2. amps-preamps
  3. 1254577435

Berkeley Alpha DAC vs Theta Gen VIII and stuff...

More ramblings of a madman...

So my search for the preamp has lead me here. Thanks to all who posted in my thread about the Spectral pre but i think i have narrowed it down to an odd pair, the 2 Dacs in the title. This arose from a long phone conversation yesterday with the guy who sort of mentored me in this whole audio mess. I had bounced the idea of the Spectral DMC 30SL i was ready to buy off of him and we had gone round and round about the options. A friend of his has some similar gear, WP's and the like, and had had that Spectral as well as the 30SS + the Spectral CD/DAC. He had also been searching for the right fit and came across the Berkeley Alpha Dac. His comments are strong but they mirror what Robert Harley stated in his TAS article, the BAD is better than the Spectral System...the DAC and the Pre...he has replaced all that Spectral gear with the BAD run directly to his amp. WOW! I am in. But...I must complicate this...If i am going to go the DAC/Pre combo route I might as well include the one I personally have always lusted after...the Theta Generation VIII. Ok...so now I have narrowed this down to the final 2, this is great progress. Help me drive this home fella's...

Has anyone compared these 2 fine devices? Anyone have experience with both that may help me close the door? It is not realistic to get them both here to do a listen, that is out. Gotta go on my gut and some input from the forum.

I suppose my first thought is the newer BAD is a better option given the progress in digital these days as well as the higher rez but the Theta is a classic sweet DAC which has been among the finest available for some time. It is also Theta, A company that seems to be a shell of itself since ATI got involved. Hmmmmm.

Whichever i chose will still be a challenge as neither has a solution for ht pass through. I will need to find some sort of switch at the amp or just change cables when I watch TV/Movies.

So this is where I stand. Input on these 2 devices, experience or comparison, greatly appreciated...

Rest of the system (for now!):

Krell FPB 600c
Wilson WP 7's
Logitech Transporter (will be the only source acting as tranport only)
MIT MH850 speaker cables
MIT MI350 CVT Proline Reference interconnects
MIT Oracle AC1 power cords
MIT ZStabalizerIII HG conditioner/filter/surge

HT stuff to pass through some how...

My home theater will pass through.
richard_stacy
honest1
586 posts
 
Worldcat/Fsarc/Ronv - Have you tried both the series 1 and 2? Were you able to tell the differences side-by-side, or in close time proximity to each other? I read the Serinus review, sounds great, but my dealer said he upgraded one, and the upgrade sounded more resolving, but he thought it may have been a case of resolution at the expense of musicality. But that was cold, with no beak-in, as it was a customer piece, and it went home with the customer after update.
worldcat
160 posts
 
The new upgrade on the Gen VIII i though was huge all across the board. I finally did the BADA and GEN VIII comparison. This is going to come down to taste. I could not decide which one i like best. I love both of them but they do sound different. I think most people will like the BADA better. The voices where awesome on the BADA. It took 5 days of continuing listening to get the sound out of the BADA, dealer told me that it was a new unit and hadn't been broken in yet. The GEn VIII has more air to it and it is more of an aggressive sound to it, the BADA more relaxed. I love the air around the music of the Theta but i like the clarity of the BADA. I listen to Eva Cassidy "Autumn Leaves" this was interesting and describes the difference between the units. Her voice on the Theta is more raspy and on the BADA more laid back, well i never heard her in person so i dont know what is more accurate. Thats the difference i came across " which one is more accurate"! Do they both sound good or great? YES. Do i plan to get a Berkeley? YES. I need more time with both to see which one i really like better.
richard_stacy OP
686 posts
 
thanks for the comparison worldcat! i am still waiting for the bada to be delivered. going on 5 weeks so i hope any day now. nice to know that it compares so well to the theta which is like 2 1/2 times the cost! i am pretty damn anxious for it's arrival!!!!

keep us updated as you get more time with them.
honest1
586 posts
 
Thanks for the info Worldcat. Was the GenVIII series2 more or less agressive sounding than the series1? Also, how many steps are there in the BADA volume control (or more to the point, are the steps fine enough that you don't have to choose between a little too soft and a little too loud?)
worldcat
160 posts
 
I have very reveling speakers so i could listen at a decent level without being to loud. But you can turn it way way up with the BADA and it sounds very good. To loud to be listening too. I really cannot remember the difference in the S! and S2 as far as being more aggressive i only noticed it with the BADA comparison. There are lots of steps with the bada volume control as it does .1 at a time increments.
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