Great Northern Sound Co. Mods for Wadia


Has anyone had either the standard or reference modification performed on their Wadia 850? If so, how much improvement does it offer to the Wadia and is it a good value? Thanks in advance...
jla
Hello, I just got my Wadia 830 back from Mr. Huntley, and am very pleased with the results. I had the "reference" mod performed, and I must say it was worth every penny--stayed up till 1AM last nite listening, and it's been a LONG time since I've done that! The improvements noted above are accurate: smoother, more transparent, and greater extension at the frequency extremes. The bass improvement in particular is outstanding. In addition, the sound is noticeably more analog in qualtiy. Overall, a spectacular improvement. (BTW, if you do business with Steve, tell him that Dan C. said you will be expecting a "reference" power cord with your package!) Best Wishes...
I purchased a standard modification Wadia 850 player from Steve Huntley. I have no reference to what the player sounded like prior to the modifications. They player as modified provides music from a dead silent "black" background; very realistic, very much like live music. There is a 'palpability' to the music that makes it sound very real to me. I use the player driving my amplifier directly, and eliminating the preamp definately increases the immediacy of the sound, and provides excellent microdynamics. Mr. Huntley was extremely knowledgeable, he told me he had worked on the design of the Wadia 850 player when he worked for Wadia, so he knows the unit as well as anyone. It was a pleasure doing business with Steve Huntley, and I feel I really got a bargain on the player. I can not adequately express how much like real music (especially vocals) the sound of the modified player is. I am considering using Great Northern Sound Co. to modify a ARC VT 100 MkII.