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Wadia 861se with GNS vs Esoteric or Emm players

Hello, I'm ready to send my Wadia 861se to Great Northern Sound in the next month for their Reference upgrade. Would I be better off selling the 861se and finding a used Esoteric X-01 or Emm Labs transport&dac. Having SACD might be kind of nice. Has anyone compared these three? Thanks! Stan
talon4
talon4 OP
185 posts
 
Hi Btstrg. I'm trying to stay away from new buys. I figure that, if I sell my Wadia 861se and add 2-3k cash, I should have about 7-9k to work with. The Reference upgrade for the Wadia is $1850. Although, I could get the 581 and get the upgrade later... a lot of possibilities to think about. Thanks! Stan
aolmrd1241
1,013 posts
 
Talon, Go with your gut instinct, choosing an upgrade from Steve is a no brainer. I would be hard pressed to believe that any stock machine could compete with the Wadia, upgraded by GNSC... The statement upgrade IMHO makes SACD a moot point...
goatwuss
877 posts
 
"The statement upgrade IMHO makes SACD a moot point..."

dsd and pcm sourced material sound different regardless of how well the player is built...
tabl10s's avatar
tabl10s
1,067 posts
 
I think Steve said that the stock 581 is better than the Ref grade 861SE.
irish65
170 posts
 
Talon4,
If I am not mistaken the Wadia 581 with either the Ref. mods or Statement is 7-8,000. You mentioned you did not want to buy new, but if you can get a better player with the 581 than what you have I would consider it.
Once I get my system situated the Wadai 581 with Statement mods is on my short list to purchase.
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