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Enterprise
Hi-Fi
Choice -
The Collection 2005
"An enterprising addition
to the roll-call of ball-breaking, US-made high-end power amplification"
“It was clear from the outset
that it is a great solid state amplifier, among the best wev’e
ever encountered. In the first place, it has an airy and open cleanliness,
and an unusual ability to paint wide open spaces, the subtle sound
of a large concert hall for example. In this area, the Enterprise
has few peers.”
“The immediate impression was that the Theta delivers a more
expansive soundstage, and a subtly darker, richer tonality….
Theta’s low frequency voicing has a touch of richness and
muscularity…there was a loose-limbed quality in the way it
worked that somehow seemed better able to convey a feeling of relaxation
and ease when the music called for these qualities. A great amplifier
then – and a true individual.” —Alvin
Gold Hi-Fi
Choice
Special Collector’s Edition "In-depth reviews of the
world’s finest hi-fi" October 2005 Issue 272
Casablanca
III
8 Recommended Systems — Complete Home Theaters
Over the Top...! $90,000 to $129,000 8
“... leave all the limits in the rear-view mirror. This home
theater system is nothing less than an assault on the current state-of-the-art.”
“Few products have enjoyed such a long run at the top as Theta's
Casablanca, which has been the
high-end choice in a digital controller for years.” “The
'Blanca signature is a miraculous blend of resolution, powerful
dynamic contrast, and smooth natural, undigital textures. Like the
best components, its main strength may be that it sounds less like
a component, allowing the program material to be experienced in
full..” Shane
Buettner, Neil Gader, Robert Harley, Chris Martens, and Jonathatn
Valin —The Perfect
Vision( Issue 62 July/August 2005)
Best
of CES 2005: Controllers, Multichannel Preamps & Amps
• THETA DIGITAL SIX SHOOTER PREAMPLIFIER MODULE
“With the introduction of the Six Shooter,
Theta has created a unique, elegant and affordable solution for
those who are serious about both film and the highest resolution
music available.”
“Marrying soundtracks and hi-rez music within the same system—treating
each optimally while maintaining ease of use—is a thorny challenge.
Controllers subject vulnerable analog signals to a noisy digital
environment, and no controller I know of supports more than one
multichannel source. High-quality stereo preamps and multichannel
linestages can serve as pure analog adjuncts to controllers, but
this a costly, cumbersome approach.”
“Enter the Six Shooter, a passive multichannel "robot"
preamplifier that connects to and takes direction from a Casablanca
controller. Because the two are interconnected, integration is seamless
from the user perspective. Yet because they're separate, each signal
type is treated to an optimal environment.”
“Theta liberated resources for performance and connectivity
by eliminating spending on superfluous aesthetics and functionality.
Volume changes, though under the Casablanca's command, are actually
effected by high-grade metal-film resistors within the Six Shooter.
“The … goods to perform well beyond its price point.”
“…no question that the Six Shooter represents a brilliant—and
so far unique—solution to a real-world problem.”
AVguide.com,February/March
2005, by Alan Taffel, Contributing Writer, The Absolute Sound
and The Perfect Vision
AWARDS
2004 Best AV Processor: Theta Casablanca III/Six-Shooter
(download
PDF file, 407kB)
“Expensive*,
but with the Six
Shooter option, Theta's high-end processor facilitates high-quality
multichannel audio." Hi
- FiNews January 2005
AVguide.com’s
BEST IN CATEGORY- CES 2005: Theta Six Shooter multichannel preamp
module for Casablanca
“Only Theta offers a separate, high-grade
'robot' multichannel analog preamp for its top digital controller.
Analog signals benefit from metal-film resistor volume adjustment
and an environment unpolluted by digital noise. The Casablanca controls
input, level, and balance in a completely seamless, integrated manner.
Thus far, this is the most elegant (and affordable*) approach to
combining the very best of music and film audio.”
AVguide.com's
CES 2005 Report
CONTROLLERS, MULTICHANNEL PREAMPS & AMPS By Alan Taffel, Contributing
Writer, The Absolute Sound and The Perfect Vision
*Note: The Six Shooter is “expensive”(Hi-FiNews)
and “affordable”(Avguide.com) — how much should
a great preamp cost? What we can tell you is that it is unique,
so there is nothing to compare it with. No other manufacturer has
made anything like the elegant, “straight wire” solution
that is needed for high quality transmission of multi-channel analog
signals.
