Jim if you really enjoy the Nite then you should try the Master, it has a truly wonderful sound that has limitless dynamics. The difference is across the board and it gives the music a totally relaxed presentation while improving both the bottom end and the upper extension in the high treble. Iam glad that you are able to enjoy your new player and I also love my Wadia combo. Take care Dennis |
Hi Dennis and Rja,
I just received an 861se. The 27ix ver. 3 270se combo - which I really enjoyed - was the last one in a parade of many I had while waiting for the 861.
I now use VD Nite II all around. I used a VD David XLR digital cable with the combo, which turned me on to Virtual Dynamics.
Back to the music. Jim |
One more thing on this subject. I know Wadia prefers and recommends glass interconnects for their product but that doesn't mean there's nothing sonically better out there. I keep experimenting. |
I believe the Optimism v1 is no longer being made and has been replaced by the Optimism v2. The v1 is orange while the v2 is lime green. If you're using ATT glass with your Wadias these are the way to go. You should also consider the Aural Symphonics ioGel. I have always been curious about other interconnects between my Wadias though. I'm going to audition the Marigo Apparition 5.7 balanced soon. BTW: Aural Symphonics has a direct trade-in deal on the Optimism, v1 + $500 = v2. If I find something better I'll use the v2 for clocklink. |
Good news Jim I hope that you try different power cords including Virtual Dynamics Master or the new Revealation to really hear your Wadia for the first time! I have heard four At&t cables one from Wadia stock (closed in and dynamicless) as well as Aural Symphonics. The entry level cord easily beat the stock wadia, the next cord was the fisrt version of the Optimism v1 which was the benchmark for the longest time.The detail that flowed from that cable is astounding but it was bested slightly by the new optimism V2 which has a better soundstage as well as a more refined top end in extension and detail.If you have the 270 and 27 then you really need to hear what these cables are capable of doing in your system ( a friend has a optimism v1 for sale for 350.00). I hope you get the chance to hear them for yourself, Take care Dennis |
Hello Wadia fans and critics,
This is not a response or reply concerning this thread's specific topic; but it seems to be the thread with latsest post referencing Wadia, so I will post my good news here.
Delivered yesterday - my new 861se! The magic is back in my system - Thank You Wadia!
Jim |
Wadia also feels very strongly about the use of ST Glass connections. They've used them from the very beginning as that's what the Telecom industry used and Wadia was founded by Telecom engineers from 3M. The quality is normally attributed to the use of glass cables as opoosed to plastic, as well as the connector. I've never heard anything outperform them, they're dirt cheap (the cables anyway), and are just as happy running over 50 feet as they are at 6 inches. Too bad most other companies haven't caught on. I really don't think it's any harder/costlier than other well built I/O. By the way, I've heard good thing about Glass Toslink but haven't tried it myself yet to compare. |
JBrockmo, thank you very much for your expertise. The ARC2 DAC and Wadia 270 are "grooving" now that I have tweaked a few other things, including adding Transparent power cords and ganymede isolation footers to the amp.
One thing that perplexes us: I and another 270 owner both feel the ATT glass connection seems to be the best connection between the DAC and the Transport? Do you know why?
WM2001 |
One solution is to maker a device that uses a simple PLL to convert between Fs and 384*Fs and then provide the appropriate connector circuitry. Jitter wouldn't be too much of a problem because all you're trying to achieve is a rate lock "on the average." FIFO's take care of the finer details.
But anyway, I don't think the AR DAC-2 has clock output. It is also a relatively old DAC. Have you ever tried pairing your 270 with a 27? You could take advantage of the sync capabilty and also might be able to lose the preamp. There are a few 27s for sale now (you would need a minumum of 27i) and resale value stays pretty constant.
Disclaimer, I am a former Wadia engineer and currently consult for them. |
Jbrockmo has anticipated my next question and that is: does the 270 clock synch with DACs other than the Wadia. It seems the Wadia requires a ST glass connection for the clock synch and it uses a 16.9344 MHz clock while most others use the Coax connection and a wordclock. Very interesting. Still my experience proves Jbrockmo's observation: the 270 Transport is a versatile beast.
So far, I'm enjoying the 270 as the Transport to my ARC DAC2 (without clock synch), which leads nicely into an ARC preamp and ARC VT 200. And, I've got to say, there is significantly more detail--you here a string section and not just what seems to be one instrument playing loudly. And, when you hear the string section, it's 3 dimensional--you hear each instrument, its depth, its harmonic, and its echo.
I can now appreciate orchestral music because I can hear more of what the composer intended--the guitar echoed by the pizzacato of the violins...It's beautiful music.
My experience is also similar to Rtnl, Rja, and MeJames: I've just added powercords to the front end (not the Amp) and isolation cones to the lighter weight DAC and Preamp resting on a solid Billy Bags rack, and the sound is much cleaner. And, I've taken all the interconnect cables and separated them from any and all contact with power cables--wow, what a difference!
And, I never heard the difference before acquiring the Wadia 270.
Thank you all, and thank you Wadia. |
The clocklink system is a great feature but the Wadia transports and DACs are still top notch without it. The clocklink on the 270 accepts a 16.9344MHz clock on ST glass conenction. The 27 outputs this same signal. Most other clock distribution systems send/receive the wordclock and use standard coax cables with BNC connectors. |
The 270 is built like a tank, probably sounds good with any DAC especially the SE model. When I purchased my 27 I used a ML transport (270 was not yet available) connected by Illuminati D60 and it sounded excellent. When the 270 became available I had the 27 upgraded to "i" version and clocklinked using 2 fiber optic cables (Optimism). Very nice, I recommend it. 27i has now been upgraded with GNSC reference mod and 270 has been upgraded to SE and GNSC reference mod. Plan on having 27 statement mod done early 2005. Every stage has been sonically rewarding. |
wm2001 "does the Riggle improve the sound a lot? 20%; 50%; 100%?" well let's see the 270 transport I previously had was sitting upon a bright star Air mass 2 Air suspension platform which sat directly upon a bright star sand box which sat upon the carpeted concrete floor. I know from previous experience with other transports the sand box alone was a bigger improvement than any various expensive cones I ever tried. The additional air mass was not as big of an improvement that the sand box was but a definite worthwhile improvement. The riggle was better by about the same margin as adding the air mass to the send box was. So a Riggle is better than the air mass/sand box combination. putting a percentage on it is difficult but I'm going to say it's a 30% performance improvement over no additional support devices just the stock equipment footers |
Any tweak that you make to the Wadia (and I suspect any top CD player) will make a noticable improvement. Power cords, a stand, a power conditioner, and other mods can dramatically (!) increase detail and speed while giving a smoother and more effortless presentation.
Rob |
Thank you Mejames. I see from your system pics that you have some sort of vibration reduction system under your 861. Given the weight of the 861 and the 270, does the Riggle improve the sound a lot? 20%; 50%; 100%? |
the clocklink is a significant improvement versus without clocklink the image just totally collapses without the clocklink. The review of the combination with clocklink is available on stereophile website archives section for more information check it out. |
