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I was looking at this unit & its reviews & seems credible (graphicly flatter response than a Lexicon) albeit still outside my budget (I'm hoping somebody upgrades & I buy it used), but haven't heard one personally. What are it's highlights & short comings?
I own the Theta Casa Nova, which replaced a HT receiver that I had used for a short time. I auditioned the EAD Encore and the DC-1. I really like the sound of the Theta. It handles dialogue very well and is good for music. It can be complex to set up if you don't like to spend time deciding what type of crossover you want for your subwoofer, etc. I like to do that kind of stuff, so I like all the options that it contains to adjust your system. I really didn't like the lack of an on screen display for the EAD. I don't know if the newer models have that display or not. I got the Theta with the Circle Surround option and highly recommend it if you plan on listening to CDs or other sources besides DVDs. The Theta can be a little quirky at times, such as starting out on a different volume level than the one you last used with it, but this happens rarely, and is resolved by turning the unit off and restarting it. It has happened to me maybe twice in six months. I've unplugged the unit when I was trying different power conditioners, and did not have to reset my settings when I plugged it back in, so I don't know about the power outage problem that was mentioned earlier. Theta has excellent customer service. My e-mails to them for information were answered within hours, rather than days.
I have auditioned the cassonova, I did not feel that the sound quality on par with other preamps in its price range, proceed, ead oav, lex mc1,classe ssp25, and the krell hts, I have owned the Lex mc1, classe ssp25, ead ovation, each had its pluses and minus, I had just about givin up finding the holy grail of preams, then I found the Krell, it is better on ht than the lex, and on par musicly with the classe. there is also something else to consider, try emailing ead with a question, even if you own their products they won't respond, classe is good service but located in canada if you have problems. I don't know about theta on service, but I hear they are very good, I also think the lex is way overated imo, to sum up, try to listen to as many as you can, and be sure to test the company's response to your questions before you buy, a lot of these high end manufactures have a lot to learn about customer service, good luck
I've found that the better the performance the more user-surly it is to operate.I just read on AR that one has to reprogram the Theta's after a short power outage. In my neck of the woods (half way between NYC & Canada), I experience momentary power outages a couple times a week which really burns my butt when I'm trying to videotape something off my pay channels.
I've also read that EAD's display dies after a month from a couple owners & was trying to keep cabling to a minimum, which means I was hoping to bypass on screen anything.
I've also read that Lexicons are a tad dynamicly dull, albeit user friendly. My Magnepans dynamicly compress as it is, I don't need the dynamics to be dull too.
& Meridians sound like the proverbial "holy grail", but are way out of my budget. As it is, I'll have to go used to even come close.
The Theta is a very complex surround sound processor. It has every imaginable setting to get excellent surround sound performance with different rooms and speaker arrangements. However for some HT enthusiasts like myself this could be its biggest disadvantage.
I would recommend you based upon my own experience go audition the EAD Theater Master Ovation. In my opinion it is by far the best sounding pre/pro available today second only to EAD's own Signature Edition (rated by SGHT as one of the three best DA converters in existence). I've heard the Theta and even the new Krell. They sound very good but to my ears the EAD Ovation is superior. It has a tube-like character that I find so special.
EAD calls its pre/pro "audiophile D to A converter and 5.1 surround sound processor". Obviously their main design goal was to achieve the best possible stereophonic processing, which as a bonus brings superior surround sound performance as well. You won't find better circuit design and attention to detail in its price range.
I find the EAD's elegant simplicity one of its best qualities specially when compared with the Theta. It has minimal analog and video ins and outs but in my relatively simple system this has been no problem. Definitively the decision depends upon the characteristics of your system. With the EAD you would get better quality but at the price of lower flexibility.
Hope this helps. Regards,
Miguel.
I've read numerous people on these type pages mentioning a simliar sonic review but also stating that the display dies after a month. This scared me off since I wire my video picture up separately to reduce cable lengths on both A&V & have no on screen display. But, on one hand, I did take serious note of the superior ProLogic frequency response in an published review arcticle. And, on the other, the weird performance it demonstrated less than ideal under AC-3 conditions.Unfortunately, I can't seem to audition these units side by side reguardless of my fruitless attempts.
I've not heard the EAD or Theta units but I have a Lexicon DC-1 that I really like. I got it fully-loaded and barely used on ebay.com for $1800. I think you can find them for even a tad less now -- retail was something like $4,000. It's extremely easy to use and has incredible HT sound. Quite a deal for the money involved IMO.Shawn Harvey
I was considering trying to acquire a DC-2 (for the 24-bit DACs mainly), but heard that they sound intimate & detailed & dull & laid back. What are your impressions?
You might find some gains in the sound of a DC-2 over a DC-1 due to design but not due to the 24-bit DACs. According to Lexicon they are used in the newer DC-1 models as well as the DC-2 because their supplier offered them at the same cost as the 20's. Kyle from Lexicon claims there is no difference in sound. Internally there is no 24-bit processing either.That said there may be many other good reasons to buy a DC-2 over a DC-1 but I haven't heard the DC-2 so I cannot give you a comparison.
As far as the sound of the DC-1 I certainly wouldn't characterize it as dull or laid back but that is in my system, my room and with my comparisons so take that with the appropriate grain of salt. Right now I'm using the DC-1 as my cd DAC as well as for HT. I would rate the DC-1 very highly for HT sound. While it does a very commendable job for music it's certainly no match for something like a Meridian 508.24.
If you are looking for HT sound a used DC-1 or 2 will fit your bill and provide great sound with lots of features. You can also pick up a used DC-1 for about $1500 now -- something to consider. For music I would probably refer you to the CasaBlanca or high-end Krell units, or just a regular old CD player or transport/DAC.
That said, I'm not unhappy with the sound from my Lexicon as a DAC now. It's very nice, detailed, big soundstage, good bass, dynamic, etc. Just not killer (and we all want killer).
Hope this helps.
Shawn Harvey
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