AA capitole mk2 VS. Wadia 861

Inpieces,

>>I can say, i would gladly compair Wadia 861 and AA CAP mk2 head to head... - but that >>will be completely impossible from how the scene is in this country.

Just curious - which country are you located in. (doesn't seem like it is the USA).

I had a GNSC moded Wadia and loved it, but have never heard the AA. You might want to call Great Northern Sound Company, as they mod both (or at least used too). They are truthful, and very nice to talk to (and deal with). Give then a ring. They will give you an honest opinion. My take is this. Wadia has great resolution, inner detail, and bass. However, the highs are rolled off just a touch, and if you run it direct, you will loose some dynamics. It is also a tad on the dry side of netural. I liked running it direct, but could see how some would prefer it with a pre-amp. In the end though, I very much liked the player. I felt its inner detail and the way it held an image stable dead center in the midle of your speakers was so good that you could almost ignore any of its faults (Again, I am refering to a modded unit). I hope that helps a little. Feel free to e-mail me directly and we can talk on the phone if you like.

Inpieces the musical presentation tastes your describing would tell you to choose the Wadia 861

After reading all the comments on wadia and AA Cap. II, I wonder why nobody mentionned the Ayre D1-X player. I own one and I´m extremely satisfied - before and after modification. I listened to Wadia 861b in my home system and was very stisfied with the sound, although I choosed the D-1X as it is superior in areas such as musical flow, speed, transparency and sound stage whereas the Wadia wins in the lower frequencies. I don´t know the AA Cap II but I once had the AA Cap. MK I in my system. Very relaxed listening, impressive performance but my modified D-1X blew it away. But at US $ 5k for a used unit I would recommend the AA Cap. II strongly. Can´t comment on the 861 SE or the modified versions. Hope this helps - by the way an extremely good cdp is the Lindemann 820 SACD in Germany regarded by many as the final one box cdp. A friend of mine let his AA Cap MK I go for this machine without thinking twice.
Easy listening, Frank

I owned the AA Cap. II, and now own the APL 3910, which is much more extended, and holgraphic, with much better bass, definition, and soundstage. JMO