Wadia 860x OR Mark Levinson No.36

[GoRedwings19]

I was wondering if headfiers could give me some advice. I want a high-end source for cd replay. Now it's a choice between a Wadia 860x which is on ebay at a reasonable price or should I use my existing DVD/SACD player and buy a mark levinson no.36 dac???? Obviously either choices would perform better than what I am currently using. I listen to a wide range of music. But I don't want it sounding too digital because I am looking to get into tube headphone amps. What do headfiers think????? Thanks for any advice given.

 

[bozebuttons]

I had the ML36 & loved my time with it,It replaced a Sony Xa7es player.
Used the Sony DVP7700 as a transport,Kimber d60 digital cable.
A much more relaxed Dac then the sonyXa7es But in my opinion a level above in musical presentation. Chose it over the SonySCD777es player at the time with no regretes. I never heard the Wadia so I can't comment on that.I sold the Ml36 to buy The Ml360s Thats how much I liked the Levinson sound. Owned the 360s for 3 years,only sold it because I bought the Meitner gear.
I sold the ml36 for 1100.00 at the time because I got a good deal. But if you could get a good deal on one I highly recommend it.

 

[GoRedwings19]

thanks bozebuttons. Is there anywhere where I can buy mint condition Mark levinson stuff ( used), the problem is I live in the UK. ML stuff do not appear over here that often and when they do it is really expensive. Personally I wouls like a one box-system like a ML 390s but I don't know the going price for one used. Are there any specialllist places for used hi end goodies and please don't say audiogon.

 

[bozebuttons]

Look On audiogon.com There is a mint 220volt ml36 version on auction with low reserve ,check it out.Don't know the seller.
I have had many good dealings on audiogon for many years,Why not audiogon?

 

[theaudiohobby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 I was wondering if headfiers could give me some advice. I want a high-end source for cd replay. Now it's a choice between a Wadia 860x which is on ebay at a reasonable price or should I use my existing DVD/SACD player and buy a mark levinson no.36 dac???? Obviously either choices would perform better than what I am currently using. I listen to a wide range of music. But I don't want it sounding too digital because I am looking to get into tube headphone amps. What do headfiers think????? Thanks for any advice given.

I think your best course of action is to get the Mark Levinson DAC or some of the better DACs out there. With a good DAC, some CDs can sound really good, though I will be remit to loose SACD capability because once you hear the difference between an excellent CD and an excellent SACD there is simply no going back. If you listen to classical or jazz, SACD is more or less mandatory.

 

[jefemeister]

The 860x can be upgraded to full 861 status for $2000. GNSC can also do some fantastic things to it. The 860 supports 96kHz on its digital inputs and has digital vol control, so you could run your DVD player into it for watching movies (provided you're a 2ch kind of guy). The Levsinson is a great unit, but,to my knowledge, doesn't have volume control. It does do HDCD though which the 860 does not.


http://www.marklevinson.com/downloads/manuals/no36.pdf
http://www.wadia.com/library/manuals/w860man.pdf
("x" upgrade adds significantly improved clocking and 96kHz capability to 860.

edit: now that I think of it, the upgrade might only be $1000. It's possible the $2000 is for upgrade from stock 860.

 

[bifcake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons I had the ML36 & loved my time with it,It replaced a Sony Xa7es player. Used the Sony DVP7700 as a transport,Kimber d60 digital cable. A much more relaxed Dac then the sonyXa7es But in my opinion a level above in musical presentation. Chose it over the SonySCD777es player at the time with no regretes. I never heard the Wadia so I can't comment on that.I sold the Ml36 to buy The Ml360s Thats how much I liked the Levinson sound. Owned the 360s for 3 years,only sold it because I bought the Meitner gear. I sold the ml36 for 1100.00 at the time because I got a good deal. But if you could get a good deal on one I highly recommend it.

Hey Bozebuttons,

How much of a difference in sound fidelity was there between the ML 36 and 360S?

Thanks

 

[Tomcat]

GoRedwings,

If I were to spend big bucks on a digital front end, I'd invest in a non-oversampling Audio Note DAC and forget about SACD. To my ears, non-oversampling DACs are musically far more engaging and pleasing than SACD. If you really want state-of-the-art digital playback, you have to try a modern non-oversampling DAC. Please.

