Wadia 581i using as a pre any good

>> 02-28-07: The_smokester
>> I have a Wadia 861xi. My experience is the same as
>> yours: it looses coherence without a very good pre to
>> match it with the rest of the system.

Hi The_smokester,
I have an 861SE modified by GNSC & I also had the very same experience as you have had re. the Wadia losing it w/o a decent preamp. At that time I was using TARA Labs Master Gen 2 cables. I love the TARA Labs cables - no complaints whatsoever.
However, I got the upgrade bug & switched over to Virtual Dynamics cables. I use their entry level type interconnects - David & Nite 2.
I can tell you that I've now had to eat my words!!
The sound of the Wadia with the Virtual Dynamics David or Nite 2 interconnects from the Wadia DIRECTLY to power amp is simply fantastic. The Wadia preamp does not sound shitty anymore. You can search the A'gon archives & see for yourself several posts of mine wherein I stated the Wadia preamp was shitty sounding. With these David & Nite 2 cables, that is no more the case. There is something about these cables that allows the Wadia preamp to drive the power amp input much more effectively.

From my experience, thus, what I concluded was that most cables are unable to effectively drive the power amp input & that it was less of the Wadia preamp quality & more of the interconnect ability. I know that it is just data point BUT all I did was change the interconnect. I used the same TARA Labs Master Gen 2 speaker cables, I had exactly the same electronics in the entire chain & exactly the same speakers.
FWIW. YMMV.

You have discovered the importance of impedance matching. One of the things I love about the MIT Magnum MA interconnects is the variable impedance. While I know which will sound best, I always like to try out all the settings to make sure the reality matches the theory and if I ever switch out any components I don't have to buy new cables.

As to driving amps direct with a Wadia, you're grossly oversimplifying both ends of the issue. The Wadia preamp section has never been "shi**y", in fact it's comparable to any decent preamp and much better than low end preamps. But cables or not, the Wadia direct can't touch a high end preamp in the chain. Direct is a great option to have but it's not a high end solution, never has been and never will be.

From my experience, each amp I tried, added different signature to the sound, whether is was SS or Tubes.
Once you get used to it, driving the amps directly is the way to go (for my ears). Wadia has done an exceptional job with their volume control and adding a preamp just doesn't cut it for me.

>> 07-11-07: Bar81
>> The Wadia preamp section has never been "shi**y",
correct! Now I know that it is as you said "in fact it's comparable to any decent preamp and much better than low end preamps". Not having the correct interconnect employed caused an incorrect conclusion.

>> But cables or not, the Wadia direct can't touch a high
>> end preamp in the chain.
Maybe so! I, however, do not have a firm opinion on this. I only listened briefly & the listening was not critical either. However, the differences in sound using the 2 interconnect cables was SO dramatic that I could easily hear that the Virtual Dyn cables were doing a better job (when they were used to connect the Wadia direct to the power amps).


>> Direct is a great option to have but it's not a high
>> end solution, never has been and never will be.
I never did compare my setup with & without my preamp in a critical listening session or sessions hence do not have a firm opinion on this.