Classe compared to the Theta Dreadnaught


I am not an audiophile and putting my first real HT system together. I understand that you usually can not compare a $4000 amp to a $6500 amp. How much better is the Dreadnaught? I have not been able to compare them but hope to do so. I have limited funds so spending an additional $1400 dollars to buy a used Dreadnut vs a Classe is an important decision. Thanks
P.S. For what its worth, based on speaking with Classe the CAV-180 is not really comparable to the CAV- 150. Thanks.
flash_g_man
In Flash's post, he only asked for feedback on the Classe vs. the Theta Dreadnaught, and I didn't want to throw in a lot of additional info that might confuse matters. However, since there seems to be a bit of schism here on "what to buy" (receiver vs. separates), let me quickly mention the choices among multi-channel amps that TAS listed in their current issue:

Class 1 (highest category):
1. Balanced Audio Technology VK-6200 ($10,000)
2. Rowland MC-6 ($16,500)

Class 2:
1. Theta Dreadnaught ($6000) - rated as a "Best Buy"

Class 3:
1. Conrad-Johnson MF-5600 ($4000)
2. Integra Research RDA-7 ($5000)

Class 4:
1. Anthem PVA-7 ($1500)
2. Audio Refinement Multi5 ($2250)

Class 5:
1. Adcom GFA-7400 ($1000) -- rated as a "Best Buy"

I'd also add two other amps to this list which deserve serious consideration:
1. Bryston 9B-ST ($3800) -- a near-concensus choice in many of the HT and audiophile mags. Based on my own listening experiences, I'd place this amp in TAS's Category 3 in terms of audio quality as a multichannel amp.
2. Outlaw Audio multichannel amp -- $1100, and a steal at the price.
I'm going to suggest you check out the Sherbourn 5/1500 amp. I have a friend with a Bryston 9BST THX ULTRA. I borrowed it & was very impressed. I was planning to buy one. Then I checked out the Sherbourn. Same design basics as the Bryston - 5 discrete monoblocs in a common chassis.
400 VA tranformer & more power (200 watts into 8 ohms, 300 watts into 4 ohms). I ordered one last week - the day I got my tax refund. It definitely is not as good looking as the 9B, but it does have more power & costs less than 1/2 as much...
Theta is way way better. There is no comparing the two for asthetics or sheer musicality. I am actually selling a Dred only because it is just way more amp than i need. I love the Dred. I did compare Classe and except for their omega monoblocks it is crap. My problem is I am selling the theta but simply can not find anything new or used at 5k that even comes close. The only one would be the krell home theatre standard at $7500
You can also get an Adcom 5802 or 5500 2 channel amp, and get the 5503 3 channel amp. The 5802 is 300 watts, the 5500 and 5503 are 200 watts. This is a nice combo
The Classe HT amps are quality products that tend to sound somewhat tube like. Those reviewed have been praised and I as a 35 year audio hobbyist find it offensive when I read a poster like Vengerltc referring to a product as "crap." In a recent Stereophile, the SSP-75 was included as the preamp of choice for a $50,000 system if I remember correctly. Reviewers of the SSP-75 and CAV-500 proclaimed this to be the most musical HT setup when producing audio. Many must ask our HT setups to double as an audio system and to my ears both Theta and Classe produce wonderful products.