Which system? EAD - THETA - CLASSE

The Classe SSP-75 is a wonderful processor. One reviewer indicated that it bettered any that he had auditioned for music reproduction. He did pair the processor with a Theta power amp. I believe that all the quality products discussed are unique and all will be considered the best by some while others disagree. Listen, compare and make your decision.

I to have had good luck with EAD products. Had the Encore went to sig. Big difference. The biggest difference was I went from Powermaster 2000 to sim titan WOW what a difference. I have Aerial 10Ts which need a very high current amp. One thing that I noticed was my VHS machine sounds alot more open compared to my Sony 7700 DVDplayer Whats up with that. Also can not get Dolby digital 5.1 only pro logic thanks.I still think to really make the Aerial 10Ts come to life you need a good tube amp . I had a AR 100MK 2 that made a big difference.

I own the ovation and pm2000. Great combo. The strengths are the ovation's 2-channel output and the pm2000's flexibility and amazing sound quality. The older ovation is the weakest link because it doesn't have an analog pass-through, so you can't listen to SACD/DVD-A/vinyl (fixed in recent models). Since I'm interested in analog, my ovation is going to be boxed, and maybe sold. The amp, however, is a dream. I forget which year, but dubious Stereophile actually listed the PM2000 and the Signature proc in their A lists.

The company has stabilized, too. No problems with EAD.

I have heard good things about both Theta and the older Classe stuff; but as several above I went with EAD. I have the PowerMaster 1000 and the TheaterMaster 8. The PowerMaster 1000 bi-amps my Bohlender Graebener planar speakers (4 ohms) with ease. The EAD combo has a nice sweet sound with more bass than I was getting from my Denon/Citation combo. EAD does appear to be changing corporate ownership frequently but they make a quality product at a good price

I started out with a beefy Classe H/T system but over the years switched to Theta and never looked back. Even when I reduced the wattage from my big Classe amps to a Theta Dreadnaught I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. I'm not saying i don't like Classe I just don't think I'll change what I have for awhile. Current system Theta DaViD, Theta Casa Blanca II (Superior dac cards), Theta Dreadnaught, Cardas Golden Ref Balanced cabling, Five Thiel speakers, Velodyne HGS15 sub woofer.

I did the same as Jdevine, I bought the EAD Encore first while Theta sorted out their delivery times way back then, then I sold it and bought a used Ovation.... WOW two channel music was awesome with my Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 Transport (AT cable), then I tried a ton of different amplifiers (back than I had Magnepans (Classe Sound Harsh in my system really Harsh) (Audio Research D300, D400MKII,Music Reference RM9, Hafler, SUMO,SIM (Yuk Stereophile A rated but once again for a $5000 amp Thin and no bass))... I found a deal on a used EAD Signature, Bought Balanced Transparent Reference (Xl) interconnects, Bought the EAD PowerMaster 2000 (400watts x 5 channels 8ohm)... and magic for two channel, overkill for movies because the DVD soundtracks are good enough. (HTPC with Midiman 410, Camelot Dragon 5.1).... EAD is also a piece of cake to setup... Sit in your favorite spot, hold the Mike at your ear level, Click "Auto Setup" on the remote, it plays static noise to level out all the speakers automatically and then pop come out of the speakers to automatically calculate distance and phase for every speaker...Then use the AVIA disk to setup the SUB, and your DONE!!! A work of art for that feature alone, especially if you have different brand speakers... You could get the new DVD 8000 and a good multichannel (EAD) and be done! Also they are beautiful pieces in your stereo rack. Good luck.

PS: There is a huge performance jump between the Encore and Ovation so spend the extra as the single bit DAC's in the Encore just can't resolve. (more for music than)

Never heard EAD. I've directly compared Theta to Classe on a number of occasions. Classe just doesn't stand up. I know a dealer who uses Theta dvd and processor in their $400,000 home theater system. Works well. I also use a Theta player (Carmen) and DAC (IIIa). They're great, but they DEFINITELY ARE glitchy. Mine is a warranty replacement. They couldn't stop the original from skipping. I now wipe a cd or dvd off with a glasses rag every single time I insert the disk, just to be sure. Can't argue with the sound, though.

I have been very happy with all my gear from EAD I started with the Theatermaster Ovation about 4 years ago traded up to the Signature around the same time I picked up the Ultradisc 2000 and the Theatervision, I recently picked the new line from Ead/Alpha digital I have the new pro8000 processor and the dvd pro8000 I cant speak to the other models I did demo them a dealer friend of mine that sells the Theta said it is good stuff but can be a little glitchy and as far as the Classe I have never heard anyone say any thing good or bad,Ead has great customer service reasonably high value retention, every time I wanted to trade up I listed the on A-Gon and in days it sold and I made small incremental jumps to trade up Thanks ps If you dont have a local EAD dealer or they are not as aggressive in pricing I can refer you to my dealer

Sorry that I can`t give you recomendations on your system, I`m just curious to know about FINAL electrostatic speakers. How are they? How do they sound ? And if there`s a big difference between them and regular speakers? Would like to hear from you. Thank you.