Digital Drive: REVIEW: Great Northern Sound GNSC Statement Wadia 270SE, GNSC Statement Wadia 931, 2x GNSC Statement Wadia 921 CD Player/Recorde by Roysen

Model:	GNSC Statement Wadia 270SE, GNSC Statement Wadia 931, 2x GNSC Statement Wadia 921
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$50450
Description:	Four chassis CD player
Manufacturer URL:	Great Northern Sound

Review by Roysen on January 28, 2008 at 04:13:45
IP Address: 155.55.58.32 Add Your Review
for the GNSC Statement Wadia 270SE, GNSC Statement Wadia 931, 2x GNSC Statement Wadia 921

I have owned GNSC modified Wadia products for a decade now. The first product was a GNSC modified Wadia 830 then a GNSC Statement Wadia 861. In my opinion Steve Huntley and his guys at GNSC have always managed to sequeeze out the last drop of improvement on the stock products from Wadia.

My intention when investing in a new CD player this time was actually to buy a used Statement modified 270SE & 27ix v3.0 combination from GNSC. Steve however managed to convince me that I should go for the all out assulat on what is possible from CD at the moment - the Statement modified 270SE, 931 and 2x 921.

Over the years I have learned to trust Steve, his ears and his opinions about sound enough to know that they pretty much correlate with what I am looking for too. So this time I jumped into the modification with both feet and ordered this product set fully modified without even having listened to it unmodified.

Not only does Steve do great technical work but his customer service is the best I have encountered in this business. He always makes sure to answer every e-mail personally the same day he receives them. In addition he was an important factor in the delivery of the products from Wadia because when I ordered this set, the Wadia 270SE transport was actually out of production a while ago. Still he managed to get it delivered.

After having set the GNSC Wadia combo up in my listening room, I let it burn in for about 700 hours playing the Isotek burn in CD.

The first disc I put into the CD drawer was Blue Coast Records hybrid SACD - E.S.E Session. Playing back track 11 on this disc thourgh the GNSC Wadia combo was a revelation. The resolution, neutral tonal balance and dynamics were incredible. I had never expected this! The snap of the steel strings on Rob Ickes dobro with the wooden resonances from the body of his instrument sent shivers down my spine and made the hair on my arms stand in ovation.

In my second system I use the Zanden 2000P/5000S combination and compared to that player the GNSC Wadia excels at all the attributes in the book. The Zanden sounds like a slow, sugar coated syrup compared to the GNSC Wadia. Detail, dynamics, resolution and air reach a completely different level with the GNSC Wadia.

Connected directly to the Levinson amplifiers this digital combo delivered a tonal balance that was dead neutral. There was no tubey warmth or transistory edge and no digital artifacts of any kind. The black background much talked about and appriciated in the high end industry was nowhere to be heard. Having heard this black background replaced with absolutely nothing I think the black background must be some sort of distortion. The dynamics, extention at the freqeuncy extremes and spot on imaging produced life like, full scale images of everything I could trow at it. Jheena Lodwick was physicaly present in my room while performing Phil Collins old classic Groovy kind of love. Her voice was so pure and tonally netural.

On FIM's new K2 HD Flamenco with Pepe Romero the dynamics are incredible and the dancers in the background is easily spotted as the move over the stage from front to back and right to left.

Playing Poem of a Chinese Drum from Burmester CD 3 had the bass from drum whacks shaking the walls of my listening room.

Playing large scale orchestral works produced layers upon layers of musicions right there in my room and switching to a small intimate recording like the mentioned Jheena Lodwick disc reduced the space and portrayed the intimacy and subtle nuances with micro dynamics which was utterly real.

I have to say that this combinaton is by a wide margin the best source component I have ever heard. In addition to the Zanden combo I have also compared it to the new Burmester 069. A showdown with the APL NWO-3.0WO is waiting in the wings, but I can't imagine it being better than this GNSC Wadia masterpiece.

Product Weakness:	None that I can think of.
Product Strengths:	The best source component I have heard so far.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Mark Levinson No.33H - 150W 8 Ohm
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Zanden Model 2000P/5000S
Speakers: Audio Physic Cerubin - 8 Ohm
Cables/Interconnects: Wadia digital class cables, Stealth Audio Indra XLR, Argento Serenity Master Reference speakercables, Nordost Valhalla jumpers
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Blues, Demo, World music
Room Size (LxWxH): 4meters x 4meters x 2,5meters
Room Comments/Treatments: none
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Bladelius Design Group Advantage Terminator T1
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition): My own

Amplifier:	Mark Levinson No.33H - 150W 8 Ohm
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Zanden Model 2000P/5000S
Speakers:	Audio Physic Cerubin - 8 Ohm
Cables/Interconnects:	Wadia digital class cables, Stealth Audio Indra XLR, Argento Serenity Master Reference speakercables, Nordost Valhalla jumpers
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Blues, Demo, World music
Room Size (LxWxH):	4meters x 4meters x 2,5meters
Room Comments/Treatments:	none
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Bladelius Design Group Advantage Terminator T1
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	My own