[mrarroyo]

Thanks for the response rickrad and others. I am now thinking of getting a macbook as an alternative to the Wadia 170i.

 

[2wheels4me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minimus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Funny, I am using the Analysis Plus Digital Oval cables in my system as well -- they are excellent. It is admittedly bizarre to spend as much on a digital cable as on the Oppo transport, but after testing various cables it was pretty clear that digital cables make a very big difference to sound quality. The RAM mods sound like a good possible alternative to the Pace Car. How much did the mods cost in total and do they eliminate jitter? (I assume that is the purpose of the Superclock4.) Also, have you had a chance to compare your modded Wadia to a good dedicated CD player or transport?

I was lucky enough to be Kyle's Guinea pig for the mods, and as such, I only paid for parts, which alone was not insignificant: $611. I don't think that the labor would be bad, as nothing was very difficult. Keep in mind that this also includes diode and cap changes to the CI supply, but most of the cost was the clock ($295) and the two voltage regulators ($85 ea, as I remember) and the wonderful WBT output jack ($40). Though unmeasured, the jitter was obviously reduced: the soundstage when played through my excellent full-up stereo, using the same Cullen-modded PSAudio DAC, went from non-existent to large; detail went from muddy to very nicely resolved. Very involving and hi-fidelity, for sure.

It obviously wants/needs lossless files, but even compressed Pandora sounds pretty good for casual listening. However, the net result is very musical and nearly the equivalent to being driven by my highly modded Shanling/Cullen combo. No "sibilance", no harshness nor glare, with powerful and articulate bass. The only fault would be slightly missing that last tiny bit of air that the very expensive Shanling/Cullen setup has. My audiophile friends auditioned and were amazed, and for some material for all three of us, the Wadia/IPod/Lossless combo sounded BETTER, more musical. Final caveat: I am using PSAudio Duet power conditioning and BlackSand Violet power cables. The stock power cables for the Cullen and the Wadia darken the sound and compress the soundstage noticeably. If you can afford it, get good power, folks. All of the changes, and once again, especially the Analysis Plus cable to the DAC, mattered. It all integrated up to a very fine source.

I just looked, and Kyle is now posting Wadia iTransport mods as upcoming. One needs to be patient with him as he is not quick to respond to emails. As a matter of fact, I am waiting for a Superclock4 to arrive as an upgrade for my Shanling CD, and have waited a LONG time. I am also lucky enough to be within driving distance (105 miles). Shoot him an email and hope he responds. You might mention me (John Spinks) and my experience with him; we got on well with each other during discussions at the drop off and pick up.

I had a LOT of fun with this and use the Wadia almost every day.

 

[tunes]

Would the TADAC SOUND better with the Wadia
than the Benchmark DAC 1 pre?

The tube DAC seems interesting and since the tubes last forever this is irrelevant. Will it work with high res downloaded files 24/96?

Should I sell my Bemchmark DAC?


Quote:

Originally Posted by rickrad /img/forum/go_quote.gif it depends on what you are after. I wanted to replace my expensive cd player and have a high end "portable" music server...take the ipod out for headphone listening while mowing or whatever and plug it in for home listening.....and no shuffling cds in and out. BTW i recommend the Keces 131 MKII DAC if you do go the Wadia route..its great bang for the buck at $365(new on ebay) and has the exact same footprint as the Wadia if you want to stack em.

 

[noshortcuts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tunes /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would the TADAC SOUND better with the Wadia than the Benchmark DAC 1 pre? The tube DAC seems interesting and since the tubes last forever this is irrelevant. Will it work with high res downloaded files 24/96? Should I sell my Bemchmark DAC?

There are those on AVS and Audioreview.com who have compared the TADAC to the Benchmark (and several others) and all say the TADAC has better sound. These were not specific to use with the Wadia unit. It will handle 96 or PCM, it will not handle DVD 192k. Here's a link: Tube Audio Design. Ignore the "list price". It always sold for around 1k.

 

[doggiehowser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tunes /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would the TADAC SOUND better with the Wadia than the Benchmark DAC 1 pre? The tube DAC seems interesting and since the tubes last forever this is irrelevant. Will it work with high res downloaded files 24/96? Should I sell my Bemchmark DAC?

The Benchmark is one of the most neutral and detailed DACs around. That was the design goal. Whether you like the SOUND or not is the question.

Personally I like the Benchmark sound. It is clean, clear and very detailed.

But for some of my badly mastered CDs, I use a tube buffer in between the Benchmark and the pre-amp.

Benchmark XLR out to XLR in of pre-amp

Benchmark RCA out to RCA in of tube buffer
Tube buffer RCA out to RCA in of pre-amp

It gives a smoother, more mellow sound.