The
Absolute Sound 2004 Editors’ choice Award: Theta Citadel Monoblock
“Theta’s
Citadel is a massive, powerful, gorgeously sculpted solid-state
monoblock with the liquid, musical soul of a tube amp. Based on
a zero-feedback circuit design, the citadel reveals layer upon layer
of transparency with a deep and sensationally focused soundstage.
The bass is extended and powerful, the midrange is pure and naturally
resolved, and the top is extraordinarily clean and detailed. The
Citadel sounds pure and natural and offers no hint of the mechanical
sound that betrays some solid-state contenders. A statement product
in every way."
(Reviewed by
AHC Issue 138 ofThe Absolute Sound (October/November 2004)
Casablanca
III and Dreadnaught II
Mark
Fleischmann:“There
is nothing quite like the emotional impact of the huge pictures
provided by front-projection video displays (whether based on three
big tubes or a solid-state digital-light-processing or liquid-crystal-display
chip). When the hero and heroine go into a clinch, you can feel
your heart beating faster. These giant images need appropriately
scaled-up surround sound.” “Once again, you’ve
graduated to a higher level... Theta Digital’s Casablanca
III preamplifier/processor and Dreadnaught II 10-channel amp."
BEST
— The Guide to Buying Life’s Best Stuff Summer 2004
issue.
Casablanca
III
Shane
Buettner, Neil Gader, Wayne Garcia, Robert Harley, and Johnathan
Valin
pick The Best of the Best “To
give you some examples of how our editorial staff would assemble
complete home-theater systems as price levels ranging from $3147
to more than $205,000, we’ve put our heads together and come
up with the following recommendations." “...the products
we’ve chosen are, in our collective opinion, the performance
and value leaders in their categories." For
the “Best
of the Best”
of their 7 recommended Complete Home Systems: “To drive
your surround system, we once more recommend the nonpareil Theta
Casablanca controller" (Casablanca III Xtreme DAC version)
The
Perfect Vision July & August 2004 issue.
Citadel
Amplifier (download
PDF file, 1.34 MB)
Shane Buettner reviews Citadel Monoblock amplifiers. He says:
“They have layers of front to back
depth, resolution and utterly convincing image focus and dimensionality.
Other components in your system will set the sonic boundaries of
the soundstage, not these amplifiers.
"...with
a sound that is just impossibly sweet and purely musical for an
amplifier that’s this revealing and high in resolving power.
"Taking nothing away from my Dreadnaughts, for the first time
since I’ve had them there was a let down switching back to
my reference amps! I say that takes nothing from the Dreadnaught
because we’re talking about a competitor that’s got
more in common than not, and costs substantially more. You’d
be unlikely to perceive the shortcomings of the Dreadnaught except
in direct comparison to the Citadels.
"The
Citadels are the finest amplifiers I’ve had in my system,
period.
"...and
the Citadels are an astounding aesthetic achievement to boot. Perhaps
the best way I can make my feelings clear is this: if I could afford
them I’d buy the Citadels in a heartbeat and I wouldn’t
look back."
A
note from Richard
Hardesty:"The Theta Citadels are
the best amplifiers I’ve heard."
Audio
Perfectionist Journal,
Number 11 2004
(Note:
Richard Hardesty did buy a pair of Citadlel
amplifiers.)
Also see Richard Hardesty's
interview with Theta amplifier designer David Reich
(download PDF file, 2.37 MB)
Or
read it here.
Audio
Perfectionist Journal,
Number 11 2004
Dreadnaught
II Amplifier (download
PDF file, 288 kB)
Tom Norton reviews the Dreadnaught II amplifier. Under the
heading “Sound” he says:
“With DVD soundtracks, the Theta was
impossible to fault....no detail seemed neglected or overemphasized.
The sound was both dynamic and forgiving. Instruments and voices
had a natural warmth through the midbass and a natural presence
in the midrange.
“The Dreadnaught II’s treble was convincingly detailed…I
consider the Dreadnaught II to be a worthwhile improvement over
its predecessor, which for two years was one of the top-rated amplifiers
in our annual March/April ‘Recommended Components’ issue.”
Stereophile
Guide to Home Theater,
January 2004
Also in theStereophile
Guide to Home Theater
January
2004issue:
Editors’ choice platinum award
to Theta Dreadnaught II(download
PDF file, 116 kB)
Dreadnaught
II Amplifier
Secrets
of Home Theater & High Fidelity
Reviewer
Steve Smallcombe: “I bought the Dreadnaught
II in a seven-channel configuration while reviewing it, and it is
now serving as my reference amplifier for reviewing other components..."
Generation
VIII (download
PDF file, 1.4 MB)
Dr.
