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(Continued
from previous page) Editor: Following a long and challenging
design exercise, it's gratifying when a Stereophile reviewer writes
such a glowing testimony. Jonathan Scull's review of our Citadel
monos made us particularly proud, because of both who the reviewer
is and the circumstances of the Citadel project. Reading the pronouncements
of this consummate connoisseur, in my mind's eye I couldn't help
but picture Jonathan with a glass of Haut Brion raised after a first
Over the years, you could say that Stereophile and its sister publication have chronicled the history of Theta: from our Generation I, the first outboard D/A converter; to the Casablanca, the first modular surround processor; to the Dreadnaught, the first modular multichannel amplifier. After 14 years of creating new categories of things, we welcomed the opportunity to take a fresh look at an existing type of product. The intention is like that of a singer-songwriter reinterpreting a standard when he feels that, through his experience, he can bring something new and of value to the song. This is not a new concept-a number of companies have brought out statement amplifiers before. We regard sonic of these amplifiers highly, but there hasn't been anything released in at least four years that really gave us any new insights. The analog side of our digital product designs has created a library of ideas, proven out by experimentation but not affordable or applicable in previous products. After 30 years of designing amplifiers for Dayton Wright, Classe, and McCormack, Dave Reich wanted to show what Ire could do when he allowed himself to pull out all the stops and not leave a meaningful idea on the cutting-room floor because of cost constraints. The innovative use of the huge power-supply choke is a good example. It is heavy and expensive, but it gives the zero-feedback amp the control that allows it to sing sweetly until sonic real bass comes through-and then to quickly and mercilessly kick the listener to the floor. As Theta's industrial designer, I've always pledged to make the products as interesting as I could without adding meaningfully to their cost-after- all, it is the sound that's important. This intrinsically more expensive product allowed me artistic freedom without significantly affecting the price. The Citadel is more than just another" amp to us. It is an extension of Theta's philosophy since our beginning: to bring
Neil Sinclair
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glowing
sip.
