recommend pairing it with premium cables that match its transparent nature. Moon Audio's Silver Dragon Premium Interconnect Cable, Silver Dragon Coax Digital Cable, and Silver Dragon Network Cable serve as ideal companions, preserving signal integrity while allowing the streamer's exceptional detail and tonal accuracy to shine through. The Silver Dragon interconnects, and Coax Digital Cables maintain the Madison's pristine signal path with superior conductivity and a low noise floor, while the Silver Dragon Network Cable ensures clean, stable network delivery—critical for maximizing the performance of the Madison's sophisticated internal circuitry.
Verdict
At $4,995, the Wattson Audio Madison Streamer delivers reference-level sound quality in a compact form factor that rivals components costing significantly more. The beauty of the Madison lies in its refreshing simplicity and Swiss precision. By focusing exclusively on what truly matters—exceptional digital-to-analog conversion, pristine signal processing, and uncompromising audio performance—Wattson Audio has created a high-end component that embodies a perfect balance of technical mastery and musical artistry.
Don't let the Madison's size fool you–this is the ultimate underdog in the streaming world. The Madison delivers a punchy, impressive bass response with an infectious energy that draws you into the music, revealing exactly what the artist intended. It manages to be both detailed and musical, a combination that's harder to achieve than it might seem. It's a component that proves the old adage "never judge a book by its cover."
The Swiss-engineered chassis, upgradeable power supply, and CH Precision pedigree ensure this is an investment built to last. Unlock the streamer's full potential with our Dragon Audio Cables. Given the Madison's transparent and revealing nature, the Silver Dragon Premium Interconnect Cable, Silver Dragon Coax Digital Cable, and Silver Dragon Network Cable preserve signal integrity and ensure clean delivery without adding unwanted coloration.
Whether you're rediscovering familiar recordings or exploring new music, the Madison Streamer's pure sound reproduction reveals something new with every listen. For discerning audiophiles seeking an uncompromising digital audio source that prioritizes purity, precision, and performance, choose none other than the Wattson Audio Madison Streamer.
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What's in the Box
- Wattson Audio Madison Streamer
- 1 External Power Supply 5V DC
- 1 Power Cord
Specifications
Network Streaming Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit 384kHz, DSD up to 256x (11,2896MHz)
S/PDIF Input Resolution: PCM up to 24-bit 192kHz
RCA Output Level (0dB FS): 2.0V RMS
XLR Output Level (0dB FS): 4.0V RMS
Signal-to-noise, weighted (SNR-A): <120dB
Harmonic Distortion (THD+N, 0dB FS): <0.001%
Headphone Output: 2x 150mW on 32 ohms, 2x 50mW on 150 ohms, 2x 10mW on 600 ohms
Supported Standards: UPnP/DLNA, AirPlay, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, plays with Audirvana
Streaming Services brought by the Wattson Music iOS App: TIDAL, Qobuz, airable radios, DLNA servers
Supported Audio File Formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA
Network Input: 100Mbit/s Ethernet
Digital Inputs: 1x S/PDIF on RCA connector, PCM and 1x S/PDIF on TOSLink
Analog Outputs: 1x unbalanced on RCA connectors and 1x balanced on XLR
Headphone Output: 6.35mm jack connector
Dimensions (W x D x H): 174 x 185 x 52mm (6.9 x 7.3 x 2.1 in)
Weight: 1075g (2.37 lbs)
Power Supply: 5V DC, external, medical grade
Power Consumption: 50mW (idle), 3.5W (playing)
