External DAC and Theta Casablanca II

Hey Scott,

Well the Superior II Dacs are a bit dated so most of the current Dacs would probably yield better Sonics. But some may disagree. The digi out card is about $500 retail. I found one here on the gon for less but any Theta dealer would probably give you a discount. If you’re going to keep your CB the digi card is the best way to go. Plus you'll get the added benefit of the better DAC for your HT as well. Again, the CB is the only processor, that I know, that will do this function. There are a bunch of CB's for sale on the gon, just send a message to the seller and see if they'd be willing to sell you digi out card (if one is in that CB). That's what I did and to my surprise the seller was willing to do it. Also, I've seen the Superior 2 cards and extremes card fo sale as well.

You could also buy a digital out card and use it in one of your open slots in the CB. If you don't have an open slot just remove one of your lower quailty dac cards and replace with the digital out card. Then you can plug and external dac via coax or AEU into the card. I use the Gen 8 V2 for my L/R channels and extremes/Super 2 dacs cards for the remaining channels. It's seamless. You would just need to reprogram the channels in the theta.

Hey Raks,

If you set your Casablanca to Analog Direct you will not be using the Dacs in the Casablanca. The only controls the casablanca will do in this mode will be volume control and speaker levels. Nothing else. Stereo mode will kick in your Dacs, levels, delays, crossovers, and pink noise generator. Analog Matrix will turn off the Dacs for the L/R but will provide Dacs and all the other controls for the remaining channels.
I own a Casablanca 3 and Gen 8 Dac . I've got many yrs of experience with fine tuning these. Feel free to ask me any questions or PM me.

Hey Richard,

Do you mean the Analog Direct, Matrix ect... I'm pretty sure they are but I've never used that piece so you might want to double check. The Casanova was just a step down from the CB but does provide alot of the sa,e functions.

Let me know your findings.

So no analog direct in the casanova? Wow that's a bummer. Currently I'm using the Gen 8's analog section for my 2 channel. I've had the six shooter and have used it for 2 channel. IMO the Gen 8 is better for pure analog. Only downside with the Gen 8 is no multi-channel but as soon as the HDMI upgrade comes out for the CB3 that will end that problem.

Raks, Are the DACs in your CDP that much better than the DAC's in the CB3's? I would agree the analog section is very good for an HT processor but the extreme DAC's would kill most CDP's and or DVD players. I used the CB's analog section for my turntable setup and preformed very well. I use an Esoteric UX3pi for my universal player and found the DACs in this player comes very close to the extremes.

Hey Raks,
Wow that's very interesting. Hey if the Sonics are better using the Compi Dacs that's all that matters. I actually looked at the Compi before acquiring the Esoteric. It's a top notch player especially for Redbook! My turntable setup is: Art Audio Vinyl Reference Phono preamp (using NOS tubes) into the Gen 8. I'm using the digi out card in the CB3 to control the speaker levels. Only reason why I have that configuration is because I've integrated the Gen 8 into my entire system. I use the Dac section of the gen 8 for my HT as the L/R channels and the Cb's extreme dac and superior 2 dac for the remaining channels. This way I can eliminate the need for two separate systems. I have used the analog section in the CB3 for my turntable before I got the Gen 8 with the setting to Analog direct with excellent results. I'd high recommend anyone trying this if they had a need for pure analog.

Hey Raks,

Thanks for those kind words. Glad I could help. Enjoy your newly tweaked system!!

I'm not surprised by this test. The Superior DAC is really dated compared to many reasonably priced DAC on the market today. Unless Theta comes out with their HDMI upgrade there's really no reason to upgrade any older CB. I've got a CB3 w/extreme & Superior II DAC's + the Gen VIII v2 and the sound is spectacular and only for HT but 2ch as well. I’ve not heard the new Audio Codes but sometimes I find it hard to believe they are that much better. I'll continue to wait for the upgrade. Got too much invested in this brand to walk away. It's not like the Sonics I’m hearing with my setup are bad by any means!!

I'm using my Gen VIII v2 as a straight 2 channel (analog/digial) but also intergrated into the CB3 for HT (L&R). For 2 channel, I would not compare the Gen VIII's DAC's to the CB3's extreme DACS as they are different. CB3 excels in HT not pure 2 channel digital or analog(though they are better than most IMO).

Currently Theta CB seems so be in flux (being polite). I wouldn't buy into this brand right know. Hopefully the 1.4HDMI upgrade will happen but who really knows. I'm sticking with them only because 90% on my gear is with them and of course I love the sound of Theta. But again who really knows if that upgrade will ever happen. This is what happens when you buy into the small high end brands. Buyer beware