Wadia 581SE versus Esoteric UX-3Pi

I have owned Wadia (830i) and Esoteric X-03 SE, as well as other pretty respectable digital sources/components. Personally, I prefer the Esoteric over the Wadia (based on my owned products, which may not be completely fair as the X-03 is more expensive by a good amount than the 830 by Wadia). I find the Esoteric products smoother in general in the upper frequency ranges. I find that the Wadia can be a bit dry for my tastes (not so much bright, but just a tad dry). The 581 SE is in another league compared to the 830; however, my general feeling on the Wadia vs. the Esoteric remains a similar feeling. I think the GNSC Wadia units improve on this my only "issue" with the Wadia sound. This being said, both units are terrific and it will really be a matter of personal taste and system synergy.

I listened to the X-03 SE when I was in the process of upgrading my speakers at a dealer and found that it sounded plain for my taste compared to the Wadia 861SE that a friend of mine owns. I ended up getting the Wadia 581se 2 months after I got my new speakers in place of my Wadia 302. It is a great unit.

It's tough to draw conclusions about digital sources, heard in completely different rooms with different systems on different days...