Wadia 301 Any good?

Hi,
Has anyone got any experience of running a Wadia 301? I would be using it either into a BAT VK-40 pre amp and Linn Klimax power or direct into the Klimax.
Any views would be appreciated. WM have you tried tweaking one at all?
David

 

David, I do have one at the moment (personal) I have to say In stock form I find them very underwhelming, but that is based on personal references.
I have tweeked one or 2, but here's where I get torpedoed, they respond exceptional well (from personal & customer experiance) to power leads & interconnects, the Shunyata range has a heathly effect on the Wadia's as do others, also the seimic sink helps here too.
I know people are just about to start going, even (IF) we did believe they do work, it shouldn't be nessaccary to add anything to it, (I do Agree), however the reality is some what different.
If you are interested in seeking the advice of an owner I can put you in touch with, so you can grill him about it and see how he feels, then please Pm me. Wm

 

Hi David

Welcome to the forum. I see you've managed to offload the Advantage Monos. Are you still running 988s?

:Quad:

reg

 

Reg,
How are you doing? Unfortunately the 988's are in my spare room waiting to be sold. Having moved into a theoretically larger property the living room is not as large and I can't accomodate them. At present I am using a pair of Shahinian Super Elf's which are rather impressive, they have been dogs to run in and to get located properly, but they are beginning to sound good.
I did run the ESL's from the Klimax though briefly which was really rather impressive.
Have you upgraded your kit since we last spoke?
David

 

Wadia 301

Yes, I borrowed one for a little over a week to evaluate it as a possible cd player around two years ago. Anyway, it was a hulking great big box with a fairly ugly display, and initial impressions were of typical American Audio Overkill - that 'big is best' thing. Not good.

Sonically, it is even handed but has no grasp of the fundamentals of rhythm. It squashed the intricacies of the timing of notes, kind of leaden timing without the magic that we all know music can have. Detail-wise it was fine, and the sound had a reasonable heft to it and on paper it seemed like a real winner. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and in the case of the 301 it was found to be sorely lacking in musical terms. In other words, it fell short and was easily out-music-ed by cheaper players such as my Marantz DR6000 cd player (admittedly lightly modified by this time) and completely trounced by the likes of the Naim CDX, CDS2, Moon Eclipse and the eventual winner for me, the Resolution Audio Opus 21.

Your mileage may vary.

John

 

John,
Yes I remember your crusade of looking at CDP's, I wish it was easier to dem the resolution audio, it has been on my radar of interesting machines for a while. I used to own a CDX + CDPS and it is not a route that I wish to return too. naim certainly get the music presentation right but with the quads never sounded right. I am looking for a cd player that is good enough to satisfy me but with no major vices, lp12 is still my first source.
David

 

Hi David,

I would suggest a listen to the Densen 400XS. It sits nicely between the round and the flat earth which judging by your boxes you do as well.

Are you using the Super Elfs on the Ikea speaker stands that Pear Audio recommend? It's bizarre to me but I find the Elfs do seem to work best like this. I think maybe it is because they allow the Super Elfs to act more like the bigger Shahinians, ie more omni-like.

Cheers

Jason

 

Demming the RA Opus 21

David.

Where are you? If you're not too far away you'd be more than welcome to pop by and spend an hour or two in the chair and sampling the delights of my cd player of choice. I'm quite close to Edinburgh.

John

 

Jason,
I actually ditched the ikea stands this weekend, they are now on a pair of partington super dreadnoughts (non mass loaded). I could not get them to sound decent in my new place on the ikea stands, on the Partington's they sound fantastic. I tried them on high mass stands which just kills the sound.
I have heard Alex's Densen and last time I was in Phonography I was listening to the Densen there too, it is definately a player I like and is on the list for consideration.
I was really wary about going to such a small speaker after the ESL's but they really are good, I just wish that I could accomodate obelisks.
How much of an upgrade did you find the kimber cable? I am using Chord at the moment and keep meaning to investigate kimber.
david

 

John,
I am in Leicster, so Edinburgh is quite a round trip, I do go upto Scotland on business quite often though, so if I am in the area I will drop you a mail. Thank you for the offer.
David

 

Ah! A kindred spirit, for a change!

JTC - your comments about the Wadia 301 are spot-on and you know what, the new 302 is not much better as I had it at home for one week very recently. It's interesting though that the Opus 21 which you chose over some highly regarded players is the same player that has repeatedly been labelled as "crap" by one of ZeroGain's resident "audio gurus". Yet when I heard the Opus 21 a while back, it did not sound crap to me so your comments confirm what I heard with the Wadia 301 and Opus 21 in the mix. At the end of the day though, there is no substitute for synergy.

David_C - one player you might want to try as well is the Ayre CX-7. Like the Opus 21, it uses a ROM-drive which has recently been upgraded (so make sure you hear this version). The player is detailed but musical and unlike the Wadia 302 (and 301), it does hold a tune and is very engaging. Well it was anyway, when I hooked-up to my system.




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Obelisks don't need that much space, I use them in a 12 foot by 23ft space BUT only half of that is available for the speakers and HiFi (12ft by 11ft rather than 24ft by 6ft!).

The Kimber was a big upgrade for me but I wouldn't blanket recommend it if you haven't got Shahinians and Dynavector amplifiers.

Cheers

Jason

 

Jason,
My room is about 14 by 11, the speakers need to be backing onto the 14 wall. The super elf's work close to the wall, the obelisks need more space behind them than I can accomodate in terms of other furniture and being able to move in the room.
I shall see if I can borrow some kimber and give it a go. I have not tried playing with other cables. I need to buy some different lengths anyway.
david

 

Dave,

I can't believe you're selling the 988s :cry:

Sad to say, I still haven't made any progress on upgrades since we last spoke. I've demmed some kit at JJs and not been overly impressed by it. Until we move house, I don't have a concrete budget, but I've been steadily sorting out a short-list of gear to audition.

reg

 

Reg,
There is little point in hanging on to them, they are fanastic speaker but there is no way I can fit them in the living room. I have decided to sell them working on the principle that if I have a bigger room again in the future I will get a pair of 989's!!
JJ's inventory is a little challenged at the moment, I still like the BAT pre-amps but not too sure about the power amps, too much money. Although BAT kit is better value at the moment due to the exchange rate. The Gamut power amp also works quite nicely with the Quads as does the Linn Klimax. I think that Klimax gives the best result of the power amps that I have tried with them. The HX1.2 is good too, but I only heard that with them for a couple of hours so can't really pass any real opinion based indepth listening.
David