EAD TheatreMaster 8000/8800 ?

Former Ead Owner, but now have the Krell HTS 7.1 (before that the HTS). I really enjoy the Krell, but realize it is not everyone cup of tea. The Krell has excellent dynamics, and can be very melodic with good material. It is, however, not very forgiving of bad source material.

That said, I really did enjoy the EAD processor I had. It was a very dynamic and detailed processor, while also being more forgiving of lesser quality source material. Its been about 3 years since having the EAD, and hopefully they have improved their ergonomics & manual. I found my processor to be reliable, but the operational quirks are frustrating, especially if someone other than you will be using it. I would highly recommend a good univeral remote (home theater master mx 700) if you went with an EAD processor. Overall, I think EAD has a great sound, and is a great deal on the used market (personally I would want a warranty).

I would also include the new Classe ssp30. Having heard the older versions I think it is a great compromise for HT and music. The newer version has more features, including Dolby Prologic II (which I think is noticeably better than DP).

Good luck, mac-ct

The new EAD processors are more user friendly and can now be controlled without a remote.

My EAD TheaterMaster 8000 and Theta Dreadnought combo sounds great in 2-channel and very dynamic in 5.1/7.1 My best combo yet.

Difficult Remote Control

Michael

I have also heard good things said about the Classe and the Sunfire Theatre Grand III. Any user/listener feedback please?

Thanks,

Tom

EAD TM 8000 has decent sound if you prefer bright and harsh sound. It lacks tremble and bass management...and it is too complicated for non-technical user...

I have had my 8000 for 2 years.

I love it and find it one of the BEST at 2 channel stereo and above avg. at HT.

It took me about 2 months to figure it out 100%. The good thing is it intimidates my wife from playing with my gear. That would be a plus in my book :)

Good Luck

I was a hard core 2 channel listener with decent gear (Wadia Transport, TacT 2.0S, dCS Purcell/Delius, Placette Active Dual Mono preamp, CLSIIz's with Vandy Subs). When I decided to integrate this 2 channel system into a home theater setup I preserved the 2 channel path....but added a Theatermaster pro 8000.

Wow!!! I couldn't say enough good about EAD. Take a look inside and you will see a work of art. The analog volume control in the EAD rivals placette (but not quite!). I've been VERY happy with the tonal quality, flexibility, analog pass through etc of the EAD and can HIGHLY recommend it.

So everyone happy with the multi-channel bypass,
Looking for a AV pre-amp for use with a Denon/Underwood 5900 DVD player .Something that is not bright, easy to listen to with less than great material.

Jjtoma: The multi-channel bypass is excellent in the Theatermaster.

I agree. Analog bypass is fantastic with EAD. I use 6 of the channels for SACD and plan to use the other 2 for something like Vinyl.

I currently own an EAD ovation-8.Exept for some bass management issues the unit will stay in my system for years to come.I have yet to use the analog pass through but with prices dropping I'll get a new player with DVD-A and SACD.I worked in sales for a couple of years partime and was always glad to sit down and watch a movie through the EAD.Smooth.crystal clear,great bass,I can't say enough.I bough this unit as an encore,then upgraded to ovation and then again to the 8 model.Go for it.2000.00 used, a steal.