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Wadia 850 repair? Suggested replacement?

Hello,
I have a Wadia 850CDP I have owned since around 97-98 (I think). About 5 years ago it developed a problem with the loading mechanism and a CD got stuck. Wadia was able to repair and all was okay till about 2 weeks ago. Now there's a grinding sound when the drawer opens and as it reads the CD and now it will occasionally skip. I have contacted Wadia (now ARC owns them) and I'm told they no longer support it :-(
Does anyone know of a place that might be able to fix it? Preferably in the NYC area. If my fear is realized and it can no longer be repaired, what do you guys suggest as a replacement? Preferably under $5k. TIA and Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!
jcatral14
mb1audio02
188 posts
 
Try Stereo Exchange first. They can definitely fix it as long as they can get the part. Even if Wadia says they don't have any left, SE does so much business, they may still have left over parts. 

If they can't help, call Resolution Audio and ask for Steve. If he can't do anything, plan on getting a new CD player. After him, there's really no one else to go to.

One thing you want to do is check your remote. If you push the buttons down too far, they can get stuck in the down position. If you're not aware of this issue, it will drive you crazy. If the open/close button gets stuck, it can definitely trick you into thinking something is wrong with the transport.  

If you end up needing a new player, I still have a 302 and an 861SE. Both of those are better sounding players than the 850. I had one for 5+ years and was able to compare them at the same time in the same system. If you like Wadia, you should also like Ayre, Resolution Audio and Aesthetix.
jafant
10,525 posts
 
Keep us posted- jacatral14

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
jcatral14 OP
39 posts
 
Georgelofi and mb1audio02 thank you for your suggestions. I will reach out to Stereo Exchange. I thought about reaching out to Steve Huntley but GNS is no longer and I'm not sure if he will work on old Wadia gear at RA. I guess I'll find out soon ;-)

I was looking at the Ayre7. We'll how it goes with the repair first. At any rate, I won't be able to buy a new CDP till Q2 next year anyway. I have an old Proceed CDP to keep me company in the meantime.

Will keep you all posted. Including you jafant ;-)

Happy Holidays!

Jay
mb1audio02
188 posts
 
If he can get the parts, I don't think he'll have any issues fixing your 850. He had no problem turning my 861 into an 861SE for me. The SE upgrade is just a transport, so its really the same exact job.

In the mean time, if you come across a good used 302, its definitely a nice upgrade from the 850 (at least I think so). Also, if you would consider just a dac, Wadia's new products are outstanding, and the prices are very fair for what they give you. They brought some of the original Wadia people back and they're off to a good start.
bigkidz
1,784 posts
 
I am In New Jersey and can take a look at it for you.  Send me a message if you are interested.
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