Classe compared to the Theta Dreadnaught


I am not an audiophile and putting my first real HT system together. I understand that you usually can not compare a $4000 amp to a $6500 amp. How much better is the Dreadnaught? I have not been able to compare them but hope to do so. I have limited funds so spending an additional $1400 dollars to buy a used Dreadnut vs a Classe is an important decision. Thanks
P.S. For what its worth, based on speaking with Classe the CAV-180 is not really comparable to the CAV- 150. Thanks.
flash_g_man

Showing 2 responses by sdcampbell

The Theta Dreadnaught has gotten outstanding reviews by a very wide range of audio reviewers -- infact, in the current issue of "The Absolute Sound", this amp is chosen for two of the "recommended systems" in the $50,000 range. The critics' concensus on this amp is that it is among the 3-4 best multichannel amps for both HT and music.
In Flash's post, he only asked for feedback on the Classe vs. the Theta Dreadnaught, and I didn't want to throw in a lot of additional info that might confuse matters. However, since there seems to be a bit of schism here on "what to buy" (receiver vs. separates), let me quickly mention the choices among multi-channel amps that TAS listed in their current issue:

Class 1 (highest category):
1. Balanced Audio Technology VK-6200 ($10,000)
2. Rowland MC-6 ($16,500)

Class 2:
1. Theta Dreadnaught ($6000) - rated as a "Best Buy"

Class 3:
1. Conrad-Johnson MF-5600 ($4000)
2. Integra Research RDA-7 ($5000)

Class 4:
1. Anthem PVA-7 ($1500)
2. Audio Refinement Multi5 ($2250)

Class 5:
1. Adcom GFA-7400 ($1000) -- rated as a "Best Buy"

I'd also add two other amps to this list which deserve serious consideration:
1. Bryston 9B-ST ($3800) -- a near-concensus choice in many of the HT and audiophile mags. Based on my own listening experiences, I'd place this amp in TAS's Category 3 in terms of audio quality as a multichannel amp.
2. Outlaw Audio multichannel amp -- $1100, and a steal at the price.