theta casablanca 3 audiophile qlty stereo sound?

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.

Stick, your comment that you and your friends were blown away by your current system. This being the case, and my impression that you are totally satisfied, then why change anything? Perhaps you are at the point where the improvements that you may see will not be sufficient enough to satisfy your multi thousand dollar additional investment. There is always "better" equipment to buy, but I find stopping when you are satisfied may be the best solution. Until there is something specific and annoying about your system, why not just keep it where it is? My comments/suggestions made on this site are always honest and straight to the point (at least this has been my intent) - but they are always my impressions and from my experiences (within my system/room). Like everybody else's opinions, they are just that - opinions. My comments and those of others should never replace what you personlly hear and/or like. If you find your system fully satisfying why change?