Wadia 270/27ix vs. ??

yes to a GNSC statement modified wadia 861 player which bettered the wadia combination which I owned in every sonic parameter. Subsequently added the SE transport and the GNSC speed of light modifications for another significant sonic upgrade. Directly compared it to the Meitner/EMM DCC 2 in my system the red book CD performance was virtually identical the difference was almost impossible to distinguish and this was with running the wadia through the dcc 2 preamp which I felt degraded the wadia vs. running the wadia directly into the amplifier. So my as described modified wadia running directly into the amplifier bettered the emm dcc 2 on red book recordings definitely. The transport for the emm was the Meitner/Philips 1000 which was modified by Alex Peychev of APL Hi Fi does it sonically match the cdsd transport I wouldn't know. Was connected via the 3 Meitner AT&T glass cables. The Meitner combination SACD performance was one very fine hair better than the wadia red book performance.I subsequently purchased a reality check CD burner the reality check red book CD performance on my wadia would ever so slightly better the Meitner SACD performance

Did you think of modding the separates?

yes surely did but ran across the statement modified 861 here on audiogon at a great price and went with it, Steve Huntley [GNSC] said the modified combo is slightly better than the single box player. I believe his statement modified wadia 270 se and 27ix is surely the best red book sonics there is period
let me also comment here a reality check CD using Georges blanks equal any SACD performance so SACD who cares

There's one thing I would do before considering a replacement for the Wadia combo. Try some different interconnects. I have gone through a number of wires and every one is different. There are cables out there that can fully realize the potential of the Wadias and provide substantial sonic improvements. First the clocklink should be replaced with an Optimism V2 AT&T. I would then recommend experimenting with some balanced interconnects such as a Varidig, Valhalla, Prana or other high quality digital cable. The improvements can definitely seem like you've upgraded your front end and can be quite dramatic.

The answer is no. And I don't worry about whether the latest CD player is better. I could understand if someone wants a different flavor, but I serious doubt one could find better. For me, I'm pretty much set.

What is it that he wants to change. The Wadia is VERY sensitive to powercords and power conditioning and isolation and modification. Before dumping something like this, he at least needs to do try these things. I will readily admit that an unadorned and stock Wadia will leave something to be desired, even at this high level.

Rob