Kal Rubinson says in his
review. “No electronic component has
so transformed my stereo system, or made such an emotional impact
on me.”
StereophileFebruary
2004
The
Absolute Sound's Editors’ choice 2003: Theta Dreadnaught II
“The trouble with building an instant
classic like the Theta Dreadnaught is coming up with an encore.
Like the original Dreadnaught, the Dread II is fully balanced with
zero global feedback. The new model delivers more power and impact,
along with better low-end authority and control." (Reviewed
by SB in TPV Issue 46)
The
Absolute Sound's Editors’ choice 2003: Theta Citadel Monoblock
“Theta’s Citadel is one
of those amps that seem to shine with any speaker or cable. This
sculpted aluminum tower’s strengths include spot-on tonal balance,
superior resolution, tremendous dynamic poser, deep taut bass, and
highs that are detailed without exaggeration. Its overall tonal
character is warm, with a natural midband and realistic soundstage."
(Reviewed
by AHC in Issue 138)
(Both
of the above quotes are from
The Absolute Sound, October/November 2003 issue #144)
Intrepid
Amplifier
Reviewer Bill Roberts says: “The thing
that strikes me with the intrepid is balance. All of the loudspeakers
finally sound “right"...how
a helicopter seamlessly moves through space over your head. This
was not achieved with other setups. The balance of this amplifier
is amazing! The naturalness of the sounds are really startling.
“...highly recommended for the price..."
Enjoythemusic.com
Dreadnaught
II Amplifier
Home
Entertainment & Design (Robb Report) - January 2003
Intrepid
Amplifier
Kalman Rubinson exults in, “the sweet,
clear, grain-free sound from the midrange up through the extreme
treble, which reveals human and instrumental voices with delectable
precision and presence. ...the Intrepid gave the Paradigm Reference
Studio/60s and Studio/20s all the low frequencies they could handle.
Indeed, the Intrepid smoothed the integration of the low bass and
midbass.
“The
Intrepid made every multichannel mix seem more alive, with more
of a feeling of a real event.
“...
the Intrepid's clarity and liquidity, particularly from the midrange
up, are world-class.
“...
the Intrepid's excellent tonal balance and dynamics were apparent
as well. It is one of the most subtly transparent power amplifiers
I have auditioned."
Stereophile
- July 2002
Dreadnaught
Amplifier (Class 2 - Best Buy)
The Absolute Sound - CenterStage & Recommended Systems
June/July 2002
Citadel
Amplifier
Jonathan Scull, under the heading Sound,
proclaims “...
a woman's voice floats way back in the soundstage. The first time
I heard it, I wanted to dive into that soundstage to inform this
woman that I was the guy she was singing about, grab her, and...er,
give her a big hug.
“...
I noted that affinity for beautiful, grainless female vocals and
a full and lovely midrange.... I turned the volume up. Then the
Citadels hauled off and gave it to me, top to bottom, in a manner
most remarkable—the bass... took on a dynamic, articulate,
detailed, and powerful sound at higher volumes that was just splendid.
“J.S.
Bach's Adagio... made the hairs on my neck stand straight up. The
air, the emotion, the microchanges in volume and the sounds of bow
on string—it all made my heart race with pleasure.
“...
a certain litheness, delicacy, and transparency in the Citadel's
reproduction.
“...and
the Citadel was superb, just superb.
“Heaven."
Stereophile
- May 2002
Theta
Philosophy
Widescreen Review - February 2002
Dreadnaught
Amplifier
The Absolute Sound - 2001 Golden Ear Awards
January 2002
Intrepid
Amplifier
Ken Kessler writes,
“Aaah, bliss.
“ ...I found myself wondering if maybe, just maybe, DVD-A might
not suck after all."
“My verdict? Let's just say that I'm buying an Intrepid."
Hi-Fi News - December 2001
Dreadnaught
Amplifier
John E. Johnson, Jr. said,
“Tchaikovsky would have loved to hear a recording of his music
on the Dreadnaught."
and concluded:
“Like the Casablanca II, the Theta
Dreadnaught is state of the art technology and extremely high quality.
It delivers as much power as you, your speakers, and the wall studs,
can handle. It is reasonably priced for what you get, and you get
a lot. A highly recommended product."
Secrets of Home Theater & Hi-Fi - December 2001
Dreadnaught
Amplifier
Nigel Pond said,
“So how does the Dreadnaught sound? In a word: stupendous,
amazing, mind-blowing, astonishing! OK that's several words but
I think you get the idea: I really, really, like this amp…
a lot."
SMR
Home Theatre, August 2001
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