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Theta Up-grade Advice

I need some advice from people who know about Theta Processors and Amps.

I’M thinking about either up-grading my Theta Casanova Processor to a Casablanca II, or up-grading my Theta Intrepid 5 channel Amp to a Dreadnaught I or II 5 channel or 3 channel Amp.

My question is, which would make the biggest difference. In other words, would up-grading the Processor to a Casablanca be smarter, or would up-grading the Amp to the Dreadnaught be smarter?

The Surround processing isn’t as important to me as the Stereo. Overall I’m really happy with the way things are now, but I’d like to make it better. Right now I’m kind of hooked on the Theta equipment. My other alternative is to get out of the surround sound stuff altogether, but I do enjoy it for DVD movies from time to time.

My speakers are the Acoustic Zen Adagios which are pretty efficient, and I run Kubala Fascination IC’s and SC’s, and all my power cables are Blacksand.

Your advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
raks
cytocycle
1,043 posts
 
Upgrading from an Intrepid to a Dreadnaught (I or II) will be a pretty huge improvement.

Casanova to Casablanca upgrade will depend on how good your source is and are you using analog or digital inputs? a Casablanca with superior DAC's are pretty good but the Extreme card is pretty amazing. I would hold out for a Casablanca III instead of a Casablanca II. The Casablanca has an Analog pass through volume control so if you have a really excellent phono preamp or CD player, the Casablanca is a pretty amazing 2 channel preamp. I don't how the Casanova handles analog inputs.
rkeman
66 posts
 
Upgrade your speakers. Try Vandersteen 3A Signatures vertically biamped on the Intrepid, they sound great and will give better bass extension and imaging compared to your current speakers. If the Vandersteen Quattros are within your reach, all the better. Take the time to evaluate your room acoustics and add absorption and diffusion as required to smooth response and enhance the soundstage. Phase coherent speakers in a well designed room and driven by a no (or low) negative feedback amplifier are very special indeed and the closest thing to "being there" that I've come across.

The new lossless surround codecs and HDMI switching should be available soon for the Casablanca, and doing it all at once should save time and cost. The Intrepid is underrated by most listeners and, if used appropriately, is very close to the Dreadnaught in terms of sound quality. I currently use both so I'm speaking from experience. Good luck!
arthurp
37 posts
 
I tried the Blacksand statement power cord. I found it moved all the energy to the highs. In doing so gave a false sense of transparency. I would try a different power cord that gives a more balanced natural sound. I've had good results with the VH Audio Airsine and my favorite cord is the current Michael Wolff. I am using the Kubala-Sosna Emotion speaker cables and I'm a big fan.
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