[SennFan]

I have been reading a lot about Wadia (the 850 and various 300's series). Has anyone owned or demo'd their products? I've heard the background is blacker than black and that it has incredible rhythm and pace among many other stellar anecdotes.

 

[Akathriel]

Hirsch has a Wadia 301 and alwayswantmore has a wadia player as well. You might want to email them.

 

[Jon L]

It would be a mistake to believe these high-priced CDP/DAC's will "blow away" or outperform by "twice" other well-designed components at 1/2-1/5 their price.

The audible differences are often much more subtle than that, and while a good Wadia WILL blow away your average mass-market DVD player, it will merely sound a little better than the competent, less-priced competition such as Linn Ikemi, ARC CD2/3, Bechmark, etc.

I've listened to various Wadias over the years, including the venerable 861. They are all great pieces, but there are certainly less expensive pieces one should investigate first before plunking down the Loooong green..

 

[SennFan]

Heard good things about the 861.

 

[palchiu]

I've WT3200 w/X32 combo(very old

), they still nice.

30X will be good, 861 will be much much great!!!

But expansive...

 

[ghopper]

My dad still has the Wadia 6 CD player he bought 13+ years ago. It was the first CD player from Wadia and the first in the world to be able to control the volume without an amp. When hooked up to his Accuphase Preamp and stereo amp and out his tannoy it was heaven. too bad it kinda broke last year. i miss it dearly

 

[SennFan]

That's awesome

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SennFan Has anyone owned or demo'd their products? I've heard the background is blacker than black and that it has incredible rhythm and pace among many other stellar anecdotes.

I feel that Wadia has a lot more to offer than just great sound. Depending on your application Wadia can be a great value for a high-end users. Things to consider...

1.) Wadia (in my case I own the 830) also acts as a line-stage eliminating the cost of this component (in my case the 830 replaced an Audio Research LS3 costing $1,500)

2.) Wadia drives both balanced and unbalanced outputs simultaneously, so if set up correctly, it can drive both a headamp and stereo (amp/speakers) at the same time

3.) Wadia's specs for the 830 are very similar to good headamps, I have K701s on order with the intent to drive them unbalanced directly from the 830. When the opportunity arrises I hope to compare the sound of this config vs a more conventional balanced headamp. This link is where I decided to use the Wadia as a headamp --> http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=163185

4.) With optional digital inputs, the 830 acts as a digital line stage for a DVD or other compatible device. I run fiber from a cheap Sony DVD for movies and it sounds great.

 

[rsaavedra]

In fact there was a Wadia engineer among us headfiers, but I can't recall his name.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra In fact there was a Wadia engineer among us headfiers, but I can't recall his name.

Are you thinking of jefemeister? I think he's the person that used to work at Wadia.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salt Peanuts Are you thinking of jefemeister? I think he's the person that used to work at Wadia.

Ah yes thanks, indeed it was Jefemeister.

 

[philodox]

Ummm, well more wet dreams than experience in my case. I had the pleasure of hearing a few Wadia players at the Detroit meet which was held at... the Wadia plant. It was loads of fun and getting to meet and have a beer with the owner of Wadia was very cool. Ray and Mikhail were there and they are always good company... not to mention everyone else [Tyll, Jude, etc]!

The high end Wadia [not sure of the exact model] that they had hooked up to the Balanced Max was absolutely amazing. Then I heard the price tag and my Eastsound started looking a lot better.

Still, if I got a good deal on one used or won the lottery I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[panda]

i heard the wadia 302 and i will definately say that it's pretty awesome. definately worth a listen if you are in the market for a nice cdp.

 

[tk_suki]

861SE - sadly these are absurdly priced in Japan but fun to listen to in hi-end audio salons. I settled for a modest G08 as I am a vinyl enthusiast which is a whole other world! If I didnt need the funds for vinyl Wadia would have got my CD $'s.

I auditioned many CDPs most were good if not great at $5K - $10K price and even several below, it comes down to taste. Analogy do you like Merlot, Cabernet, scotch, cocktail, etc... each has its own flavor, most can not afford the variety so pick the one which pleases you most. You will be happy regardless. Example, I can slap on R10s or HE90s fortunately but would be happy if had either one. I am close to diving on a 3arm TT just for the variety, instead of maxing out on one higher-end combo.

YMMV.

-tk

 

[FalconP]

Wadia is no longer listing their 8xx series on their website, replacing them with the players 781/781i. So far there is no info about these players though.