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. The Direct-Connect output stage can drive any power amplifier and any interconnects, even very long lengths. Many listeners are surprised by the improvement in performance compared to even the most expensive preamplifiers. Even if you purchased your Wadia 301 CD with the intention of connecting it through a preamplifier, we suggest that you experiment with direct connection to your amplifier.
Does Direct-Connect™ compromise performance with a preamplifier? Although we encourage listeners to bypass their preamplifier, the Wadia 301 CD is not compromised in any way when used with a preamplifier. The Wadia 301 CD performs all preamplifier functions such as input selection and volume control in the digital domain. As a result, there is no circuitry associated with Direct-Connect that affects the audio performance. The Wadia 301 CD offers uncompromised performance in systems with and without preamplifiers.
How should I connect Analog Sources?
To use analog sources in a system using Wadia’s Direct Connect system, Wadia has introduced the Wadia 130 and 150 Analog-to- Digital converters. Now it is possible to use analog sources, such as a tuner, tape deck, or even a turntable (in conjunction with a suitable phono stage) in your system without using a conventional analog preamplifier. Consult your dealer for more information on the Wadia Analog-to-Digital products.
