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Theta Pro Basic II DAC......still a contender?

Hey all,
I am wondering if this peice is still worth employing in my system or if a newer 1 box player may be better. Due to a disability money is really thin but I have a Sherwood Newcastle CD980 wich is new in box but is circa 98-99, it came DOA but Sherwood will repair free. I currently use a
AMC CD6 as a transport, with the Theta and a Monarchy DIP running with Mod Squad Wonderlink and Cardas Hexlink wires.
Do any of you have an opinion on if the Sherwood may be better? The Sherwood is 20 bit dual mono DAC while the Theta is 18 bit.
I know neither of these will turn many heads but at this point it is the best I can do, I know my ears would tell me but as the Sherwood is DOA any info or opinions would be great......thanks always Chad
chadnliz
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I had me a Basic II about 12/14 years ago,so we know it is dated (+)---But I think it will help in your case. I just kinda figgure it (Theta), would be a better dac, than the dac in most budget cd players.__ Had me one of those Wonderlinks,too. The one with the 5lb connectors.--It too can be bettered but so can just about everything from that generation.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
Chad, depending on which Monarchy DIP you have a DIP upgrade could go a long way. If you have the old style DIP with the RCA connections on the front and the power on the back then it uses a PLL to de-jitter, and this can be improved.

I went from an old DIP to the new DIP classic (the latest incarnation, contrary to the name), which uses an asynchronous sample rate convertor chip to de-jitter the data stream, instead of the old phase locked loop. In combination with my Monarchy 22A DAC the sound took a big step forward with the DIP classic.

From what I understand this de-jitter method is the same as is used in the highly touted Benchmark DAC-1.

If you trade your older DIP against a DIP classic I expect it will cost less than $100 for the upgrade.
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
IMO Theta Basic II is still an excelent sounding dac for the (used) price. It eats most of the current budget players for breakfast. It is very highly sensitive to jitter though, so a good transport or a reclocking device is a must. I have tried both Theta TLC and Genesis Digital Lens, and the latter is vastly superior. It works magic on all Theta I have tried - Basic II, Basic III/IIIa, Prime II and Gen V/Va.

Do not be worried abot the bits thing - the Audio Note DAC 5 Sig, arguably the worlds best, is also 18 bit.
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