Wadia direct into amp, Sound a bit too lean??

I hadbeen using my wadia 861 directly plugged into amplifier. I had adjusted the voltage output so on most recordings volume was set >90

I recently purchased a preamplifier and there is an overwhelming improvement in sound.

I'm not sure what the preamp does but it clearly not a volunme control. For me it resulted in improved balance, tonality, and the prolly the most 3d imaging adn resolution.

cant recommend to get a preamp enough. your wadia will sound like a different player

Hello Jerry,

Although out of your league, I am running my EAD 7000 DAC (which I love BTW) directly into my amps, with a resistor based attenuator, I was also getting lean sound, but I solved it with very short speaker cables (10 inch) I am using mono amps, with the short cables everything fell into place right away....I would stay away from silver going direct.
I would also reccomend an Isolation transformer on the power line, It gets a fuller, cleaner sound out of your system.
I tried a bunch of preamps, I hated most of them and loved a couple, but distortion was always introduced to the signal path. IMHO

All the best

You guys are really funny! For what reason did you buy the very best single cd player like the Wadia 861SE to "bend" or color the sound afterwards? Doesn't make sense at all to me.
In any case the addition of ANY preamp between the Wadia and the Power Amp will only color the sound, it CANNOT ever get any better because its just an addional amplifier chain which is never as good as a straight wire.
There might be a possible mismatch between the Wadia and the Power Amp in some case, therefore the output of the Wadia is adjustable.
And for those specialists who believe in cutting of bits via the volume control: the wadia operates the volume control in the digital domain, not on the analog side. The 861 processes 24 bits while the cd itself contains a maximum of 16 bits of information.
Therefore 8 bits (or 256 steps) are available as "waste" just for the volume control. With only 100 possible steps (50 dB, 0.5 dB each step) degration of the sound even with the volume set on step 1 is just impossible - but who will judge the sound of the system at step 1, the speakers don't even produce any real sound at step 1. I do normal listening with the volume set to 50 or even 70....
I have tried many times with and without preamp - the system sounds best when the player is directly driving the amps. Maybe you guys should invest the money better in good speakers so that you can hear what your cd player really delivers...
Cheers!

I'm quite familiar with the Avalon Eidolon and your problem could lay in the position of the speakers. Try to position them wider from each other and them sit closer. Look what will happen.
Also you need a good neutral pre amp like Ayre K-1x or Hovland HP200. Indeed any pre amp do colorate, but the benefits of a good pre amp are more important (control, fixed and wide/deep soundstage even at very low volumes). no volume controled cd player can beat these.
When your sound is still not full enough try NBS Black Label power cords on the Wadia.
hope this helps.

The best advice has been given. I have a wadia 861se and use a Supratek Sauvignon tube preamp and the sound is wonderfully full. By itself the wadia sounded "sterile" to my ears, although it was still very good.

Try some good valve preamps.