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Down to the Final Two -- Dreadnaught vs. Titan

After many auditions, I have narrowed my choice for an amp to replace my (not very) beloved Bryston 9B-ST. The final contenders are the Theta Dreadnaught II and the Simaudio Titan, both in five channel configuration. I was about to order the Titan when my wife surprised me with a rather large purchase which will necessitate my delaying the amp purchase until the end of the month. Being somewhat superstitious, I took this as an omen and thought that I would consult with the Audiogon Gods one last time.

My system consists of a Krell HTS 2 processor, B&W N-803s for the front speakers, HTM 2 center and N-805s for the rears. Any last minute thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
tdavism3
tdavism3 OP
46 posts
 
Sidssp,

I would love to find a Dread I at a good price. However, I would be somewhat concerned buying a Theta unit without the advantage of having a warranty. Every Theta dealer with whom I have spoken has criticized the reliability of Theta products. While most of thier concerns relate to the processors, I would be somewhat hesitant about buying one without a warranty.

Thanks for all of the feedback.
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
Tdavism,
I can't speak for the Theta processors but the Dreadnaught is very well made. I bought mine over 4 years ago and never have any problem. Dreadnaught does run hot, especially with all five channels running. If you put it in a closed environment, you will definitely shorten its life expectancy. But put it on an amp stand in the open, it will last a very long time. Besides, for the price of a new II you can almost buy two used Dreadnaughts that will give you a backup as well as bi-amp possibility.
kyee
10 posts
 
I had a Titan 5 channel in my system for a couple of months, then a Classe CAV-180, then finally the Dreadnaught II. Mine is the 7 channel config. The Dreadnaught just sounded "right" to me. It mates well with the rest of my gear (Lexicon MC12b, Aerial LR5's, CC5, SR3's). Also, that Titan amp is just way too big. It's almost twice as tall as the DII.

They're both great amps, and you really can't go wrong with either one. If you get a 5 channel Titan, I don't think you can upgrade it yourself to a 7 channel one, if you decide to do that down the line. It must be sent in to an authorized center, and shipping that beast is not something you'll want to do.
ton1313
272 posts
 
You could save some money by looking for an Integra Research RDA-7. The Perfect Vision reviewer compaired it directly to the Dreadnaught, & there were "no decernable (sp.) differences. I just bought one two weeks ago, & this amp is Fabulous! It is almost the same as the BAT 6200.
john_beavers
47 posts
 
I was also considering a Dreadnaught vs Titan delema. I ended up with the Titan, and have been very pleased so far. It's no where near broken in yet, but even post break-in sounds wonderful. Very detailed, lush, and musical. The Dreadnaught had much the same feel, though unlike the Titan it has space heater properties :) The Titan barely reaches luke warm, even after 8 hours of music and movies. I also didn't like the fact that I was tied into spade connections for the Dread, I much prefer bananas.
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