New Wadia 381i vs Puccini

Heard the 381 last week at my dealers showroom. Having made a time for the demonstration I arrived, listended for a hour and was really impressed. Then discovered the dealers assitant had hooked up the Wadia 781 instead of the 381. Switch out to 381. The 381 was definitely less impressive than the 781, lacked the scale and power of the 781 in (perhaps an unfair) direct comparison. Later compared it directly to the Sim Supernova. Wadia 381 was better and the Sim sounded flat and uninspiring in comparison. The 381 was, to my ears, much more musical and less analytical than some other Wadia's I had heard (not the 781). Anyway, will try to get a home demonstration of the 381 as things always sound different at home than they do in the dealers showroom (unfamiliar equipment etc). I'll post the result.

Thank you Genkides! For me a natural sound also is a key point. I am looking forward to your post.

Are you looking for CD only or CD and other formats like SACD?

Hi Bjbcab,
I do not need SACD; I have only a single SACD which came with a Sony DVD video/SACD player. But I would like to have the best sound on red book CDs.
I think with the USB input option the Wadia 381 "i" vesion and its capability to read WAV files from CD it is rather future proof (if this exists in digital audio).