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Proceed AVP vs. Sim Attraction vs. Theta Casa Nova

I am replacing my Sunfire TG II and would like your thoughts on the following processors:

Proceed AVP;
Sim Attraction; or
Theta Casa Nova II.

While I will use the preamp/processor primarily for HT, I also would like one that does a good job with two channel. The principal reason I am selling the Sunfire is my dissatisfaction with the quality of the two channel audio in my set up.

The rest of my system is as follows:

Nautilus 805s and the matching center;
REL Storm III sub;
Bryston 9B THX amp; and
Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD player.

I am trying to make a decision as soon as possible, so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
tdavism3
mg123
192 posts
 
I have an AVP and love it. My friend could not afford one at the time so we got him a Casa Nova. I don't recommend it. It was so difficult and non-intuitive to use, with a horrible remote control. btw; If you do get a Casa Nova, the factory default is that all changes you make to setup the system go away when you turn it off! You have to find the setting that defeats this feature.
kthomas
911 posts
 
I agree with Blummd - if you can't afford to step up to something like the Lexicon MC-12, get a two-channel preamp with HT pass-through to improve your two-channel outlook. A Krell KRC-3 can be had pretty cheap these days and is well regarded for it's analog 2-channel performance. -Kirk
rap
58 posts
 
mgl23 is mistaken about the Casanova power-off default. It does not reset on power-off. This would make no sense becasue if it were true, every time you had a power failure the system would reset. I've had mine for over two years and never experienced that result.

There IS, however, a setting that lets you decide what to do with tone controls (treble, bass, balance, shelf eq..etc). You can decide to have them reset to your preferred default on power-up OR keep the last setting.

I do agree that the set-up is not very user friendly especially if you do not have on screen display (I do not). But after a few weeks with the unit, it's second nature. There is also a software package that you can load on your laptop and connect to the Casanova to help program it ($275). I didn't buy it.
mg123
192 posts
 
Rap,
I might not have been clear: When the system comes from the factory, it is set to "everything reset to defaults on power off, including all inputs". You must turn this feature "off" and then it will always keep your settings (as you would expect). We were having the most frustrating time until we called the factory and they told us where to look for this feature setting (power off defaults) and we disabled it. I thought it was incredible that they even had the setting let alone that it comes shipped from the factory that way. And yes, they told me about the nifty software for your PC that cost $275 to make the processor managable.
Yes, it sounds great when you have it working.....and it has so many option settings you could spend your life tailoring it to your tastes. I prefer my Proceed AVP after using and hearing both.
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