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WSR Reber: The other aspect to this is amplifier ratings, like 100 watts at 8 ohms, 200 watts at 4 ohms, 400 watts at 2 ohms. There's an exact doubling whereas other amplifiers don't. It might be 100 watts at 8 ohms, 150 watts at 4 ohms. What does this have to do with performance?

Sinclair: It's a reflection of what the power supply can do. When an amplifier doubles, it is saying there's plenty of current capability, plenty of drive capability.

WSR Reber: And that's desirable?

Sinclair: Very desirable. Now, there are problems with this idea, so it's not a hard and fast rule. When dealing with big amps, there's only so much you can get out of the wall. We build a 400-watt-per-channel amp that doesn't quadruple into 2 ohms, even though it's quite stable, because you're just not going to pull the necessary current out of a wall for the amp to generate 1600 watts.

WSR Reber: Does it require, like the Krells I mentioned, 20-amp circuits?

Cardas: We recommend that. The amplifier will amplify if you don't have that, even the Casablanca or the Casanova won't draw 125 watts, but we still recommend a 20-amp circuit. It's just more stable. With amplifiers and speakers, it is not always how much power you have, it's how much power the equipment thinks it has. I've noticed a lot of speakers can be bi-amped. You can use a 400-watt single amplifier, and you can bi-wire it with the exact same amplifier, but if you use two, 200-watt amplifiers to bi-amp, you're going to get better performance because each part of the speaker sees a limitless supply. It's the same sort of thing as drawing power. If you're drawing balanced power instead of out of the wall ...it's my emotional way of looking at it, but it's that the amplifier thinks it sees more power than it really does.

WSR Reber: So, you recommend that consumers should wire their homes with 20-amp circuits for optimal home theatre sys-tem performance?

Cardas: Dedicated 20-amp circuits.

Sinclair: And it would be nice if consumers had a second, smaller circuit for digital components, as you ideally don't want to mix them. To do it really right, you want to have three circuits: one for video, one for digital audio, one for analog.

Cardas: And they should all be pulled off the same phase.

WSR Reber: I agree.

Cardas: Which is something electricians say doesn't matter, but does. You can create ground loops you'll never track down; that will drive you nuts. Personally, I'd rather move than fix a ground loop.

WSR Reber: What is the Theta philosophy with respect to bipolar vs. MOSFET transistor implementation in your amplifiers? Which technology results in the best possible sound quality?

Sinclair: From the outside, our philosophy is simple: Whatever component it takes to give us the best sound is the one we will use. Of course, those decisions are influenced by the skill with which a given device can be implemented. We may choose a bipolar transistor output stage because it will deliver the current we require, and we are able to make it sound like music. Another team may fail to do so, and end up using MOSFETs because they feel it mimics the dynamic characteristics of tubes. At Theta we have taken the sonics of components much further, where we analyze the various families of devices and have begun to correlate their qualities to specific sonic outcomes, such as transparency, dimension, and harmonic integrity. This takes years of man-hours to accomplish. Generalities aside, without knowing how the technology is used, you can't make a blanket statement about which technology is best. As far as transistors vs. tubes go, it's an old debate that continues. Tubes have always sounded luscious and seductive at the expense of accuracy. I think the trick with transistors is to make them sound accurate and musical.

WSR Reber: Where are we in terms of describing the inside of the amplifier?

Cardas: Full differential balanced circuit. Common transformer. Quality parts.

WSR Reber: Now, where does the quality of parts fit in? What parts specifically?

Cardas: All parts.

WSR Reber: Specifically?

Cardas: Capacitors. Resistors. What little wire there is plays a part. The quality of the connectors.

Sinclair: We have a new really cool speaker connector on our monoblock, the Citadel. Designed by Dave Reich, it's a compression fitting for speaker cables. It's just beautiful.

WSR Reber: Do you recommend spade connections for speakers or a different connector?

Sinclair: Spades.

Cardas: People have complained that the binding posts on our Dreadnaught do not allow bananas... I just tell them real men use spades, because spades are the truest speaker connection. They provide the most surface area, and are a quality way of transferring current.

WSR Reber: A copper surface is better?

Cardas: Copper is the best base material. You usually need a flash on top to protect the copper from oxidizing as soon as it hits the air.

Sinclair: You need lots when you're put-ting power through. If you don't, you have a resistor instead of a wire.

Cardas: From all angles, our recommendation is to go with quality components every step of the way. With quality components, you'll hear, see, and experience the difference.

WSR Reber: The Casablanca II at present doesn't have any facility to process a six-channel discrete analog playback from DVD-Audio or from multichannel SACD...

Sinclair: But it will by the time this interview is in print.

WSR Reber: I heard you're coming out with an outboard box that interfaces with the Casablanca II. Can you tell us about this?

Sinclair: It's called the Six Shooter. You've heard of thinking outside the box? We could have done it within the surround processor, but its important to keep the signals isolated. When we're starting with a signal that's already analog, the last thing we want is to bring it into a digital box. So the Six Shooter is an analog box controlled seamlessly from either the Casanova or the Casablanca II. And it will be so transparent that when a client pushes the "SACD" button on his pre-amp and plays an SACD, he won't be able to tell there's an outboard box.

Cardas: At some point these new standards will evolve into high-quality digital out-put. I don't think it's conceited to say Theta processors do a better job of D-to-A conversion than mass-marketed DVD players. A high-quality digital output is the real answer.

WSR Reber: I agree.

Cardas: The high-quality digital output is what we've all been waiting for and, frankly, why we may appear a little late coming to market with the Six Shooter. We kept getting promises the output would be available. But since it's not, we're offering the Six Shooter.

WSR Reber: Where is the industry in terms of getting a multichannel digital link?

Sinclair: The major multinational companies are very late, and we have to wait for them. Currently, and legally, we can devise our own interface if we encrypt the signal and make sure it doesn't work with anybody else's interface. That doesn't work for me. All our pieces should be able to talk to everybody else's products. I think, and this is conjecture, the majors have been slow for two reasons. They have to do a lot of work for what they're finding is a tiny installed base, and they have to do a lot of politicking with the software industry. They must convince everyone the new transmission system can't be compromised. That some bored 13-year-old in Scandinavia won't break the code, as happened with virtually every other secret standard.

Cardas: It's already taken five years.

Sinclair: We get promises every year it will happen, then it doesn't.

WSR Reber: One neat feature you've adopted for Theta processors is true upgradability. What's the status in terms of Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS-ES in the Casablanca II?

Cardas: Theta was the first DTS licensee. The original Casablanca did not come with DTS, as it wasn't yet available, so adding it was a true upgrade. The owner or his installer simply inserted a processing card, and changed a couple chips to add DTS. When the new Motorola DTS-ES chip is available and functional, we will be able to integrate it into our system.

WSR Reber: Is this true for the 24/96 DTS codec?

Cardas: Yes. As I understand it, it'll all be integrated into the new chip.

WSR Reber: When you change a board, does the consumer need to send the unit back?

Cardas: Most dealers can do it. If there's not a technician on staff, upgrades to our products are often done by a competent salesperson.

WSR Reber: What about Dolby Pro Logic II?

Cardas: We're designing it in right now. There're so many changes, and it doesn't stop. At least with a Theta, you just add it. You don't need to buy a new processor.

WSR Reber: We've covered a lot that I'm sure will enlighten our readers. Thank you Neil and Mary for sharing so much insight into Theta's design philosophy with us.

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