Digital Processor Reviews

I drove the Wadia 2000 with both the Wadia 7 transport and the Mark Levinson No.31 transport. The former was connected with the Wadia-recommended glass-fiber optical (ST-Type) cable. Other digital links included the Illuminati coaxial and AES/EBU cables.

Loudspeakers were Genesis II.5 dynamic/ribbon hybrids. The upgraded 2000 saw action driving the Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamplifier as well as with a direct connection to the Audio Research VT150 power amplifiers.

The long balanced interconnect between the 2000 and VT150s was WireWorld Gold Eclipse, with Magnan Type V feeding the Genesis woofer amplifier's unbalanced inputs. Other interconnects called into play when using the SFL-2 included shorter runs of Gold Eclipse or AudioQuest Diamond X3. The loudspeaker cables were also Gold Eclipse.

The products under review sat on a Billy Bags 5500 series rack or a Merrill Stable Table. Power to the system was conditioned by the entire MIT Z-System, including the Z-Stabilizer II, Z-Iso-Duo, Z-Center, and Z-Cord II power cords.—Robert Harley