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Wadia 861 Great Northern Sound Statement Upgrade

I sent my Wadia 861 to Great Northern Sound for their
Statment Upgrade. The improvments of this upgrade was in my
opinion bigger than the leap I got when I replaced my Wadia
830 with the 861. The keywords are a relaxed, easy
presentation with a DEEP soundstage and really
explosive dynamics against a background as black as I have
never heard from digital (I haven`t heard SACD or DVD-A)
playback. Most importantly the slight sibilance and digital
artifacts in the upper frequencies are now gone and
replaced with a smooth, extended top. This improvment makes
the sonic picture more coherent and seem more of one piece
(is this what HP calls continuesness?).
rhagen

Showing 2 responses by rupertdacat

rupertdacat
25 posts
 
Questions please:

- What was the cost of this upgrade?
- Which other CD players did you have a chance to thoroughly audition before deciding on the Wadia?
- What other CD players have you had a chance to compare with your upgraded 861? I am particularly curious about the current crop of the $5-6000 players (Capitole MkI, Sim Audio Eclipse, MephistoII, EMC 24/192, used NAIM CDX/XPS). Heck, for the amount of money you are in for, did you have a chance to audition a Linn CD12 (used this is about the price of your setup).

Thanks
rupertdacat
25 posts
 
Hi Rhagen. Thank you for your observations. I have a Wadia 830. I have been thinking about upgrading to an 860 or 861, but perhaps I should consider having it modified.

Would you please list the rest of your system? Also, have you found that a particular power cord or interconnect works particularly well with Wadia?

Thanks.
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