Krell v. Theta

The Theta CasablancaIII is the best there is expecially SOUND!

Having purchased Theta Digital amps (two Enterprises and an Intrepid), I am now considering this very question of Krell or Theta for a pre/pro. Although I would certainly consider either the Krell Showcase or Theta Casa Nova, ideally, I'd like to be in a Krell HTS 7.1 or a Theta CasablancaIII. Any more specific comments on these pre/pros?

Tom.

I know that this is a preamp based question, but if any of you folks have experience on the amp side of things, I am considering Krell (FPB300cx with a KAV-3250) and Theta (Enterprise mono's and/or Dreadnaught II) myself. Any thoughts or comparisons between Krell and Theta amplification would be appreciated.

Thanks, Tom.

Both Krells have passthrough, I think.

I believe the Audible Illusions L2 line stage has an A/V passthrough. I'm not entirely sure how this is implemented but I asked my salesman in passing and he said, ya, sure, that would work great. The L2 retails at approximately $2300.00 new.

Anyone with an L2 that can comment on how this works?

Thanks for the great responses! I think the two preamp suggestions are good. However, I am concerned about integration difficulties. Can you guys recommend a good 2 ch. preamp for music with an HT preamp that work well together?

I would not overlook the Bryston SP-1.7 it performs very well for a one-box solution. It is very flexible and contains a totally independent analog preamp. By my standards it was the best Processor for two-channel that I auditioned. I was budget limited to less than about $4000.00 though. So that ruled out some, but most of those, I have at least some experience with, and I dont think the Bryston gives up much if anything with two-channel.

Having said that, I do agree that a stand alone preamp offers the best possibility for two-channel performance. That shouldnt be overlooked as well, if you dont mind two boxes and integration difficulties.

If your main concern is music, don't get either one. Get a good two channel pre amp with bypass capibilities and a inexpensive AV processor. Even the cheapist AV processor has the same chips for decoding DTS and DD as the big boys and do just as good a job.
I had a Casablanca II with extreme DACS and just about any two channel pre amp I had beat it for music. Remember, AV processors are computers with volume controls, not true preamps.

Just my opinion:

Krell preamps are designed with Krell amps in mind. If you are willing to upgrade your amp the the cast version, then you should buy the KCT with cast cable. If you don't want to upgrade, I would go with the KRC-HR (which is what I did).

FYI -- The 801N was voiced with the Krell FPB600 and FPB650M's.