Wadia 861 or keep Electrocompaniet mk2

It does seem like a waste to have a top notch preamp when you only need one source, especially when there are such great direct to amp CD players out there. I'm like you I only listen to CDs and have no need for switching sources. Plus there is the issue of another set of interconnect another power cord and vibration control for two components opposed to one. Wadia players are nice and reliable with great build quality, but I tend to agree with Tireguy, that something like the Audio Aero Capitole Mk 2 is the way to go if you want to go direct. I have owned the Wadia 860x and Capitole 2 (both at the same time for a few months) and did a lot of comparing. The bottom line is that the Capitole sounds best in my opinion. I have never heard a modded by Great Northern Sound Wadia. Wadia in comparison sounds slightly veiled, like there is an electronic edge to the sound, where I would sum up the sound of the Capitole by calling it natural. I would guess that you might be a little put off by the Wadia sound after your BAT/Electo combo, unless of course you are looking for something entirely different.

Thanks to all for the great imput! Once again it seems there is no short cut or magic bullet. I will audition a couple of players that can be used direct and let my ears be the judge. You have all helped a great deal, and that is what makes this such a teriffic site--the people.

Bill

Ejilif: A Wadia 860x and an 861 are 2 different animals altogether. There is a very noticeable increase in resolution and image focus. This is taken directly from Wadia's site:

Available immediately, Wadia has introduced the 1 Upgrade for owners of the Wadia 860 CD Player. A solid affirmation of the advantages of Wadia's modular based architecture the 1 Upgrade allows owner of the Wadia 860 CD Player to realize the full performance of the most current state of the art reference CD Player from Wadia. Here is a description of the new technology included with the 1 Upgrade for the Wadia 860 CD Player:

All New Digital-to-Analog Circuitry --
Based on Wadia 861 CD player and featuring enhanced 24-bit Burr-Brown 1704 DACs, this new circuit incorporates a variety of Wadia technologies, including Wadia Swift Current™ IC , and improved passive parts in sonically critical locations, representing more than a decade of digital audio development. The result is compelling musical realism.

Wadia Swift Current Technology --
The 1 Upgrade, which will supercede the highly-regarded Wadia 860, is the first to use the company’s patented Swift Current IC. This proprietary circuit, first introduced in the Wadia PowerDAC digital amplifier last year, performs the sonically critical current-to-voltage conversion with no negative feedback, resulting in demonstrably superior sound quality.

Conventional digital-to-analog converters perform current-to-voltage (I/V) conversion using feedback circuits based on operational amplifiers. Because the signal from the DAC chip consists of a series of step changes, the distortion introduced by this feedback circuit is a significant limitation on sonic performance.

In contrast, the Swift Current circuit performs this I/V conversion with Wadia’s patented current-conveyor integrated circuit (IC) that eliminates feedback. This bipolar IC consists of an innovative connection of Wilson current mirrors, an emitter degeneration compensation scheme to optimize transient response and stability, and a novel current mirror arrangement to enhance output impedance.

DigiMaster Up-sampling System Software --
The Wadia 861 CD Player uses the newest version of our patented filtering system with true 24-bit processing. Executed in DSP, the all new software also features user-selectable digital algorithms allowing optimization of sonic performance based on system matching and personal musical priorities. The Wadia 861 software includes the latest version of Wadia's classic DigiMaster™ time-domain interpolation filter which is optimized to preserve subtle time and phase information critical to music reproduction. Three selectable algorithms are part of a processing system that upsamples* digital information to 1.4112 MHz (DAC sample rate), while differing in time and frequency domain characteristics.

Improved Performance State of the Art Technology --
The performance of the Wadia 861establishes a new standard for all-in-one CD playback systems. The 1 Upgrade for the Wadia 860 CD Player will unveil the richness and magic that make music an essential form of human communication.

What, an upgrade that the manufacturer describes as bringing their product to a whole new level? Providing "compelling musical realism" and "demonstrably superior sound quality" Will wonders never cease? Sounds like it should have been called BSota (Beyond State of the Art), or maybe just BS! ;~) Please don't take offence. Just hard to take manufacturer's marketing material seriously, sometimes. Frankly, I could hardly understand a word of it, so just color me confused and muddy. Happy Holidays all.

I'm with the Swamp. Why don't you just try it? I demo'd a Wadia directly into my Aleph 2s, and STRONGLY preferred my current EMC-1 MkII SE through my Aleph P. But that could have as much to do with proper impedence-matching with the Alephs as my preference for the less-white, analoguey sound of the EMC-1....Note that I also run VA Parsifal Encores. If your Fidelios seem a bit lightweight in bass response because of the forced-rear-firing woofers in your room then you might prefer the VERY bif bass performance of the EMC-1 through the pre as well. Be careful if using just the Wadia alone if it can't drive the amp enough to push those backwards 7 inchers....
Happiest Holidays to all!