Wadia 301 versus Wadia 861

[Duvet]

Obviously there is a financial difference but how much of the trickle down technology is present in the 301. Opinions pls as i may be re-considering my purchase even if the Wadia 301 is easily repairable. Have spotted a deal on an 861 . Be brutally honest

[penance]

I am am sure i have heard Tone say that the 861 whips the 301.

[Mr Coherent]

I'll tell you again Duvet, (forget I'm selling speakers) You will get the biggest improved by getting shot of the Gr20s.
Only when I did that, did the true colours of my front end finially show.
The Monitors are you weak link .
The 861 is a far better machine, However, you do really need to put some seriously good partnering equipment around it to let the flavour flood out.

[Duvet]

Tony for some strange reason my wife equates hifi with size so changing bits of kit on a rack, she is less suspicious but changing speakers a mighty row would ensue

[Mr Coherent]

You don't have to go bigger, to get better speakers Duvet.
A stock 861 is a big upgrade over a 301, however you will need some decent speakers to really make it shine also with clean mains, the Wad's improve quite markedly with this.
Changing your speakers will produce the single biggest upgrade in YOUR current system. REALLY
You will Not get the benefit of using an 861, IMHO

I mst say I agre with Tony mate, if you have extra funs for an 861, I would suggest the 301 and tony's meadolarks if you like their sound, will give you bigger smiles than a better player with your current speakers. my 2p

[Davewhityetagain]

my wife equates hifi with size so changing bits of kit on a rack,

My wife was a bit taken aback when two sets of quad 57s a set of 63 and a pair of 804's in one week :dude:

[Duvet]

Did i say be brutally honest. Well i did so thks Paul and Tony for that. Look she knows i'm changing the cd player and hasn't a clue what it really costs. Lets keep it that way. I do plan to change the speakers but this is a seriously good deal. Now if i change the speakers in the middle of next year when she's forgotten how much i've already spent and its my 40 th birthday round the corner i only have to live with the compromise for a relatively short period of time. And to be brutally honest do you not think either the 301 or 861 will be a world apart from the current cdp i'm using. Tony i will pm you with details and you can tell me whether it good value or not.

Duvet perhaps the new cdp will dihg out detail that render your gr20's unlistenable?

but yeah you have a point, I'd also ask Tony if he reckons you'll be better off with the 301 and new speakers, or an 861 and a wait, and lets face it, by all accounts his ML's are a bit of a bargain according to those that have heard them, be a shame to miss out.



Good luck whatever you decide.

[Duvet]

The Meadowlarks are the wrong colour . Mr's Duvet's colour sceme is all natural oaks brown leather sofa's and cream's.I'm sure they are fantastic speakers cos anything that floats Frank's boat has got to be

[earl of sodbury]

Don't let 'em tug yer string too hard about the GR20s - they're a lot better than some would make out. That said the Ospreys are awesome - in a towering-black-monolithy way....

earl of sodbury wrote:

Don't let 'em tug yer string too hard about the GR20s - they're a lot better than some would make out. That said the Ospreys are awesome - in a towering-black-monolithy way....

I reckon they are a good speaker, but the 861 is a £10k cd player, you will not hear it at it's best with the GR20's, although it may still sound very pleasant, you will know tha more is there.

[earl of sodbury]

analoguekid wrote:

... although it may still sound very pleasant, you will know tha more is there.

But that'salways true... Just think,one day you'll hear something better than your Emotions... It's waiting for you... somewhere... . . . . . ...and you know you want it!

;)

[Mr Coherent]

I will be demonstrating that shortly

Mr Coherent wrote:

I will be demonstrating that shortly

Demonstarting what exactly?

[Mr Coherent]

Well Paul I'm willing to put my pocket on the line and go head to head with a pair of emotions.(I sd=till put the Ospreys against em as well, see how they faired) I will need a couple of weeks to complete the project.
Then we'll come and play
I'm still curious as to how a crossover can cost 4 times the price of the drivers?
I mean the retail at £10k so they cost £2.5K to make, the drivers I reckon are £750 trade absolute max, so 4 times 750 giving £3k thats £3750, plus arts mark up 100% on the raw cost would give £7250, plus the usual delaer 45/50% on thats figures don't add up.
The x/over components also intreague me? are they Palladium over gold? bathed in the UV from a vestral virgin lips from sirrus minor 4?, doubled cryo'd and MST treated
I've heard the V6's now with some reasonable kit, is this the typical sound for the range? Because I really can't see what the fuss is about, though I do understand why Bow is a good match now

Mr Coherent wrote:

Well Paul I'm willing to put my pocket on the line and go head to head with a pair of emotions.(I sd=till put the Ospreys against em as well, see how they faired) I will need a couple of weeks to complete the project.
Then we'll come and play
I'm still curious as to how a crossover can cost 4 times the price of the drivers?
I mean the retail at £10k so they cost £2.5K to make, the drivers I reckon are £750 trade absolute max, so 4 times 750 giving £3k thats £3750, plus arts mark up 100% on the raw cost would give £7250, plus the usual delaer 45/50% on thats figures don't add up.
The x/over components also intreague me? are they Palladium over gold? bathed in the UV from a vestral virgin lips from sirrus minor 4?, doubled cryo'd and MST treated
I've heard the V6's now with some reasonable kit, is this the typical sound for the range? Because I really can't see what the fuss is about, though I do understand why Bow is a good match now

Perhaps you should hear the emotions first Tone, then decide, although I will say, it matters not a jot, unless you are looking for points scoring, as again it's all subjective, TBH I have no real idea of the costings involved, you'll need to contact ART with that one, I will say that so far the emotions have had universal acclaim form those that have heard them, and I don't mean forum folk either, perhaps there is something about them, perhaps you'll like them, perhaps not, the emotions sound nothig like the expressions, I will say if you believe your new speaker (whatever it is) is beter than one you have never heard, then you probably already got yer mind made up, so any test is academic and purely subjective, also if your new speaker is a meadowlark, modded by you, then again it is academic, as meadowlark no longer exist, and the mods you make are hardly widely available, the emotions are available for us mortals to buy easily, your modded meadowlarks are not (if that is what they are), the other caveat is emotions are designed to work well with 300b s/e can the ML's be driven thus.

Also prey tell how do you plan top do this "demonstration" and how can we decide on a "winner" when taste comes into play?

I honestly hope whatever your new speaks are, that they are giving you as much pleasure as the emotions have given those that have so far bought them, and it's quite a few I believe, worldwide!!, as the market for ART is bigger overseas than it is in the UK.

Funny thing about this country, someone discovers a new product, from a british manufacturer, and reckons it's good enough for an audition, others have taken the audition and agreed, but theres allways someone out there trying to prove folks "wrong", when in fact thats nonsense, subjectivity plays a grand part too, some will preffer your speaker, others will prefer something else, so test away Tone, I really couldn't care less, in fact I couldn't care less if I was the only one that liked them, thats ARTs problem, I alredy have them, and ain't changing them.



ATB

Paul

[Duvet]

Now boys play nicely

[Duvet]

or




Will decide tomorrow ;)

[Mr Coherent]

Now Paul, keep the nevres non frayed, it doesn't become you nore does point scoring
Though you still answer my question, are the V6 typical of the Art sound? (apart from the Emotions and those £25K thingys)
You are quite correct about those that have listened universally acclaiming them, I can't lay claim to that YET ;).
However Its anything, until its been heard its impossible to comment.