Running Analogue Sources Into Theta Casablanca
a quick question regarding your experiences running analogue sources into a Theta Casablanca...
my front end is comprised of an Apple TV running into a Theta CBII (w/superior DACs) by way of a Wireworld SuperNova 5+ TOSLink cable. i recently decided that i wanted to improve my source material by adding either a high quality CD/SACD player or an external DAC to improve the sonics of the Apple TV. Either would require me to use the analogue inputs on the CBII, so I wanted to experiment a bit before hand to see how I could do bass management whilst keeping the signal out of the Theta DACs, as presumably my ‘upgrade’ (new player or DAC) would represent an improvement over my current DACs.
Maintaining a pure analogue signal, I figured out how to create a sub channel, though the mains will still be run full range - i'm okay with that. To experiment, I left the Apple TV connected via my TOSLink and also to an analogue input on the Theta and did some A/B listening by simply switching the Theta between the Digital and Analogue inputs.
It was my intention to simply compare the two to ensure my method of generating a sub channel while running the theta in analogue mode was not going to yield less than acceptable bass. what i found, however, truly surprised me. The lower octaves sounded great, so my method worked. in addition, the overall presentation was the same or even BETTER through the analogue inputs.
Unless I'm thinking about this incorrectly, this was basically a comparison between the DA conversion in the Theta (digital input) and the DA conversion in the Apple TV (analogue input). I fully expected the theta DACs to sound far superior, but that was plainly not the case. I carefully matched the levels of the two inputs, so there was no bias due to greater output.
Have any of you experimented running analogue signals into your Casablanca? What did you find?
Comments appreciated,
Scott
my front end is comprised of an Apple TV running into a Theta CBII (w/superior DACs) by way of a Wireworld SuperNova 5+ TOSLink cable. i recently decided that i wanted to improve my source material by adding either a high quality CD/SACD player or an external DAC to improve the sonics of the Apple TV. Either would require me to use the analogue inputs on the CBII, so I wanted to experiment a bit before hand to see how I could do bass management whilst keeping the signal out of the Theta DACs, as presumably my ‘upgrade’ (new player or DAC) would represent an improvement over my current DACs.
Maintaining a pure analogue signal, I figured out how to create a sub channel, though the mains will still be run full range - i'm okay with that. To experiment, I left the Apple TV connected via my TOSLink and also to an analogue input on the Theta and did some A/B listening by simply switching the Theta between the Digital and Analogue inputs.
It was my intention to simply compare the two to ensure my method of generating a sub channel while running the theta in analogue mode was not going to yield less than acceptable bass. what i found, however, truly surprised me. The lower octaves sounded great, so my method worked. in addition, the overall presentation was the same or even BETTER through the analogue inputs.
Unless I'm thinking about this incorrectly, this was basically a comparison between the DA conversion in the Theta (digital input) and the DA conversion in the Apple TV (analogue input). I fully expected the theta DACs to sound far superior, but that was plainly not the case. I carefully matched the levels of the two inputs, so there was no bias due to greater output.
Have any of you experimented running analogue signals into your Casablanca? What did you find?
Comments appreciated,
Scott
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