Bel Canto DAC3 vs Theta Gen Viii

The Theta Gen VIII is truely amazing and transparent as a preamp (since it is actually an analog preamp, not a digit chopping digital preamp)... the anti-jitter engine is amazing too elimintating the need for that. Build Quality, Featureset (12volt trigger, remote balance, truely balanced design).

I can't speak for the Bel Canto, but I've tried a lot of other digital players and front ends and I haven't made a change.

The Theta has a total of 5 inputs which you can assign any way you need to (there are 8 possible input paths). Of those possible inputs it has analog single ended inputs and a set of balanced analog inputs; These analog inputs are not digitized. I am running my Clearaudio Balanced Reference Phonostage(just upgraded from Dynavector P75) into one of my analog inputs, Bolder Modified Squeezebox via my Modified Tact 2.2x into one digital RCA input and I'm using the AEB(XLR) digital input from my Theta Compli.

I've owned Wadia gear before and last I heard was the 850, which I also like. But Wadia does volume control in the digital domain and so you need to jumper inside the unit to determine the max output level and then you shave bits down as you reduce volume. This is true of all the older gear. I can't speak for the 581 and the new series.

I find the Theta sound is warmer and more filled out in body than the Wadia gear I have heard but the Wadia gear has an amazing delicate top end (not that the theta doesn't) that is thinner but not Levinson thin. I find Wadia to sound more realistic than DCS or any of the other upsampling DACS. But I find that Theta even more pleasing in this respect.

Amnizu: The Theta Gen VIII comes in two version one with fixed volume output to be used with a preamp and one with variable volume output. Because the variable one has a numerical volume number you can calibrate it with your surround system and return to that number when using your surround processor for a HT bypass. You can also program the volume number that the Gen VIII starts up in and make that the same pass through level for ease of use. If you have a Casablanca you can get a control card that digitally connects to the Gen VIII and uses it as an external processor for whatever channels you want. I hope to go that route some day.

it's so hard to describe these minute differences.... The Theta sound is fuller (has more meat on it) in the upper freq than the Wadia. I prefer the Theta top end to the Wadia in my Wilson system, if I had other speakers that weren't as fast or revealing the Wadia/Levinson might be a better match. I can't speak about the GNSC modification but when I was looking I was considering the Wadia 861 or the Theta Gen VIII. I felt the Wadia concentrated on the edge of the note more than the sustain...delicate but too delicate compared to live performance but more natural than the DCS,Levinson,EMM, etc.. If you like what the Wadia does then the new 581 SE sounds like an amazing machine that you might consider... it takes the hassel out of finding a good transport, but I have heard the Wadia still benifits from a good preamp... uggh... around and around we go..... I have huge depth of stage with the Gen VIII but not the width of soundstage in my salamander rack, but my dealers Gen VIII has huge width also in his Particular Rack, and I had it before I went to the salamander rack. I have tried a nice VTL 6.5 preamp which gave me even more air to my system so that it approached my dealers setup (without a preamp)... It might be as simple as powercords though also, as I'm running Purist Audio and he is running either Transparent or Shuyanta power cables. Both of our systems are running Transparent cabling for interconnects and speaker cables, and both systems are using Theta Citadels.

Depends on the quality of your transport... whatever it does to for my Theta Compli and Squeezebox all I can say I'm truely stunned.