Wadia Digital 861 - Manual (Page 6)

Best performance is obtained when operating the Wadia Volume
Control near the top of its range. If needed, the maximum output level
of your Wadia 861 can be adjusted to match the overall sensitivity of your
system so that the critical listening will take place with the volume control
operating in near the top of its range.
The maximum output level of the Wadia 861 is adjustable by means of
a set of internal switches. The Wadia 861 is factory set to accommodate
the most common range of system sensitivity. If you find that your typical
volume level during critical listening is below 65 on the volume display,
it will be advantageous to use a different setting. To change the output level,
consult your dealer.
Your Wadia 861 is equipped with digital inputs which can accept digital
signals from any of the established digital formats.
Input 1: Glass-fiber optical
Input 2: Coaxial with BNC connector
Input 3: Plastic-optical TOSLINK
Input 4: AES/EBU with XLR connector
The Wadia 861 digital inputs will decode any word length up to 24-bit, and
any of the standard digital audio sampling frequencies up to 96kHz.
While the Wadia 861 supports all currently accepted transmission formats
for digital audio, we recommend using a high quality glass-fiber cable such as
the one available from Wadia. Wadia Digital was the first company to
use glass fiber-optic data transmission in digital audio. We have continually
improved this format and believe that it offers the best, most consistent
performance of all the available options.
Based on our experience, here is a list of digital interface methods in
descending order of performance:
1. Glass optical (as implemented by Wadia)
2. AES/EBU using XLR connector
3. Coaxial cable using BNC connector
4. Coaxial cable using RCA connector
5. TOSLINK plastic-optical cable
The quality of any of these transmission methods depends on the quality
of the cable and the sophistication of the transmitter and receiver.
For example, a high quality coaxial cable can outperform a low quality
AES/EBU cable. A high quality AES/EBU cable will outperform a poorly
implemented glass optical system.
If you are using a coaxial cable we recommend that you have the cable
terminated with a BNC connector. This will provide higher performance than
an RCA connector. Your Wadia 861 comes with an RCA/BNC adapter that
can be used for experimentation between different types of coaxial cable.
Again, we highly recommend that you take advantage of your dealer’s
experience and, most importantly,
trust your ears.
All XLR-type inputs and outputs on the Wadia 861, both digital and analog,
use the standard audio pin configuration:
Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 2 - Positive signal
Pin 3 - Negative signal
Wadia 861 COMPACT DISC PLAYER
Optimizing the
Output Level
Connecting Other
Digital Sources
to your Wadia 861
Choosing a
Digital Cable
6