 

[theaudiohobby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomcat GoRedwings, If I were to spend big bucks on a digital front end, I'd invest in a non-oversampling Audio Note DAC and forget about SACD. To my ears, non-oversampling DACs are musically far more engaging and pleasing than SACD. If you really want state-of-the-art digital playback, you have to try a modern non-oversampling DAC. Please.

wow, that is strong statement.., here is a link to someone who owns both the the Benchmark DAC1 and the Audio Note DAC 1.X as well as a super duper SACD machine. His findings suggest that the non-oversampling DAC was no better than the oversampling DAC. All the time he has owned the AN DAC, I have never read him say that it was better than SACD.

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake Hey Bozebuttons, How much of a difference in sound fidelity was there between the ML 36 and 360S? Thanks

Similiar in sound,the 360s has double the dacs,more detail,better resolution
just more refined sound,but at a much higher cost,the ml36 is no slouch ecen compared to the 360s.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Or maybe dcs purcell/elgar/verdi to end the argument!!!!!

 

[theaudiohobby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Or maybe dcs purcell/elgar/verdi to end the argument!!!!!

Now that's a source on wish list

 

[Tomcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theaudiohobby wow, that is strong statement.., here is a link to someone who owns both the the Benchmark DAC1 and the Audio Note DAC 1.X as well as a super duper SACD machine. His findings suggest that the non-oversampling DAC was no better than the oversampling DAC. All the time he has owned the AN DAC, I have never read him say that it was better than SACD.

theaudiohobby,

Strong statements are the only ones worth making. I thought you of all people knew that?

Seriously, if one is into "sonics", if one listens for "audiophile sound", SACD might be superior, but if one listens for music, non-os CD playback is much more satisfying.

IMHO, you can't have both: the truthful reproduction of music and "excellent sonics". In my opinion, they are mutually exclusive. Because the typical hifi criteria we use to determine the sonic virtues of a component or a system have little to nothing to do with music reproduction. Hifi sound and music reproduction are polar opposites. The analytical listening style cherished by audiophiles invariably prefers sound to music. And if our listening style when evaluating components is different from our listening style when attending a live concert, then there is little hope of recreating what's musically important. In other words -- and contrary to your signature line: It is entirely about the music.

And I am not the only one who has doubts about the musical merit of SACD technology: Quote:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue12/sacd.htm POSITIVE FEEDBACK ONLINE - ISSUE 12 To SACD or not to SACD: Is That the Question? by Bob Neill Ever since comparing SACDs and CDs based on the same DSD tapes on the Audience modified Sony NV999ES and Audio Note CDT Two/DAC 4.1 Balanced a while back and finding myself generally more pleased with the CDs on the (admittedly) far more expensive strictly Redbook Audio Note rig—the presentation was less impressive but more engaging, less like a technical triumph, more like a musical experience—I have wanted to revisit the SACD/CD issue on a flatter playing field. [...] The Audience/Sony [NV999ES SACD player] can sound highly informative: it can strike us as doing an exemplary job of getting the information off the discs. Whether or not this is in fact the case, it often truly does feel like it; and to me that is the case for this player. The Audio Note [AN CDT 2 transport / AN DAC One.1x Signature] is clearly more concerned with synthesis of information. Whether the success it clearly achieves in this effort is real or illusory, I will have to say that it interprets eloquently and very much in the spirit of what music strikes me as being. [...]

 

[bifcake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bozebuttons Similiar in sound,the 360s has double the dacs,more detail,better resolution just more refined sound,but at a much higher cost,the ml36 is no slouch ecen compared to the 360s.

Thanks Bozebuttons!

 

[mbratrud]

I too had both the Levinson 36s and the 360s as well as a 31 and 30.5 and also had the Wadia 301 and spent 2 weeks with the 861SE.

I think that for headphone listening both the Wadia and the Levinson products are top notch...and on their top ends perhaps overkill.

My own preference would be for the 860x over the 36 in answer to the original question.

As to the 36 vs the 360s, the 360s is vastly superior to the 36 ...you might try the 36s as well. I personally found it to sound more like my old 30.5 than did the 360s but the 360s was more resolving.

You can get a 36s for about twice Bozebutton's $1,100 bargain on the ML36.