I have been using a madeinChina Yaqin CD2 tube buffer. There are pricier and better built ones around.

 

[Golden Ears]

I am about to join the club! But I need to know if I can stuff a headphone amp/dac into the i170.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Ears /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am about to join the club! But I need to know if I can stuff a headphone amp/dac into the i170.

I stuffed a Benchmark DAC1pre into mine.

 

[scootermafia]

So easy to build a good coax cable. Just go get a roll of solder and an iron, go to the SonicCraft website and buy a few feet of Neotech's silver coax (the Oyaide one is good too) for $25/foot. Then 2 RCA plugs of your choice (or BNC). Solder the shield to the ground and the center conductor to the pin. About $80 to have a reference-level cable.

Just saw that the QED cable everyone's talking about is silver plated OFC whereas the Oyaide and Neotech cables are pure OCC silver...

 

[IPodPJ]

In my experience, the longer the cable the better. It minimizes signal reflections. The 18 ft. RCA to BNC cable I bought from Blue Jeans for $24 works much better than any of my other coax cables. I will only use long coax cables from now on.

 

[Golden Ears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcf /img/forum/go_quote.gif I stuffed a Benchmark DAC1pre into mine.

I really was looking more in the line of a $100 Dac...even a used one that would fit.

I got my transport today.. I was a bit disappointed compared to my Wadia 860 in terms of materials.. but I LOVE the WADIA logo and what it stands for... If this is what it takes to get the digimaster algorithum experienced by more who buy their first wadia product as a transport..and eventually check out the brand..well that is worth it.

Gotta stuff a dac circuit board in there (coaxial preferably for ease of adapting it....anyone do this on the cheap...PIC's??

Any links to any threads I might have missed about this....???

 

[Golden Ears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcf /img/forum/go_quote.gif I stuffed a Benchmark DAC1pre into mine.

Were there any sonic benefits?

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Ears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Were there any sonic benefits?

Big apology for the misleading line! I was just joking and didn't physically put a DAC1 inside the iTransport. I only plugged it in.

Sorry about that.

Paul

 

[Twitchy_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcf /img/forum/go_quote.gif Big apology for the misleading line! I was just joking and didn't physically put a DAC1 inside the iTransport. I only plugged it in. Sorry about that. Paul

Good to know cuz I thought I was going to
lose my mind when I read that statement.

It's disappointing to read all the things people
had to do to it in order to get it to sound good;
that it can't stand-alone.

I wonder if, when the Wadia DACs come out
to complement the 170i transport, it will already
include jitter correction in the hardware so
you won't need mods or extras.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twitchy_one /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good to know cuz I thought I was going to lose my mind when I read that statement. It's disappointing to read all the things people had to do to it in order to get it to sound good; that it can't stand-alone. I wonder if, when the Wadia DACs come out to complement the 170i transport, it will already include jitter correction in the hardware so you won't need mods or extras.

I didn't use any jitter reduction devices with mine (I'm serious this time

)and it doesn't sound all that bad. I have two iTransports, the one I use at work goes into a Paradisea+; the other one goes into the Benchmark DAC1pre. I am happy with both. Honest!

 

[Golden Ears]

I am not sure how welcome this will be on this board...but it is in the interest of getting the best sound. I now have a full WAV files-->6th gen 160 gig ipod--->Wadia 170i --->using monster cable digital coaxial cable going into a apogee mini DAC-->into a retubed Audio research VT 100 Mark 2--->into MIT speaker cable---> into ProAC response 1SC monitors on Target MR 24 inch stands filled with 100lbs each of Lead shot.

Now if I go Apple Lossless--- macbook pro 17"--->wireless airtunes to airport express----> 3.5 toslink adapter----Wireworld Supra 5 optical cable 5 meter cable---apogee mini DAC ---audio research VT 100 mark 2 etc...

well frankly the optical wireless connection stomps the living crap out of the Wadia Dock.. (and I LOVE WADIA..and am currently looking for a 860x player..)
am I doing anything wrong?

I always thought (and heard ) that good coaxial killed optical... for SQ. but in this case the optical is giving excellent results... so much so...that I really can't be bothered to listen to the 170i....which sounds lifeless in comparison..

So I sold my Wadia 170i and Ipod 160 gig 6th gen and likely will buy the new 64gig ipod touch (which I hope sounds good like the iphone GS...any opinions on that???)

Well I hope others try this combo and post their thoughts.. or at least tell me what I could do to improve the Wadia 170i for the friend I sold it to.(he needs simple to operate audio and has trouble with iTunes at 76 years old. I'd like to improve hte sound... but I am wary of doing the power supply upgrade...