Wadia 9

If the display says "Time Base Corrected" then you're in audio mode.

Hi Ghostrider45,
Thanks for your reply...!
Yes, I saw "Time Base Corrected" on the display after I've pressed both "Time Base Correction" buttons. Then "Input Signal Level 1". Then back to the "Time Base Corrected" again...! Never saw "Audio Mode" or "Video Mode" show up to confirm the status on the display according to user manual...!
The reason that I'm concern is due to the sound quality was not even close to what I've heard before. So, I suspected that I'm now in "Video Mode" instead of "Audio Mode".
What's wrong? Any ideas?

I don't think it ever says "audio mode" or "video mode" If it says "time base corrected" then the input buffer, which hold a second or so of audio, is engaged. This helps reduce jitter since the dac can clock out from the buffer independently of the clock on the source. The reason you can't use this feature with video is that it puts the audio out of sync with the video since the buffer introduces a delay.

So what else has changed in your system? What was the configuration like when it sounded good to you?

Thanks for sharing your logical thinking...!
But, not match Wadia 9's design concept. Please refer to the user manual page 9, 10 & 13.(too long to write here...)
I Suspected that people who sold their Wadia 9 due to the similar problem that I have experienced, but they never notice...!(What a stupid design...how come Wadia let a low-end feature inside the high-end product).
If Wadia 9 stay in "Video Mode", the sound quality is just equal to some low/mid end CD players.
By the way, I've owned Wadia 9, 15, 16, 25 & 27 before. So,I'm very familiar with their sound characteristics.
This Wadia 9 I've bought couple months ago in the secondhand shop. I've never noticed that Wadia 9 has such design until last week after I've read through the whole user manual.(I've suspected may be cables,pre-amp, power amp or speakers degraded the sound before...!)
So, any Wadia user can show me how to turn on the "Audio Mode"....?Please...Cheers.

After my very hard research with my own money(Bought another Wadia 9 to compare). The answers to my Question as follow :
There are 3 chips (one big & two small which next to the AT&T cpu chips)inside the digital circuits board. My Wadia 9 chips are 450015-002 x 1 & 450016-002 x 2.( which I can not call out "Video mode" or "Audio Mode" according to the user manual). And the other Wadia 9's chips are 450015-004 x 1 & 150016-004 x 2.( which can call out all those "modes" according to the manual). After I've replaced my "old" chips with these "new" chips (need to pay for some engineer to duplicate that with special equipment). Then the sound quality is match its original price. And my "old" Wadia 9 sound quality was just match some few hundred dollars CD player.
I hope all other Wadia 9 users better check their internal chips series number. Otherwise you may end up paid a lot but got a little from this great DAC.
Cheers....