[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally posted by jefemeister Come on guys, let's hear some impressions about the 302. Good or Bad, long or short, doesn't matter. I designed a whole lot of that player and I'm really excited to hear how it was received. PM is cool too if you don't want to post for some reason.

It is very difficult for me to comment on this wonderful piece of equipment. I have rarely, if ever, had the opportunity to listen to so many high end sources, amps and headphones. It's hard to know what part of the system is contributing what to the sound. That being said, I did have an opportunity to listen to the Wadia when it was hooked up to the Maestro. I listened to the Steely Dan "Decade" album that someone had brought in. I had to listen to Bodhisattva twice because I couldn't get over how articulate the guitar solo was. I've heard that solo dozens, if not hundreds of times, but it had a fresh new air to it. Almost as if I was seeing it performed live, note for note from the album, but with more energy and power. The words that come to mind with this setup are musical, smooth, liquid and detailed. In my mind, detailed and smooth almost seem to be contradictions, but I guess that's what good audio is all about.

 

[erikzen]

I meant to attach a picture of the Wadia 302 in my previous post.

Here it is:

 

[lextek]

Sure looks good!

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

seems like the XP-7 was lying in the portable section thus was unoticed most of the time(?). wow, based on those pics of the gear lying around, no one could blame you guys.

Tina, this was my fault because the XP-7 should have gone in the big toys room right next to the HP-2 so that everyone (including myself) could do A/B comparisons. (There isa good thread on this subject, but it's always nice to listen for yourself). The XP-7 is an ultra serious portable amp, and IMO compares well with some higher end home-based head amps.

I'll be bringing the XP-7 to the Florida meet, which is looking to be on December 14th and hosted by "Matt' in the Tampa/Clearwater area, although this has not yet been confirmed. Hopefully, there will be more XP-7 impressions at that time.

 

[eric343]

Ooh, nice!

What's the price of the 302 and 861?

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally posted by eric343 Ooh, nice! What's the price of the 302 and 861?

The 301 is about $4000 and the 861 is around $8000, although there are three versions of the 861 ranging from 6-10K.

Jeff, the thing that always amazes me about the Wadia players is their natural presentation and the lack of grain and digital glare. The 302, like all Wadias, is great at sorting out a polyphony of sounds and making sense of complicated dynamic passages. Instrument separation and spatial presentation of images allows for careful analysis of each individual instrument. I felt the 302 was laid back in nature as far as I could tell from a few days of use. It was however dynamic and satisfying. I honestly have not heard a lot of $4,000 sources. I can tell you however that the Wadia exhibits qualities that I have been looking for and have never found in a cheaper source (like the SCD-1 and Arcam CD23). You guys did a great job on the 302.

 

[maestro]

What camera did you use to take the photos? They turned out very well, even from what appears to be very low light? Also, what lens did you use?

 

[lan]

I used a Canon 10D with 50mm f/1.4. I just didn't want to bring or use the built in flash so most of these were between f/1.4 and f/2.8 using higher ISO. I don't really like the short depth of field but it's better than blurrier pics.

 

[maestro]

I've got a 10D, but with a 28-135 F3.5. It won't open up nearly as much as yours, and as a result I can't get past the awful "blurry shots." Do you mind if I ask what brand you got and if you're happy with it? I'm looking at getting a fixed lens with a wider aperature.

 

[lan]

I have the Canon 50mm f/1.4 and I love it. It's got great optics, is light, has USM, and fast. I wouldn't try low light shooting handheld non flash with anything slower than this. It's general purpose enough if I were to be inside, walk around the city, snap pics of people.

For the same price as above mentioned lens, you could also get 2 lenses, Canon's 50mm f/1.8 II and 35mm f/2.0. They're pretty close in focal length so I just got 24mm f/2.8 instead as I don't find much use for the 35mm and I don't need a super fast wide angle lens. If you're looking for other primes, 85mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2 are pretty fast also and not mega expensive. I like primes for their optical quality. If you can deal with not having zoom, that could be the way to go.

 

[maestro]

Thanks for the info.

I found the 50mm f/1.8 II at B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...u=12142&is=USA , looks like a great price, so I think I'll pick one up, your photos really convinced me I need a faster lens.

*edit*
crap, just noticed its out of stock

 

[Sentral Dogma]

Quote:

Originally posted by immtbiker Next time I'm bringing "Hello my name is": stickers, because it is ludicrious for us not to know each others names and monikers.

Agreed.