Wadia direct into amp, Sound a bit too lean??

Ejlif Nailed it Do as he says and Install Cardas Golden Cross Interconnects and Speaker wire.
Make sure you are also on the same AC Phase leg
with both units even if you have to plug the whole system
into an average power strip .
This can itself make your system seem Hot Brash etc.
Cheers Johnnyr

.5v output won't cut it...try a much higher setting. The voltage can be adjusted via internal switches from 0.3V to 4.25V to match system sensitivity.

Hold off on spending money untill you try the higher voltage settings.

Dave

I own a GNSC Statement Wadia 861 and run mine directly into a Boulder 1060 amp. I've tried many ics from Jena to Tara 0.8s(including MIT Oracle V1.1s, both single ended and balanced. I am currently using the 0.8s(balanced) and NBS Omega 1 speaker cables and now the sound is a little leaner than it was with the Tara "The One" speaker cables I was previously using. Whether you run balanced or not, there are a lot of ic and cable combinations that would minimize the harshness without giving up the definition that a high resolution system such as yours should be capable of. Before I would invest in an expensive preamp, I would certainly try cabling first. I am currently experimenting with a Purist Audio preamp(differentially balanced tube design)running balanced through the 0.8s. I then have my Wadia connected to the preamp via Cardas balanced cables. It certainly sounds different than it does when connected directly. I only went this preamp route because I was planning on getting back into vinyl and I needed a switching device. I have yet to hook up my analog system so now I'm really just jumping back and forth between the two setups. I don't think I have the ideal combination just yet, but somehow I'll figure it out.

Running my 861 direct to ARC vt-100III. I recently changed my mains cable to NBS pro III, and got rid of any leanness I was having. I was very surprised at the improvement.

I'd get rid of the AZ silver reference and try the matrix copper instead...seriously.

Not to slight Wadia, however at one time I had the 270/27ix combo. I picked up a Levinson 390S on a whim and ended up selling the Wadia combo. I find the Wadia players algorythms to add a "sheen" to the sound that doesn't appeal to me. A friend recently brought his 861SE over for a shootout. Same cables on both players, same CD, level matched the volume. 2 weeks later he called me after he picked up a 390S as well. He runs the 390S direct. The Levinson has an analog volume control instead of the bit-stripping digital piece Wadia employs.

For the longest time, I thought that Wadia would be the "be all, end all". Perhaps for some, and again it will also be system dependant. I'm not here to knock any brand, only to report my findings.

I have also found that I am better served by a good preamplifier than I was running the Wadia or the Levinson direct.

Best,

Paul :-)