A Wadia 170iTransport for Your i-Thoughts - Week 3

Below is the third qualifying entry for Hifi Unlimited's Wadia 170iTransport competition. There is one last qualifying space left now for that chance to win the grand prize.

The following is from Alex Chong W.F.:

Wadia, Unforgettable Sound

End of a song sung by Tsai Chin, found myself grumbling that I was neither in an euphonic mood nor ecstasy fit. My hifi system still stood in the middle ground and I believe the weakest link would be the source, a Marantz SA8003. It is a SACD/CD player but it still falls short of the best CD source that I have ever heard. Still fresh in my mind is a ‘live’ sound I heard in an audio exhibition many years ago. A Wadia CD player was demonstrating songs by Tsai Chin which it produced with transparency, scale and realism that triggered goose bumps all over me. The clarity of flow on vocal, the reality of musical instrument was rendering Tsai Chin ‘vocally naked’ in front of me, and the rhythmic beat stirred up emotion to the highest state that I concentrated on her despite hundreds of visitors streaming in and out of the listening hall.

A visually striking, solid built square metal box that can even survive a nuclear explosion, blue lighting proudly displaying ‘Wadia’ with posh quality written all over it. This is the CD machine that I would love to own and I pushed myself to ask for the price. Wadia is a well known brand for audiophiles with deep pockets, re-confirming that I could not really afford it, I sadly moved out of the listening room.

Wadia's sound has since hounded me, still having dream of the unforgettable goose bump from Tsai Chin. Even as now I have heard other great brands for CD sources, yet I am still finding myself wishing for a Wadia. I am still very much in the hoping someone, someday would offer a reasonably priced secondhand Wadia CD player that I'll eagerly to put my well earned money to.

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For the complete Rules and Regulations of the Wadia Competition, please refer to our earlier announcement here.
Grand Prize! Wadia 170i Transport. Picture shown with iPod attached. The iPod or iPhone to use is your choice, and is sold separately. By the way, you'll also need to connect the Wadia 170i Transport to your high end rig via a dedicated DAC.