Vintage Theta DAC find

[thekid]

Thought I'd wake this forum up a bit with a piece I found today.
A bit long in the tooth by today's standards but as near as I can tell this would have been near the top of the line back in its day. Matches up well in my Adcom set-up from around the same era.

[Mr Peabody]

Old or not I can't believe you found a Theta at a thrift. Old or not, it should sound really good.

[thekid]

Old or not I can't believe you found a Theta at a thrift. Old or not, it should sound really good.

Thanks Mr. P!

I have had it now for several days and am just amazed at the difference it makes in improving the sound of my CD's. I think it improves the sound more significantly than my modern MSB DAC does. It is VERY revealing so great recordings sound even better but some recordings I would have considered average before now have their flaws revealed.

The more I read about it and Theta products in general I am amazed I was able to find it as well. Given that its original MSRP was probably close to 4K and it still works flawlessly, I have to believe whoever dropped it off had no idea what they were doing. No complaints here though - I think I did great for my $20.... :D

[Mr Peabody]

You are the luckiest audio enthusiast I know of, you should check those places on a regular basis, and, get an occasional lottery ticket, LOL

Even though it has some age the Theta would be a piece to hang onto. I remember getting an old Conrad Johnson DAC and the sound still held up really well even in my main system. Digital improves over the years but you still can't buy affordable DAC's that will sound better than an older high end DAC like that.

[thekid]

You are the luckiest audio enthusiast I know of, you should check those places on a regular basis, and, get an occasional lottery ticket, LOL

Even though it has some age the Theta would be a piece to hang onto. I remember getting an old Conrad Johnson DAC and the sound still held up really well even in my main system. Digital improves over the years but you still can't buy affordable DAC's that will sound better than an older high end DAC like that.

Yeah I have to agree the benefit of this piece is still relevant based on what I am listening to and what I am listening on. If the CD was made in the 80's-90's and the system I am listening to it on is from the 80's then the DAC is going to give you the improvement in performance for which it was designed during that same time period. A more modern DAC may have been engineered with a different level of performance in mind due to changes in recording practices etc that are the standard for its time and so it might not have the same impact on material from an earlier time period. Not sure if that makes sense but it seems logical to me but then again my knowledge of recording/engineering of music as well audio design is close to zero. What I do know is that it has improved the sound of my Adcom system significantly.

Believe me I am very aware of the amazing luck I have had with my audio hobby. I still credit you and a few others here for your encouragement and knowledge in helping me on my audio journey. It seems a long time ago when you first let me know I was finally getting somewhere when I picked up a Kenwood Basic C1 Pre-amp. :)