STATUS - SOLD
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Description :
The Wadia 381 is a collaborative design with a high-end digital transport company Stream Unlimited, co-engineering an application-specific mechanism/servo system. The solid nature of anodized aluminum chassis and the simple bare style, finely finished and high quality construction, all allude to careful technical tackling by the manufacturer. The transport features an aluminum disc drawer with metal stabilizer rods, enhanced by a custom mounting and enclosure system that provides both mechanical and electrical isolation. The Wadia 381 uses the 30-bit precision DA chip 1704K. The internal structure follows BiCMOS sign-magnitude architecture. The player is precision laser-trimmed at the factory to minimize differential linearity and gain errors, providing good dynamic performance, low distribution of distortion components, and performance on low signal levels. It sports three upsampling algorithms: A (a dB louder than the others) is said to produce a robust sound with great soundstage characteristics; B is for a more airy sound; and C is between the two. The Wadia 381 reads MP3, FLAC and WMA files, and with little modifications can be switched into a iPod player to become an extravagant USB DAC.

The Wadia 381 is very clean and has no distortion induced roughness on the surface. It is almost tonally neutral, leaving just a tinge of warmness in the presentation. The bass reproduces and extends tightly to the lowest notes. It is powerful and speaks directly to the listener. Midrange is open, clear, yet full bodied. The treble is not especially smooth, but it is by no means harsh or grainy to listen to. Synthesizer keyboards, electronic drums and voices are reproduced with full explicit detail and separation of tone, texture and correct timbre. It can reproduce complicated music with the right structure and rhythmic drive that many other players are incapable of. Pop and rock music are presented with the immediacy and driving rhythm of the musical performance. Classical chamber music is endowed with a rich and lush musical flavor. Orchestral works have a realistically big, layered sound stage, with plenty of hall ambiance. The player centers the sound between the speakers making the soundstage wedge-shaped with a good depth image. The Wadia 381 has a clean, bold, straightforward presentation, which in a suitable system can give truly upstanding sonic results.

Specifications :
Power Supply.........................................Dual transformers in internal isolation chamber
Decoding Software..................................3 user selectable upsampling algorithms 
                          ...................................including DigiMaster v2.5
Compatible Formats................................Red Book CD, CD-R, CD-RW, FLAC
Digital Processing Capability....................1 to 24 bits
Digital Resolution....................................21 bit resolution
Digital-to-Analog Converter Sample Rate...1.4112MHz
Digital Volume Control Range...................50dB in one-hundred 0.5dB steps
Maximum Output Voltage.........................Can be adjusted via internal switches from
                                     .........................0.3 to 4.25 V to match system sensitivity
Output Impedance...................................Less than 15 ohms
Analog Outputs.......................................1 pair balanced (XLR)
                       .......................................1 pair unbalanced (RCA)
                       .......................................Both can be used simultaneously
Power Consumption.................................58 watts
Dimensions(w x d x h).............................43.5 x 42.5 x 18 cm
Weight...................................................21kg

Miscellaneous :
Box.......................................................Yes
Remote..................................................No
XLR Outputs..........................................Yes
Made In.................................................USA
Condition...............................................9/10

Product Information :
http://www.wadia.com/products/cdplayers/381/
http://www.wadia.com/brochures/Wadia_381_Bro_05-11.pdf (Brochure)
http://www.wadia.com/service/ownersmanuals/Wadia_381_381i_Manual.pdf (Manual)

Reviews :
http://www.inner-magazines.com/news/373/57/Wadia-381-CD-Player/
http://www.stereotimes.com/CD060110.shtml (381i)
http://www.hifinews.co.uk/news/article/wadia-381i-cd-player-pound;8000/9131/ (381i)