Pass Labs D1 or Wadia 8xx with Huntley Upgrade??

I've always thought audiophiles are smart people. You've proved that Kubrickorange :^) You did not mention which Wadia you are going to get, so I can't comment. My source is Wadia, too, but let me be fair. Wadia digital front end require whatever down the chain to be the best for it to "sing" kind a like "easy and hard" at the same time :^).
Steve Huntley is a very nice gentleman; I have dealt with him, and will continue to do so, highly recommended.

ISTT:^)

If I did buy a Wadia, I would certainly listen to it before having any modifications done. At first I was considering a Rega Planet 2000 to replace my Rotel. I borrowed it from a dealer and it added the third dimension of depth, which I never really experienced with the Rotel. Then I really dived in and started doing a lot of reading about CD players, thinking there must be even more attributes that I've been missing out on. I thought about the Arcam FMJ CD-23, then some other player and so on. Then I thought, what am I really after here? I decided I want a CD player built with top quality parts, not some compromise, one with a clean, simple, design, and of course, one that sounds so good, I can forget about the equipment and enjoy the music for a very long time. I have no doubts any Wadia would sound better than my Rotel, but after reading all the positive posts from the satisfied owners of Huntley's upgrades interests me a great deal. I want to upgrade my source having felt that I made well-researched good choice.

Actually, the D-1, while currently out of production, is an exceptionally good digital product. I would make sure it does have the 24/96 board in it though.

- Pass Labs is an amp/preamp company that might not have the expertise of digital.
- Wadia is a good start, but why do you want to send to Steve Huntley, even before you know what is it sound like ?

ISTT :^)