Theta or Wadia


Like so many others, I’ve been a distant fan of Wadia equipment… never owned… but always wanted one. Lately I’ve been thinking about buying a used Wadia to see if it would best my Theta Compli for Redbook CD. Except for resale value, the SACD feature isn’t that important to me. A lot of the Wadia equipment that shows up on Audiogon appears to be pretty old and I’d appreciate your advice on whether an older Wadia is worth the investment and if so, which Wadia model would be a safe bet to best my Theta Compli.

I’ve learned how to get around my Extreme DAC in my Theta Casablanca II so I could use the Wadia as either a transport or a player.

Related Equipment:
Theta Casablanca II
Theta Compli Universal
Theta Intrepid 5 Channel Amplifier
Kubala-Sosna IC’s, SC’s and PC’s

Thanks in advance for your advice.
raks
I am currently listening to a 581 and couldnt be happier this is my fourth starting with a 860 to x to 861 they all show a suttle improvement over the previous model. If you check the Wadia web site they have all models listed with dated of Mfg. and if service or updates are available for any model. none of my wadia's needed service when I took my current 581 to be updated to an I model the service was quick and professional. Buy with confidence.
Kenscollick... Thanks for the heads up on the Model Release Date information on Wadia's web-site. By the way, nice system.
I have the Theta Gen VIII Ver 2.0 and Compli and I think you will find the Extreme's Dac's and the compli tied together with a good digital cable (Transparent Reference is what I use) to excel all the older Wadia Gear, I did use a 781i as a preamp and there was a little more air but some of the Theta body was missing. So unless you plan on making a serious $$ jump I would invest in a good digital cable, and buy some more music.

I have a Theta Casablanca III in my video system and it has an amazing analog preamp FYI.
Cytocycle... Thanks for your advice. My digital cable is a Kubala-Sosna Emotion. For what its worth, other Theta owners have also said the Transparent Reference is the best of the best. Thanks again.