Wattson Audio Madison LE Streamer

After it was delivered, I weighed the box containing Wattson Audio's DAC-equipped Madison LE Streamer on my bathroom scale.

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D/A PROCESSOR

It was hardly bigger than a shoebox. It weighed 8.3lb.

When I opened the main box, I found two smaller boxes. The little brown one contained a fist-sized power supply in a chassis of extruded aluminum, with a label attached that said "AC/DC Hybrid Adaptor" next to a circle containing a sun cross symbol and the words "Designed, Engineered and Built in Switzerland" in capital letters circling its top edge. Below the circle was more writing: "Wattson Audio-a CH Precision company."

The Wattson Madison LE's 2.3lb chassis was inside a larger white box with black block letters saying "Madison." Under that, written in cursive, were the words "Lounge Edition." The L in LE is for Lounge, not Limited as you might expect.

I've reviewed a few DACs but never one this small, light, and elegantly formed.

Not knowing much about Wattson Audio, I asked the patient, personable Kevin Wolff, head of Wattson's and CH Precision's international sales, to tell me the company's origin story.

"Our journey began as design consultants for some of the most prestigious and well-known brands in the audio world-the kind of brands whose owners might spend more on a single component than the cost of a European sports sedan. This experience honed our expertise and gave us a front-row seat to how established engineering and manufacturing practices were being applied to emerging technologies, formats, and musical media. Over time, our continued advancements in digital and streaming technologies revealed a deeper opportunity-a way to fully express our innovations through a product line of our own.

Thus, Wattson Audio was born.

"CH Precision's acquisition of Wattson Audio marks the union of two innovative forces in high-end audio, combining CH Precision's expertise in ultrahigh-performance systems with Wattson's commitment to accessible, efficient, and forward-thinking audio solutions."