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Originally Posted by Akathriel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Large soundstage, but presented from the back of the hall, somewhat distant. Big bottom, extended top but midrange is very cool and far from warm, on the older ones even harsh. I haven't heard the 581 though.
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Never could say Wadia midrange is very cool and far from warm ..
I'm putting headphones on now to give it a listen ..
I'd really like to ad my own opinion ; I've listened to 2 Wadia units , a 861 and the 301 which I own now .
I want you to know that I am kind of
very picky about the charcater of the sound that arrives to my eardrums , I've not been impressed with the units I've own before the Wadia as with the Wadia.
My head-fi story is discretely long , and I've gone up from headphone to headphone , from amp to amp and from source to source in years , if this means something more.
I've spent little time with the 861 so I'll speak basically about the 301 , but I'd like you to know that the 861 ( but likely other wadia units as reported by many users around the web ) share a quite similar sound signature
Before the 301 I've had Meridian g08 , a Meridian g07 , a Shanling modified cd player , and other minor cdp.
The sound of the 301 ( and of the 861 ) is the one I've liked the most .
The most important thing for me is that it is very balanced and natural - without sacrifice , that means there's no thing that easily come out from the sound picture as "bad" or overly pronounced or missing.
The presentation is wide, the instruments timbres are very well portrayed , have their place in the whole, never a voice or a part of the orchestra results sterile or out of context , just naturally inserted into the musical space, which is big.
There's no harshness at all . The mids ( for ex. voices and guitars ) are not upfront as in other units I've heard . But I do not like upfront mids or voices , I like natural , life-like portraits .
The highs are smooth , they don't bother at all, they still run with the rest of the picture as for prat, the highes highs are sparkling , as ash flowing on the top of the record ; it is good
The bass is just as good as I've ever heard from a reproducing unit, or simply as I've ever heard. Wadia units are very well known for their bass presentation/presence. Very deep still well defined , sometimes big , never boomy , very solid and natural , pertaining at the instrument/s it comes from . The whole sound frq. remains kind of pure though , and airy , but not overly breathy. There are players that emphatize more on breathing and air of the reproduction , this is not quite the case .
The dynamics , micro and macro , are outstanding ; when there are big dynamic changes in a record , the music flow remains incredibly well politely and solidly exposed and everything keeps its former space . If there's an explosion of sounds you'll be able to see the different directions of the explosion frames , still you'll feel the explosion in his max. emotional extent. I hope this render a bit the idea. The other players I've had couldn't do this in this effortless way . Listening to some very well recorded progressive metal , or to some big orchestra works , this is a thing that cannot leave unimpressed .
Prat is very good, timing flow very .. mm .. right . The flowing of the music is sensible , the timing generally speaking seems to be ( is , really ) better then in the Meridians; the instruments compose coherently the prat.
The spaces are a little tad "widened" probably because there's no "ultra" or razor-sharp definition of dimensions , as it doesn't seem to me to be in Wadia eng. sound approach . It may be in fact that the 301 have not the last word on details , or on definition of details ( because details are in fact there ) so the lastestest space informations ( about instruments position , voices position ) may be missing.
But we're still remaining in hi end realm , so take this things with a lil bit of salt . Meridian do this better, micro details and micro dynamics stand out more to ears . Some people like this some people like that you know what I mean , this is the case .
In effect , things the 861 standed out for the most against the 301 , the composition and definition of the music elements, space and distances seemed to be better defined; still it remained very natural a music flow and picture presentation .. very engaging too.. lot of good things here ..
The 301 is the first unit I own from a period that makes me forget I'm listening from a digital source and it is the unit that make me "look" into the recording the less if not never, I just listen to the music, just this
Hope that helps .
