Tweekerman - the thing with the Theta Data II (or EAD T1000 - they are virtually the same) is its a Laser Disk tranport. It has a HUGE clamp that puts a lot of pressure on a CD. the Clamp was designed to securely hold a Laserdisk and when it gets ahold of a puny CD, that CD isn't going anywhere!!! The result is very low jitter and that translates to good sound.
Both Theta and EAD will lie to you all day long and tell you that their new products are better than the old ones. In some ways they may be (features) but for sheer performance, the old Data II or T1000 transports are killer.
The ART DI/O that our friend Sedond speaks of could be just the ticket when combined to one of these transports. It allows for a significant amount of tweaking and adjustment. You'll just have to audition a few digital cables to make everything perfect and tuned to your tastes.
I really hate posting information about the Theta and EAD because they represent one of those well kept secrets - but honestly - the difference between the EAD/Theta and any single box player I have ever listened to is so huge that it makes me want to scream. It's embarrassing really. A good DAC puts the icing on the cake. In the case of the Mephisto and Capitole, they have an AWESOME DAC and that's what saves their hide.
In the case of a Theta Data & ART DI/O combo - you're talking between 400 and 700 bucks for the Theta and between 150 and 300 for the ART (depending on which mods you choose). So.. for that price, I swear there is NOTHING out there that can even dream of touching this level of performance and without hearing the ART DI/O DAC, I would venture to say that with the right mods and digital cable the end result could be VERY comperable to a Mephisto/Capitole (or even Metronome) solution.
I have used the EAD T1000 with many lousy DACs and it always puts the soundstage through the walls - it has a warm (french) sounding tonal balance - very analog, very detailed, NEVER harsh, loads of weight, body - utter transparency. Dynamics are outstanding and you will just have a feeling that you're swimming through music. On one hand the EAD makes me break out into laughter because its so good and so cheap but on the other hand, when I look at how much I spent on other CD players.... I feel like crying!
Both Theta and EAD will lie to you all day long and tell you that their new products are better than the old ones. In some ways they may be (features) but for sheer performance, the old Data II or T1000 transports are killer.
The ART DI/O that our friend Sedond speaks of could be just the ticket when combined to one of these transports. It allows for a significant amount of tweaking and adjustment. You'll just have to audition a few digital cables to make everything perfect and tuned to your tastes.
I really hate posting information about the Theta and EAD because they represent one of those well kept secrets - but honestly - the difference between the EAD/Theta and any single box player I have ever listened to is so huge that it makes me want to scream. It's embarrassing really. A good DAC puts the icing on the cake. In the case of the Mephisto and Capitole, they have an AWESOME DAC and that's what saves their hide.
In the case of a Theta Data & ART DI/O combo - you're talking between 400 and 700 bucks for the Theta and between 150 and 300 for the ART (depending on which mods you choose). So.. for that price, I swear there is NOTHING out there that can even dream of touching this level of performance and without hearing the ART DI/O DAC, I would venture to say that with the right mods and digital cable the end result could be VERY comperable to a Mephisto/Capitole (or even Metronome) solution.
I have used the EAD T1000 with many lousy DACs and it always puts the soundstage through the walls - it has a warm (french) sounding tonal balance - very analog, very detailed, NEVER harsh, loads of weight, body - utter transparency. Dynamics are outstanding and you will just have a feeling that you're swimming through music. On one hand the EAD makes me break out into laughter because its so good and so cheap but on the other hand, when I look at how much I spent on other CD players.... I feel like crying!