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What can cause noise with my Wadia 381? HELP

My new Wadia 381 CD player (modified by a well known company in Minnesota) has exhibited a reproducible noise problem since it was new. There is a ridiculously high noise floor that sounds like hiss, louder in the left channel. But ALSO, there is static noise that sounds much like scratches on a vinyl disc that are NOT constant but recur with regularity. I can e-mail a QuickTime video to anyone who is interested that demonstrates the noises quite clearly. Just to rule out various causes, I have swapped out interconnects, amplifiers (solid state and tube), and speaker systems. In addition, I took the Wadia to a different house with no cable TV, all appliances unplugged, all fluorescent lighting turned off and the NOISES ARE STILL THERE! I SENT THE 381 in for service and they claim that the unit functioned perfectly--no noise. I am at my wits end because a very expensive Wadia 381 with mods has a very reproducible set of noises that everybody on the planet that has been in my house can hear with any system equipment that I own. But I am getting nowhere with the dealer regarding this problem--I am told that the unit checks out and it is my problem. I fear that when I send the unit back in again for service for another $100 shipping, I will once again get the "no problem" diagnosis. The dealer had the unit running for hours and claim they NEVER HEARD A SINGLE NOISE. For whatever reason, the burden of proof of what is clearly a Wadia sourced issue seems to be placed squarely on my shoulders. Any input from the community will be appreciated.
cathealer
tonykay
1,311 posts
 
I agree with Tpreaves, those modifications are unique to the company that designs them. Years later when something goes wrong, it's nearly impossible to find someone to fix it. If you're lucky the company that did the original mods is still in business (and they still do mods). However, then you are at their mercy to get it fixed at a reasonable price. Personally, I steer clear of modded components. This comment won't help you now, but it might later.
rtn1
535 posts
 
It sounds like you've done alot to diagnose the problem. There are so many environmental/component/cable interactions that can happen. Did you try lifting the grounds on the CD player and then the rest of the equipment. There may also be a loose or improper interconnect connection. Can you reproduce the sound by moving the cable around?

Did you send the quicktime video to your dealer? Personally, I would continue the diagnostic process with your dealer from afar. If no progress is made, you'll need to send it back in. That's all you can really do. Good luck.
chris10an
53 posts
 
Hi' Cathealer

* Have you tried with another cd player in your setup (same problem)?
* Get power to your Wadia from another switch
* If you swap around the signal cables from your Wadia (L->R and R->L), does the noise also move to the other side?
* Try some other signal cables
cathealer's avatar
cathealer OP
14 posts
 
In addition, I have used 3 other CD players and there is dead silence--no noise whatsoever using any inputs for these players, including another Wadia. Switching from left to right--the noise follows whatever input I plug into using the affected Wadia.
cathealer's avatar
cathealer OP
14 posts
 
I have tried grounding the Wadia using the usual techniques to no avail. I have done all sorts of interconnect changes but the noise follows: for example, if I switch the interconnects to a different input, the noise shows up there. Here is the link to a youtube video--turn up your volume as the conversion from my QuickTime file lost some of the audio in the translation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-x0h-2rj34&feature=youtu.be
The dealer offered to reexamine the unit but clearly there is some gremlin at work here and I would rather start with a new UNMODIFIED unit. Frankly, if I was warned ahead of time that the modification would nullify my Wadia warranty, I would never gone for the mod, but the owner of the dealership who has a longstanding good relationship with Wadia did not disclose this rather pertinent information up front. The owner has not returned any of my recent e-mails or phone calls for reasons only he knows.
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