OK, after about a week of continuous burn-in, I did some critical listening to my 840c last night and a bit of comparison with my Wadia 830 (w/GNSC mods) although I hope to spend a good bit more time with both this weekend.
What I can say is that the 840c does live up to the hype. The top-end has definition and delicacy to die for with an equally rich and involving midrange. Very realistic and engaging with a wonderful sense of extension and ambience which definitely contributes to a sense of venue when called for. The 840c's soundstage is also wide and deep. And, all other factors aside, it is very musically engaging. I listened for several hours and never tired, although it was certainly revealing in the difference between excellent records (e.g. XRCDs) versus poor recordings. And, the edginess that I heard upon initial listen a week ago was totally gone.
I will also add that these characteristics of the 840c held true whether used simply as a transport feeding my Tact or using the unbalanced RCA outs. I have not had a chance to check the balanced out.
I then switched back to the Wadia... While I found myself missing that sweet top-end of the 840c a bit, I must say that to my ears, the Wadia edged out the 840c in one particularly important area... The Wadia presented a noticable blacker background with better defined space between voices and instruments. This contributed to a more realistic 3D presentation with more perceived depth to each instrument or voice.
Of course, the Wadia 830 w/GNSC mods places it in a price range well above the CA 840c (although still lower than the TAS $5k threshold).
Mike
