AC power is heavily filtered as it enters the 861's rear panel, then fed through two large, heavily shielded main power transformers. It's then fed to one of 14…
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Inside, the 861 is clean, orderly, and chock-full of premium components. The transport is Teac's CMK-3.2, which features full disc clamping, heavy cast-aluminum construction, and a self-adjusting digital servo. In the 861, the transport mechanism is fully shielded in copper and modified to use Wadia's patented ClockLink onboard clock signal—which feeds both the DACs and transport—instead of the clock embedded in the datastream.
Similarly, Lewis' piano sounded a bit subdued, with a little less impact and life, with the other players, and Kay's cymbal seemed to be much further down in the mix. With the Wadia, there was a more distinct bell-like component at the cymbal's core, and the shimmering halo seemed larger. The piano and cymbal didn't seem louder with the Wadia than with other players; they were simply more vivid and lifelike.
When I listened closely and dissected this clarity and precision, it seemed to stem from a more precise reproduction of dynamic transients. The details of a note's initiation—a…
The Wadia also had a slightly warm, dark tonal balance that contributed to the menace and power of "Yulunga" and probably also to the "wall of sound" effect I heard on the L.A. Guitar Quintet disc. In the case of the former, the deep bass tollings at the piece's opening were definitely deeper and more powerful with the 861 than with my other players. The L.A. Guitar Quartet's instruments had a warmer, more resonant character, more inner detail and a longer decay, all combining to project their soundfields farther outward into the surrounding space, which seemed to also increase their size.…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled integrated CD player with multiple, user-selectable digital inputs and volume control. Inputs: 4 digital, S/PDIF (BNC), TosLink, ST-glass and AES/EBU (XLR). Outputs: 2 analog, single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR); 4 digital, S/PDIF (BNC), TosLink, ST-glass, and AES/EBU (XLR). Output impedance: 51 ohms. D/A conversion: 32x upsampling, using 4 Burr-Brown PCM-1704 24-bit DACs (2 per channel) and 3 user-selectable interpolation algorithms. Digital resolution: 21 bits. Power consumption: 25W.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 7" (180mm)…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: VPI TNT V-HR turntable/tonearm, Grado Statement Reference and Benz-Micro LO4 cartridges.
Digital sources: Wadia 861, Simaudio Moon Eclipse, Parasound CDP-1000, Marantz CD-63SE CD players.
Preamplifier: VAC CPA1 Mk.III.
Power amplifiers: Classé CAM-350, Mark Levinson No.20.6, VTL Ichiban monoblocks; VAC Renaissance 70/70.
Loudspeakers: Magnepan MG3.6/R, Impact Technologies Airfoil 5.2.
Cables: Nirvana S-X Ltd., Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: Duo-Tech Cable Burn-In device, Bright Star isolation systems, MIT Z Systems and…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Wadia's output impedance was a low 58 ohms from the unbalanced RCA jacks, this doubling as expected from the balanced XLRs. (Because a balanced connection has a separate driver for each phase of the signal, the drivers impedances appear in series and must therefore be added to get the overall output impedance.) The player preserved absolute polarity from both sets of outputs, with the XLR wired with pin 2 "hot." Its error correction was superb, coping with gaps in the CD data spiral up to 1.5mm in length without audible glitches.
The maximum output…
Fig.7 shows the spectrum of the Wadia player's balanced analog output driving a high (100k ohm) load. The highest-level harmonic is the third, at a still very low -85dB (0.006%), with the second evident at -90dB (0.003%). The third harmonic rose into the punishing 600 ohm load (spectrum not shown). However, at -72dB (0.025%), this will still be negligible, though the fifth harmonic does now make an appearance, at -90dB. Intermodulation into either load was very low, the 1kHz difference component remaining close to -90dB, even into 600 ohms (fig.8). This spectrum was taken with Filter A: I…
I didn't care how the stuff measured, and I wasn't terribly worried about the sound. When the single-ended triode movement crossed my attention eight or nine years ago, I simply thought: That's for me.
For the first time in a long time, audiophiles were putting together music systems differently, spending money on audio equipment differently, and listening differently. Shopworn watchwords like soundstage and bloom and inner detail were replaced with vibe and drama—words that real people might actually use to describe real music. And, as with the flat-earthers of the 1970s, it was nice to…
When people go on and on like that about "fidelity," what they're generally talking about is flat frequency response. It's a tone thing, in other words. But the science and art of music reproduction encompass a great many different things: Dynamics. Pitch. Timing. Speed. Texture. Scale and spatial effects. Freedom from noise. And, yes, tone—as in "correct" tone. My question—and it's a good one—is this: Why do some people not only take it upon themselves to put tone at the top of the list, but go so far as to pretend that it's the only thing that matters?
That's where claims of objectivity…
HANK WILLIAMS: Timeless
Lost Highway 088 170 239-2 (CD). 2001. Luke Lewis, Mary Martin, Bonnie Garner, prods.; Bob Brockman, Michael Hopkins, Mark Johnson, others, engs.; Hank Williams (no relation), mastering. AAD. TT: 43:19
Performance ****
Sonics *****
Lost Highway 088 170 239-2 (CD). 2001. Luke Lewis, Mary Martin, Bonnie Garner, prods.; Bob Brockman, Michael Hopkins, Mark Johnson, others, engs.; Hank Williams (no relation), mastering. AAD. TT: 43:19
Performance ****
Sonics *****
TOWNES VAN ZANDT: Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt
Pedernales/Freefalls FFE 7019 2 (CD). 2001. Freddy Fletcher, exec prod.; Eric Paul, Michael Timmons, Ray Kennedy, Steve Earle, others, prods. & engs. AAD? TT: 59:17
Performance ****
Sonics ****
Tribute albums are problematic in enough ways that…