Oppo vs Rega or Wadia


I currently own a Rega2000. Looking to upgrade to a new Oppo with mods or a used Wadia. I have heard many good things about the Oppo including listening to a friends with the mods. How does a new Oppo compare to an older Wadia that would sell used for the same price range as the new BDP-83SE. For instance a Wadia 830 for under 2k or willing to spend a bit more for say a 861 if its worth it. Thank you!
vdosc
$10,000 dollar player will usually be as good as $70.00 DVD-drive of your average PC or Laptop. I suggest to wait a few months/years until desperate Audio manufacturers will come out with "special", "AUDIO FIDELITY" stickers for Chinese laptops and proceed to charge $10,000 for them.
Would generally agree with Undertow. Digital is the only audio that is improving at more than a snails pace.
The new Sabre Dacs are at the forefront of digital coversion.
An option would the Wyred DAC 1 with the Sabre 9018 chip and dicrete output. You could use your Rega as a transport if it has a digital out.
Purchasing older cd players is iffy at best. Just too many things to go wrong.
Never heard any of these particular players but absolutely don`t agree with Undertow`s statement. Interesting would be hear on what players that kind of opinion has developed?
300 today in digital can net you what 3,000 or even 10,000 could 10 years ago. Make your choice on frivolous vs. function.
Wadia makes (made?) some serious-looking stuff, and it sounded great for what it was, but the old Stereophile phrase "ruthlessly revealing" comes to mind. I worked at a dealer in the mid-1990s and always thought the $7000 Wadia player sounded as if it were aimed at scientific analysis more than musical enjoyment. I honestly preferred the sound of the $700 Rotel RCD-975.

I also have to comment that both of the Wadia players are CD players only, while the Oppo machine (at $900!) is not only 10 years newer than a Wadia 830, but can play any digital disc format available now, including Blu-Ray, DVD-A, and SACD.

I apologize for not actually answering the question of "what sounds better". I also apologize for taking the "practicality" tact, which isn't generally part of our hobby. I just think CD playback technology has improved so quickly that stuff from even 8 years ago is kind of ancient.

If you're used to the sound of the Rega Planet 2000, you might check out the $70.00 Sony DVD player at Costco, the DVP-NS611H. You might be surprised and less tempted to shell out $2000 for a 10 year old cd player.