I just purchased the ML No. 39. I auditioned the Wadia 850. Aside from performance I would not buy the Wadia due to their current financial problems (their major investor walked away and are currently are in bankruptcy/searching for a new sugar daddy. You may have noticed a MASSIVE influx of nice used pcs. on Audiogon...caused by nervous owners who don't want to own an expensive cdp from a defunct company) My personal feeling is that they will find someone to carry on where the old investor left off, however, I personally would not purchase a new/used Wadia right now. Fortunately...I preferred the no. 39. Both are spacious and open sounding and quite detailed. The Wadia tends to lean toward the dark side while the no. 39 has some interesting neutral/brighter characteristics that I associate with solid state gear. I run a CJ premier 11A tube amp with the Levinson for a wonderful balance. Madrigal offers a 5 year warranty and I do not forsee them going anywhere soon.
ML no39, Wadia 850, Classe 1.0, or Sony?
I would like to hear comments regarding the sound characteristics of the following 4 players: ML 39, Wadia 850, Classe 1.0, and Sony Xa7ES. I am looking for a player with lots of bass, very dynamic, with lots of air. I listen to popular music so I would like a player that rocks. A polite sounding Naim or EMC1 is not my cup of tea. I listened to them both and found them to be far too polite. Of course I need to find the right balance so that I don't introduce a harsh digital sound either. Thanks Tom