theta casablanca 3 audiophile qlty stereo sound?

I used the Theta Dreadnaught as my two channel amp for a bit before I upgraded to Theta's Enterprise Mono's. I did not have the same experience as Ckoffend. It just goes to show that everyone's system and room are different. I still have the dreadnaught and use it to power my surrounds. Cool thing about the Dread is you can turn off some of the channels which for some may increase their dynamics. I would agree with Ckoffend on having stand alone 2 channel preamp for the highest level of stereo performance. Theta also makes a standalone Dac called Generation 8. They’ve justed updated it to the V2. I'm more of a two channel guy than HT these days so this is why I added this piece. Yes the CB with Extremes is much better than most HT prepro's and even some two channel processors but this Gen8 DAC takes things to the next level of dynamics, detail, imaging, bass and has an updated volume control and tweaks to the Dac that take it to the highest level out their right now IMO.

Dan001, in your situation I think the CB3 might be your best option. Otherwise look for a stand alone 2ch Preamp with a pass thru option like the one Ckoffend mentioned in is earlier post. ARC REF 3 would be my first choice and Krell my next. They can be pricy but well worth it.

Or you last option would be to drink more beer and forget the whole thing!! At times that’s what I done!! Good Luck in your search

I have yet to hear a pre which comes anywhere close to top tier 2-channel pre's. I had a Meridian 861 and while phenomenal for a pre it was no match for my ARC LS26.

If your focus is 2-channel get a dedicated pre-amp with passthrough and save yourself the hassle and expense.

LOL...good call Stick!!!..u read my mind actually..i think i may do just that....and down the road look for a pre with ht bypass

I have a Meridian 800/861 combo. The 800 serves as a CD transport, the 861 is the DAC/Preamp in a 2-channel configuration. In my experience, it sounds terrific. It is difficult for me to comprehend how a high-quality 2-channel preamp could improve upon the sound of the 861. On the one hand, you have the 861 directly feeding an amplifier. On the other hand, you have the 861 serving only as a DAC, feeding another component through an additional set of interconnects. Given that the 861 is the CD output, how could the final sound product be improved by going through an additional set of interconnects and a preamp?

If you are using a standalone CD player, I could understand it. But if the processor is also serving as the DAC for a transport (and the 861 is a darn good DAC), something must be lost by forcing the signal to go through an additional component before it gets to the amplifier.

If I am wrong, I would appreciate an explanation. It might be that those who like a preamp in the chain find that the added coloration from the extra component is pleasurable.

One can certainly go back and fourth on this but for me I just don't know if my ears can hear that level of difference. What the hell is coloration anyway? Moreover, I think the point of this thread was getting the best of both worlds out of the CB3. It would make some sense that the less things you have in the chain the cleaner the sound but for the casual user I don't think they care or could even identify the differences. Just my .02.
BTW, I’ve heard the Meridian equipment very nice stuff. They do a great job a matching their equipment being all in the digital domain. Also when you at these levels there’s really not a bad one in the bunch, it boils down to choice and budget.