Theta Dreadnaught as a two channel amp

Bigtee, I am using the Dreadnaught I, how much more bottom end do you think the Dread II would deliver?

I recently bought a Dreadnaught I three channel here on AgoN. Although I originally wanted it for all my surrounds and center, I am going to try to demo some nice big high-end two channel amps to compare. Build quality seems top notch, and it would be really nice to have the same amp drive everything, even if it means two of the same amps.

For now, I am waiting on spade ends for my speaker wires [currently all bananas]...I am going nuts [or is it bananas]!

Michael,

What other amps have you tried? And, are your speakers hard to drive?

My speakers [Legacy Focus 20/20] are very efficient, but demand a lot of current. Nominal rating is 4 ohms, but they dip below 2 ohms.

The Dreadnaught I is incredible sounding. The piano in Ray Brown's Soular Energy is simply natural. However, Ray plays bass, and that is where the Dread I gives up a bit. It seems to not be able to deliver this same "realness" in the deep bottom end. I suspect it is because my speaker's impedance drops in the bass region so the amp struggles with current there.

Other than that, the naturalness and space of this amp make it a joy to kick back with.

I think if you had speakers that have a stable impedance characteristic; the Dread would make a great two channel amp.

Nevertheless, I really like this amp…I wish to find an affordable [i.e., not $10K+] high current two-channel mate for it.

Bigtee, yes perhaps I shouldn't draw conclusions on matters of which I know little about. And also yes, the dread's midrange was super pure and liquid. The amp seems to not struggle with the sound at all, it sort of emerged, but also it was as if it was even trying to re-create any power from the deep end.

I have read about the global negative feedback, and perhaps this is exactly what is happening. I want that midrange, but WITH the bottom end.

I have never heard a Belles, so I cannot comment there.

Thanks.

I am not getting rid of the Dread I anytime soon. The mids are too sweet. My mains have two 12" bass drivers plus a 12" mid-bass driver, but they need external power. The bottom end is there, I just need an amp to bring it out.

I have heard what you mention concerning the differences between the two versions. I guess I'll need to get a Dreadnaught II in my room to really know if it can deliver what I want. I really don't want to compromise the mids though, and I am not too keen on bi-amping.

6 years later and I'm resurrecting this thread...

Years ago I changed from the Legacy Focus 20/20s to the Legacy Whisper. Since the posts above I went from the Dreadnaught as two channel amp, to a McIntosh MC-352, to a Krell FPB-300c, and finally to a pair of Theta Enterprise monos. Each step along the way was a clear improvement.

From the Mac to the Krell, the Mac excelled at more simple acoustical music, and seemed to be ready to go right away. The Krell at first seemed stereotypical Krell, harsh and lean, but after some warm-up it really opened up. With the Krell I found myself listening to all kinds of music from the simple acoustic stuff to much more complex and busy stuff, and it remained crystal clear and wonderful.

Then came the Enterprises. By this time I had the Whisper speakers, and had a modified CDP which was also a huge jump up in performance. When I installed the Enterprises, SACD and DVD-A suddenly became clearly the superior media. Before the difference between hi-rez and redbook was "ho-hum", but now it was clear...pun intended. Suddenly it was much more like an open window between myself and the music.

Now comes the relevant part...finally...

A while back I connected the Whispers to the Dreadnaught and found that the bass was surprisingly NOT lacking at all in comparison to the Krell, or the Enterprises. This I cannot explain. Years ago with the Focus 20/20s, the deficiency was immediately noticeable. With the Whispers however, it was not. I will add that the Enterprises still did a better job than the Dreadnaught though. The overall presentation was much less veiled, like that open window I mentioned, not that it seems veiled with either amp, but it simply sounds better with the somewhat controversial Enterprises. I really like the Enterprises.