W A D I A 3 0 1 Wadia 301 Compact Disc Player C O M P A C T D I S C Owner’s Manual P L A Y E R
Safety Precautions_______________ To get the best performance from your Wadia 301 CD Player, and for your own safety, please read and follow these important safety instructions: • Never place the Wadia 301 CD Player near heat sources such as radiators, fireplaces, stoves, or other appliances that produce heat. Avoid placing the Wadia 301 CD Player where it will be subject to direct sunlight or low temperatures.
Contents ______________________ Safety Precautions 2 Introduction 4 A Brief History of Wadia Wadia 301 CD Design Philosophy 4 5 Installation 7 Unpacking The Accessory Kit Installing Batteries In Remote Control Installing Cone Feet Choosing a Location for the Wadia 301 CD 7 7 7 8 8 Connections 9 Connecting to AC Power Questions about Connecting the Wadia 301 CD Bypassing the Wadia Digital Volume Control Connecting Directly to an Amplifier Connecting to a Preamplifier Adjusting the Maximum Output
Introduction ____________________ All of us at Wadia would like to offer thanks and congratulations to you for purchasing the Wadia 301 Compact Disc Player. We sincerely believe that your Wadia 301 CD is an intelligent purchase decision that will bring you many years of musical pleasure and satisfaction. While every new owner is anxious to begin listening, we encourage you to take a few minutes to read this manual and familiarize yourself with the full capabilities of the Wadia 301 CD.
Wadia’s digital expertise and record of accomplishment exceed those of any audio company, but technology alone does not guarantee musical performance. Wadia designs are born of a delicate balance of technology shaped by a passion for music. Wadia is proud to introduce the Wadia 301 CD Player, a breakthrough in sonic performance and value, and a strong evidence of our dedication to music reproduction.
Swift Current I-V Converter The Wadia 301 CD is the first Compact Disc player in this price range to use Wadia’s patented Swift Current technology. This proprietary, custom-fabricated integrated circuit performs the sonically critical current-to-voltage conversion with no negative feedback, resulting in demonstrably superior sound quality.
Installation ____________________ This section includes information on how to unpack and position your Wadia 301 CD. Unpacking After carefully unpacking your Wadia 301 CD, inspect for any shipping damage and call your dealer immediately if any is found. Do not plug your Wadia 301 CD into any outlet if you find shipping damage. Please save all packing materials so the unit can be easily and safely shipped if the need arises.
Installing Cone Feet The Wadia 301 CD is equipped with three cone feet that screw into inserts in the bottom panel. These feet will improve performance by reducing vibration. If the Wadia 301 CD is sitting on a shelf that can be damaged by the sharp feet, place the steel discs under each foot to protect the shelf surface. Choosing a Location for the Wadia 301 CD The sound quality of all high-performance digital and analog components can be degraded by vibration.
Connections ____________________ This section provides instructions to connect the Wadia 301 CD to the rest of your music system. Below is an illustration of the Wadia 301 CD rear panel, showing all inputs and outputs. Digital inputs (Optional) (page 14) IR pass through (page 14) IN 1 IN 2 IN 3 ANALOG OUTPUT RIGHT AC inlet and power switch (page 9) IN 4 LEFT IR IN R L IR OUT DIGITAL OUTPUT DESIGNED & MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S.A.
Using AC Line Conditioners Of the wide range of power line conditioners currently available, some can provide substantial improvement in sound while others actually degrade sonic performance. Use caution in selecting a power line conditioner for your system. In particular, avoid using inexpensive “surge protectors”. Although these can prevent damage from high voltage spikes, they often degrade performance.
Direct-Connect™ or Pre-Amplifier? The Wadia 301 CD is designed to produce excellent performance in systems with or without preamplifiers. However, in many systems a preamplifier is unnecessary when using your Wadia 301 CD. The Direct Connect technology incorporated into the Wadia 301 CD provides all the necessary control functions of a preamplifier while the signal is still in the digital domain. This avoids the sonic degradation caused by analog circuitry, switches, and wire.
