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Chord Cutest or Wadia 321

Has anyone here had a chance or spent some time with either of these DACs? I currently have the Chord Cutest and have the opportunity to trade for the Wadia 321 which I haven’t heard. The Wadia is an older DAC released in 2014 vs the Chord which I believe was released 2018. The Wadia does not support DSD. However, most of what I listen to is 24/192 or lower. I’m curious if the older Wadia might out perform the new Chord. Or, should I stick with the Chord? I am currently using Magnepan LRS Plus or Martin Logan CLS depending on the mood. Thank you for any input or advice.

I am using a Ifi Zen Stream to the Chord DAC using a Audioquest Diamond USB. 

rick_hilton

Showing 3 responses by rick_hilton

rick_hilton OP
46 posts
 

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? 

rick_hilton OP
46 posts
 

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.  

rick_hilton OP
46 posts
 

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. 

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