Wadia 581SE, DCS Puccini or something else???


Hi all,

I've sold my Wadia 860X player and am looking for something new. The two players that came to my mind were the Wadia 581SE, which seems to get positive feedback on this forum (beating the Emm-Labs "one box" player and the new DCS Puccini.

Has anyone compared the two players and what are the differences in sound? It seems that the DCS Puccini doesn't get used to much here or is that because it still relatively new?

If anyone has any other player to recommend please do so. I know the APL player is extremely good but that's out of my price range. Besides, I want to make a move to Turntables too at some point so I don't want a ridiculous expensive player.

Thanks for your feedback
maxx1973
I have puccini and asked directly to DCS about plastic remote control. They said soon they will upgrade it to much better looking a hefty (brushed alum.)one. People like me who purchased Puccini or Paganini will pay a reasonable upgrade feee. BTW, Puccini's software upgrade has just released.(1.0x to 1.01)
Hi there,

i have owned a Wadia 581SE and now i have bought the DCS Puccini, there is a big difference between the two players,
Personally i prefer the DCS because there is more detail, musicality and more analoge sound if you can say so. Even so the stage is better and more reality.
I have had the Wadia for two years or so. and the DCS for about 8 months. For me it is not the question that the DCS is different but defenitly a step forwart.
I have a suggestion for you.

IMO, none of these are even close to touching the APL 4.0SE. There is a potential work-around however, because I have done it. I have an Esoteric UX-1 upgraded by Esoteric to UX-1Pi and am using it with an APL prototype SUPER-DAC that Alex recently made for me. It a one of a kind at this point and has pretty much everything that's in the 4.0SE - 20 2nd generation 32-bit AKM DACs per channel, upsampler, double tube Class-A output stage, etc., etc. Alex is supposedly going into production at some point on a lesser DAC - you might drop him a line and see what comes of it. I also have a Denon he modified into a 32-bit DAC, as do several others here on Agon.

You can pick up a used UX-1 or X-01 here on Agon for $5-6K, (containing a better transport (VRDS) IMO than any of the players you mentioned) and have a shot at world-beating sound without paying an arm and a leg when combined with an APL DAC. Just a suggestion.

I will say that I heard NOTHING at CES several weeks ago that touched my front end, and that includes all the usual suspects and stacks, regardless of price. Peychev's implementation is really THAT GOOD.