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Wadia Durability Experience Questions

I am thinking of laying down big green for a new Wadia 270se or 781i. On other Wadia discussion threads I see several posts from owners with Wadia's that need repairs. I am not sure how much influence I should let that have on my decision.

At Wadia prices I expect to never need repairs. But I know that is not necessarily true. I would appreciate it if owners would share their experience on how reliable the various Wadia units are. That includes the operating history both units that did and did NOT need repairs. It may be that some models are more reliable than others.

At any rate, in the future on any thread, it would be helpful if anyone reporting on their repair experience would state the model, age, and what failed. Just stating that their Wadia xxx broke isn't all that useful. If information on age and what broke is supplied then the reader gains useful information. If a two year old unit failed I would be alarmed. If a 12 year old unit failed then it would not mean much to me but might to someone considering purchasing the same model.

This is a great forum and I enjoyed reading all of the Wadia threads. Thanks, Don
don_s

Showing 1 response by nsgarch

nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Both my Wadia units, the 64.4 DAC and the WT2000 transport are over 15 years old. Never had a problem. The transport was upgraded about 13 years ago and received the heavy duty Teac mechanism (S mod) similar to the VDRS used by Esoteric in their current $13K models.

I recently sent the transport to Steve Huntley at Great Northern Sound to get a cleaning, lube and check-up. But that's all.

Wadia was a different company then, and I don't have any experience with their new products. But I will say this: the 270se does use the very best VRDS 3.2 mechanism from TEAC/Esoteric. But it's just a transport, so you'll still need a DAC. The 781i is a complete player, but so far, Wadia literature doesn't say just what transport mechanism it uses. You might want to call them. If it isn't a VDRS 3.2 by TEAC, I'd pass.
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