Wadia 861 SE or 581 SE.

But the 861 has the TEAC/Esoteric drive --> this should be the superior drive of the two. The TEAC/Esoteric drive should also sound better.

Chris

A couple of things. My new 581SE does not take 15-20 seconds to load...more like about 7-10 seconds. What some percieve as lacking bass, I feel is just a more real presentation across the sprectrum. I only have about 25 hours on mine but already am quite happy with the sound. I previously had the Wadia 302.

Wait a minute, Chris10an! I do not think that the 861 came with a plastic remote. I am pretty damn sure of that: my friend used to own a 861B & that had a metal remote. I used own an 861 that had a metal remote (I upgraded mine to a SE version. Of course, same remote control).
The plastic remotes used to be on the 302 model.

>> Typical Wadia sound (big sound and punchy in bass
>> section. A more blur sound.
I disagree with you completely. I used to own an 861 for about 1.5 years (before I upgraded it to a SE version) & I cannot say that the sound was blurred. Which algorithm were you listening to during your audition??

@ Bombaywalla:

Yes, the remote to this 861 were made of plastic.

In a direct A-B test between this two machine, the 861 sounded blur.

861b cames with plastic remotes.

581i sounds much more natural than the 861b, it is the way each individual sounds are produced, 861 can be said to bit clinical in comparison to 581. All comparison is based on Filter A. Yet to hear a 581SE .