[Acoustic Chef]

I had to pop in and say this thing is absolutely incredible! If you've never heard this masterpiece; take your idea of perfect multiply it by 10 and you're almost there.

 

[granodemostasa]

yea... wadia is listed as one of my top three "dream" sources for a reason. Glad you're enjoying such an amazing CD player...

 

[IPodPJ]

And how much is this amazing player? You piqued by interest in it some time ago, Matt. I'd still like to hear a head to head with the 840c, but I'm sure the 581i se is quite a bit more money than the 840c.

When I buy a product, I like to buy the best product the company makes. Knowing that I did not have the top of the line Wadia would always leave me feeling a bit unfulfilled. I'm just weird like that.

I can't find a price on the Wadia. Everytime you click on one of their dealers links and then click on their Wadia link, it always takes you back to the Wadia page. I'm curious to know how much that 55 lb. monster costs.

Edit: Ah, well I just found a price on it, as of mid 2006, so I don't know if it's still the same.

581 = $6,950
581i = $8,450.

Yeah, quite a bit out of my price range. About $7,000 outside of it (although at the moment, $8,450 outside of it). There's no point at all in getting the basic 581 since I'd be using it with digital inputs 99% of the time. I think I'll stick with the 840c at around $1,500. It's been compared alongside $10,000 units. But I'm sure the Wadia outperforms it, and it should for that price. I'm sure it's an amazing unit.

I'd actually be more interested in their Decoding Computer line since I only need the DAC. Having to change a CD everytime is no longer convenient since we've been spoiled by media players and music servers. But I guess I would have to buy an RCA-to-BNC cable (if that's even doable) to use with it since their units don't accept RCA Coax inputs.

 

[vcoheda]

i've never heard a wadia, but the 581 is supposed to be pretty sweet. at that price range though it would be hard to pass on the emm labs cdsa se.

wouldn't mind having that dilemma.

 

[Acoustic Chef]

PJ please don't disrespect the Wadia by bringing an 840c into the conversation.. It's just not fair.
There is no other word to describe this player but pure magic.
I mean, there is no need to go into specifics because every specific is beyond comprehension. Take every aspect of audio, define it as perfection, and you have the 581i se.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acoustic Chef /img/forum/go_quote.gif PJ please don't disrespect the Wadia by bringing an 840c into the conversation.. It's just not fair. There is no other word to describe this player but pure magic. I mean, there is no need to go into specifics because every specific is beyond comprehension. Take every aspect of audio, define it as perfection, and you have the 581i se.

Don't take it personally.

What do you mean no need to go in specifics? Of course that type of information is important. If people want specifics for cables, they sure are going to want them for components. You can't just say it's better without saying why it's better. That doesn't help anyone to make a sound purchase. Would you throw down $8,500 on a piece of audio equipment just because someone said it was pure magic or would you want to know why?

You certainly can't say "it's perfection" without giving reasons why. Everyone says that about their current equipment and then when they upgrade they realize their older stuff wasn't quite perfect.

And that's why I think the 840c would be a great piece to use for comparing. More people will be able to afford the 840c than the 581ise, so it would be beneficial to tell people what the Wadia can do that the 840c can't. That's the only honest way to convince people to buy a product you recommend, aside from listening to it firsthand.

 

[milkpowder]

IPodPJ, it's kinda funny that you hype up the 840c so much even before you've eve purchased one! If the 840c is compared to $10k players, than the 581i will be compared to $40k sources.

 

[Acoustic Chef]

Na, I ant here to convince people to buy a Wadia.
I was so overwhelmed yesterday after listing to what this thing could do I had to express my enthusiasm.

 

[elrod-tom]

Having heard most of the Wadia line (we've had several Head-Fi meets on site

), I have to concur that what these products do to produce music is nothing short of stunning. I've almost bit the bullet on several occasions, and probably will at some point (though the 581se is probably out of my price range...by the time you add the cost of a divorce attorney to it

).

I've heard an early prototype of the 581, but it was without the SACD capability at that point. Have you listened to it with SACD? Has there been any more talk about adding optional DVD-A capability to it?