Wadia 860, Levinson & Aero Cap Direct into Amp

Finally broke in my Sony XA9000es Player and I find it to be world class for CD playback and same for SACD playback thru ARC tube gear and WWatt/Puppy system 6 speakers. Note-the more you read reviews (and purchase said gear) you come to realize that they are worth very little...one must trust their own systems and no one elses!!

In a hobby where changing a power cord can make the difference between thinking you just purchased sonic nirvana or the worst piece of junk ever made, one must be careful when making blanket statements about gear! That being said, I have owned many of the aforementioned players and would have to say that the Levinson 39/390S delivers a substantially better presentation across the board...extended, controlled, dynamic with tons of texture tone color and spaciousness. The Wadia was refined but a bit forward and closed in, lacking air...otherwise superb! I own neither currently as long term listening revealed their sound to be a little overdone or surreal if you will. Live music, truly live acoustic music treads a fine line of dynamics, control, ease and subtelty that are missed with most digital gear.