Wadia Displays 96K Update to Wadia 2000 Decoding Computer at Stereophile’s Hi-Fi ‘98

One of the pillars of Wadia’s philosophy is building modular products that can be upgraded to accommodate new technology. Now, with all the talk about higher-resolution audio formats on the horizon, Wadia has the opportunity to demonstrate the flexibility this approach allows.

Any Wadia 2000 Decoding Computer which has the 1995 Upgrade can be upgraded to 96 KHz capability by means of a simple revision that requires changing two chips:

Software ROM: By replacing the memory chip that contains all the programming code for the Wadia 2000, the DigiMaster filter is modified to run at 96 KHz with 32-times re-sampling, while maintaining 24-bit resolution.

Input Receiver: The Surface Mounted Technology (SMT) input receiver used in the Wadia 2000 is pin-compatible with a new 96 KHz version, allowing for easy replacement.

Due to the uncertainty of the future format, this update is not currently scheduled to be released to the market. Instead, it is intended as a demonstration of the tremendous flexibility of Wadia’s modular design approach. Wadia has always led the way in providing products that attain the highest levels of resolution and processing capability. We support and admire the efforts of those pioneering recording companies who have begun to develop and release limited numbers of recordings in 96K formats. However, it is too soon to know if 96KHz processing will become an accepted world standard, or if significant numbers of software titles will become available from major recording companies.

Given the simplicity of updating Wadia’s original Decoding Computer, it is clear that similarly simple and cost-effective updates could be implemented for current and past Wadia products. For example, Wadia CD players equipped with digital inputs could be updated to have 96 KHz input capability.

Should 96 KHz become the adopted standard for high quality digital audio, Wadia will quickly introduce these updates. In the meantime, Wadia will continue to manufacture products that make the best of today’s formats, and offer the greatest possible flexibility to accommodate tomorrow’s technology.