Bypassing the Wadia Digital Volume Control Strictly speaking, the Wadia Digital Volume Control cannot be bypassed, because it is not in the analog signal path to begin with. Unlike conventional volume controls, there is absolutely no circuitry in the analog signal path of the Wadia Digital Volume Control -- no passive parts, switch contacts, resistors, or even circuit board traces.
Adjusting the Maximum Output Voltage The Maximum Output Voltage is the output voltage when the volume control is set to maximum setting (99). The Maximum Output Voltage is factory set to 4.0 V on the balanced output and 2.0 V on the unbalanced output. You can adjust the Maximum Output Voltage on the Wadia 301 CD to match your system by setting the two small switches on the rear panel as shown in the table below.
Infrared Input and Pass-through The Wadia 301 CD is equipped with a pair of 1/8" mini-plug infrared (IR) pass-through jacks. The IR pass-through jacks can be used with an IR receiver/transmitter system to send remote control commands directly to the Wadia 301 CD. This may be useful for example, if the Wadia 301 CD is located outside the field of view of your listening position. Optional Digital Inputs Digital inputs are available as an option on the Wadia 301 CD.
Choosing a Digital Cable For maximum performance we recommend using an ST glass-optical cable, which can be purchased from your Wadia dealer, for any digital audio connections. Wadia Digital was the first company to use glass fiber-optic data-transmission in digital audio and we believe that it offers the best performance of all the available options. Based on our experience, here is a list of digital interface methods in descending order of performance: 1.
Operation ______________________ This section describes how to operate the Wadia 301 CD. Note: When loading a disc, place it on the loading tray with the printed label facing down. Front Panel Display and Controls Below is an illustration of the Wadia 301 CD front panel display and controls. Refer to the table on page 17 for information on each control.
Remote Control Below is an illustration of the Wadia 301 CD remote control. Refer to the table on the following page for information about each command.
Operation Commands Shown below is a table of all the controls on the front panel and the remote to operate your Wadia 301 CD. Refer to the page number noted for more information about each command.
SKIP FORWARD/SKIP BACK Pressing these keys skips to the next or previous track. SKIP FORWARD always moves to the next track. However, the function of the SKIP BACK key is different. If a CD is playing, pressing SKIP BACK once will return to the beginning of the current track. Pressing SKIP BACK repeatedly will select the previous tracks. If the CD is not playing, then pressing SKIP BACK will move to the previous track. VOLUME UP/DOWN Pressing these keys increases or decreases volume by 0.
INPUT The Wadia 301 CD can be configured with four optional digital inputs (See section on Optional Inputs). Each time the INPUT key is pressed, the next input is selected. For example, if you are listening to the internal CD drive, and you press the INPUT, Input 1 will be selected. Press it again, and Input 2 will be selected and so on. After Input 4, the list will begin again with the internal CD drive.
Appendices _____________________ Trouble Shooting If the Wadia 301 CD experiences a powerful static shock or sudden AC surge, it is possible to “lock-up” the computer circuitry. A locked-up computer may result in erratic display, no output, and no response to remote commands. If your Wadia 301 CD should lock-up, unplug the AC cord. Wait at least 30 seconds before plugging the unit in again. If the unit still does not operate normally, contact your dealer.
Warranty _____________________ This Warranty covers the Wadia 301 CD Player. Wadia, warrants that this product shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship for: one year for the player mechanism’s mechanical structure and associated electronics, and five years for all other parts of the product (excluding batteries).
Specifications ___________________ Pickup Mechanism:.................................................... Pioneer Stable Platter Decoding Software: ................................................... DigiMaster upsampling algorithm Digital Processing Capability .................................... 24 Bits Digital Volume Control Range.................................... 50 dB in one-hundred 1/2 dB steps Analog Outputs ..........................................................
795 Highland Drive Ann Arbor MI 48108 734.975.4217 tel 734.975.4299 fax www.wadia.
