Opus 21

Hi,

I agree with the comments made by Casaross. I've owned and demoed many of the top digital front-ends on the market. As far as I'm concerned, the Opus 21 is a "Giant-Killer". I initially owned a Opus 21 and sold it to purchase an Audionote transport and DAC. It was a huge mistake. Even though the Audionote front-end was five times more expensive, it just was not as musically satisfying as the Opus 21. I currently own the Great Northern Sound Company Referenced modded Opus 21 unit and it is fantastic. The modded unit took a great player and made it even better. Dynamics are significantly improved with GNSC modded player.

The transports, should you need one, are readily available from RA at a cost of about $100-you could buy one as a spare if you are concerned about a repeat performance of your Wadia experience.

The drive used is DVS DSL-710A

I have to agree with Brawny but most of my experience has been with the stock Opus 21. It sounds smoother and more analog than any player I have heard under $6000. The Opus competes with extremely expensive players and is a clear bargain for the price. It is a rare Cd player that can do a great job involving the listener with classical music as well as rock and jazz.