Chord Cutest or Wadia 321

Stick with the Cutest, not worth the gamble.

cutest.  

wadias futureis tenous at best

Thank you for the advice. Do you feel the DAC will sound poorly, or is it more of a concern of getting the DAC repaired if it has an issue? 

I'm using the Qutest with the M-Scaler.  If you want to expand your system look into a Chord M-Scaler new or used it is fantastic and allows you to upscale to 705.6 and 768khz and native DSD512 using dual BNC cables (supplied with the M-Scaler).  Then get a Lumin U2 or U2 mini and you'll be set for a long time.  Happy listening. 

In terms of features, the Chord Cutest supports DSD playback, while the Wadia 321 does not. However, since you mention that you mostly listen to 24/192 or lower, this may not be a significant factor for you.

I did purchase the Wadia. After listening to the Wadia over a few days, I prefer the Wadia in my system. The Chord DAC is great but it seemed to place certain elements like vocals or main instruments to far forward leaving the rest of the music too far in the background for my liking. The Wadia still has great depth of image but seems a bit more balanced. At least in my system.  

I have 2 Wadia 321. Been running in my system for years without a hitch.

On occasion I run the one in my main system directly to my amp as a pre amp/dac because i can use XLR. But I always fall back to using my tubed pre but have to use COAX as it does not support XLR. I often wonder what it would sound like with a Tubed Pre that support balanced connections.

Mcintosh group shelved Wadia but you can still get service from a company in CA. but I have never had an issue with either of mine.

I dont know if you got a manual?  But if you running it into an integrated or pre the manual indicates to set the volume at 88

OP,

Congratulations. I have been. Wadia fan since back in the 1990’s. Chord is very popular but it’s emphasis on detail can loose track of musical reality.

The 321 sound is what you get when you know your way a around an ESS Sabre chip.

I am pretty blown away by this DAC and it’s an older DAC. I know it’s good because I listen to a whole song/album vs playing a track for 10-15 seconds and then on to the next track. It’s very musical. Do any Wadia 321 owners find a preference on digital connections? I am using the USB and that seems better than Coax. However, I just have a generic digital coax cable vs the Audioquest Diamond USB cable. Thanks for any feedback. 

It certainly does not hurt to get opinions on interconnects, but which will sound best will be strongly dependent on the rest of your system and your values in sound. So generalities can be helpful.

In general Cardas will add a touch of warmth… the lower level the interconnect the more warmth. Transparent dead on neutral to get the most of detail and dead quiet background. DHLabs excellent neutral to bring out details for a budget price. Power cords will have similar effects. 

I have a Qutest so I say Qutest.  Detail is great, solid amounts of low end and mids are fantastic.