NORMAL AND SHIFT MODES
Three other buttons on the front panel have different functions, depending on whether the unit is in Normal mode or Shift mode. In Normal mode, these buttons select the desired sampling frequency and wordlength of the digital audio output, plus whether the word clock is to be derived from the internal crystal or an external source. (An error LED alerts you to loss of sync or absence of signal.) When 16- or 20-bit wordlengths are chosen, proprietary dither is applied internally to the signals. The WZ-AD96M can lock to external word clock at sampling frequencies from 44.1 to 96 kHz, +/- 6%.

The WZ-AD96M’s shift mode allows you to route the unit’s input signals to both the stock digital outputs and the optional WZ-AESAD output card in Dual-Wire AES/EBU mode. It’s worth noting that the owner’s manual is quite confusing on this subject and leaves a number of questions unanswered. Vague references are also made regarding a 24-bit/96kHz ADAT lightpipe mode, but details as to how the data is allocated to each track and later reassembled—not to mention what devices can currently use such a format—were unavailable from Panasonic. A large Power button, with associated LED completes the front panel controls.

THE ACID TEST
Impressed by the WZ-AD96M’s -128dB equivalent input noise spec, ruler-flat frequency response and dynamic range of 117 dB (A-weighted), I was eager to set up some A/B listening tests. My first recordings were of a flat-picked acoustic guitar with brand-spankin’-new strings, using DPA 4011 mics in a spaced pair configuration. I made alternate recordings with matching gain structures to an Alesis MasterLink disk recorder, first using the WZ-AD96M and then using a Millennia Media HV-3 dual-channel mic preamp and Apogee Rosetta A/D converter. Playback was through the MasterLink’s excellent D/A converters.

The HV-3/Rosetta combination offered noticeably superior transient response to the WZ-AD96M. The Panasonic unit’s transient response was quite good, but not great. However, the WZ-AD96M’s timbre was fuller in the mids than the Millennia/Apogee combo, which sounded a little thin by comparison. I decided that this was not a demonstration of superior depth, but merely a timbral difference that equalization could probably neutralize. To its credit, the WZ-AD96M’s stereo spread was equally as wide as the HV-3/Rosetta combo, a reflection of its excellent 114dB crosstalk spec.

Both sets of mic preamps (Millennia and Panasonic) were cranked to the max for this test in order to get full-scale recordings (and the Rosetta was calibrated to make up the difference in maximum available gain between the different preamps). At these admittedly extreme settings, the HV-3/Rosetta combo was noticeably quieter during program fades compared to the WZ-AD96M, which nevertheless performed well.

Next up were male vocals, recorded through the same mic preamps and converters but using a Lawson L47MP tube condenser microphone placed seven inches away from the performer. Here, the HV3/Rosetta combination offered a little more depth, aided perhaps by the extra degree of nuance and detail produced by superior transient responses. The difference sounded as if the performer had moved a few inches closer to the mic (without the added bass proximity effect) for the HV3/Rosetta recording, even though distances to the mic were stringently maintained.

CONCLUSIONS
When considering the above A/B tests, it’s important to bear in mind that only two channels of Millennia Media HV-3 mic preamps and Apogee Rosetta converters cost more than the eight-channel WZ-AD96M. Considering its rock-bottom price, the WZ-AD96M is an excellent performer.

If you demand the highest-quality signal path possible, you’ll still have to dole out the big bucks to get it. For those on a tight budget looking for a modestly priced rack of mic pre’s and high-resolution A/D converters, the Panasonic WZ-AD96M is definitely worth a listen.

Panasonic, 3330 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90068; phone: 323/436-3500; www.panasonic.com/proaudio.

Michael Cooper is the owner of Michael Cooper Recording, located outside the resort town of Sisters at the base of the Oregon Cascades.

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Reprinted with permission from Magazine, September, 2000
© 2000, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved