Wadia 25 DAC

Starcat,

I did hear both the Wadia and the Benchmark.Although the Benchmark is a good device I prefer the Wadia 25.
Currently I use the Wadia. The Benchmark however has the advantage of the usb connection.

Kind regards,

Jeroen

Hi there,

I am wondering which one to choose: a second hand Wadia 25 or a Benchmark DAC1? I only have digital sources and I would need XLR out and a volume control to bypass my preamp and connect directly to my class A monos.

On a side note, can anyone please post the dimensions of the Wadia 25?

Thanks and greetings

I've had the 25 for a while and I would say it is extremely musical without being the list bit harsh. It works flawlessly. I even plug the SPDIF out of my computer into it to listen to web radio. Excellent unit

I owned the 25 (mated to a Denon DCD-1520 as transport) for
about a year before switching to the one-box 860 back in
late '97. At the time Wadia (both marketing and engineering
reps that I spoke to while considering the switch) felt the
860 was essentially the 20 transport and the 25 dac in a
single box and gave up only a very little bit to the
seperates in terms of overall performance.

The 25 is a fabulous dac. As Samujohn indicated, the last
adjective I would use to describe the Wadia "house sound" is
"sterile." Dynamic with a front-of-hall perspective is the
way I usually describe the Wadia sound.

One question though...

The 25 certainly can't decode a DSD data stream. Does the
Sony SCD-777es downconvert SACD to one of either 44.1khz or
48khz sampling rates on the digital out? Is the digital out
operational at all when playing an SACD?

The Wadia 25 is a very good DAC. Check out my review at www.audioasylum.com.

I have two audio friends who have had several generations of digital processors. One likes Theta, the other Wadia. After hearing both brands over the years I opine that the theta is for detail freaks and Wadia is more musical ( I bought one). As it happens I borrowed a 25 last year. Dry is the last adjective that comes to mind. Be advised that once they are unplugged, it takes days (yes days) for them to sound their best. Until they "warm up" fully they have little bass, If you plug one in for a quick listen you may get the impression that they are less than full sounding. Be patient.