Smooth,liquid sound.Huge soundstage in 5 channel.Silver face plate is gorgeous to look at.

Limited inputs for analog.Relay click on input changes.

Bought the Ovation with some skeptisism,having never had an opportunity to actually hear one.No local dealers carry them.With a lot of research and recommendations,decided to take the leap of faith.WOW!!!! best described my first listening experience.Silky smooth and expansive,the best I've had in my setup.Have had several processors over the years,Lexicon,Fosgate,Sony 9000ES and a Citation.Have auditioned Krell and the monster Lexicom MC12.Nothing sounds like the EAD.I suspect there will come a time that the urge to upgrade/change will happen,but I am thoroughly pleased with the airy,liquid sound I am hearing from the EAD.I was so happy with the EAD,that I bought a matching Powermaster.Had a mix match set of power amps,a Krell KAV running the front pair of Aerial 6Bs.Although,I lost a bit of bass with the Powermaster,it seemed to articulate the highs better.And 2 channel stereo is a good as it gets for this price point.

Similar Products Used:

Citation 5.0,Sony 9000ES,Fosgate Model 5,Lexicons.

Rich, luscious, detailed 2-channel sound, dynamic yet smooth 5-channel, beautiful looks and build quality, tiffany connectors

Switching between inputs harder than it should be, only one toslink input

My long and expensive processor search is over! After extended listening tests with many pre-pros in-house, the Ovation Plus is here to stay. My first EAD product, the Encore, offered terrific 2-channel sound (not to the level of the Ovation Plus, however), but suffered from loss of detail in 5-channel and operational glitches. I moved on to the Lexicon DC-1 (great surround, electronic-sounding 2-channel), Anthem AVM20 (Outstanding surround, clean but sterile 2-channel), Acurus ACT-3 (Nice, but overly warm 2-channel, top-notch surround) and Aragon Soundstage (excellent, detailed 2-channel and the most dynamic surround I''ve ever heard). As you can see, I loved the Aragon Soundstage, and was content to stop there. Only problem was, I had already ordered an EAD Ovation Plus from my dealer. After trying unsuccessfully to sell the Ovation Plus, I bit the bullet, sold the Soundstages (I had acquired multiple units by then) and decided to open the box and make do with the Ovation Plus. SUPRISE! The Ovation Plus ended up being the best of all! (And no, I''m not in denial.) 2-channel is airy and detailed, with a warmth and emotion like I''ve never experienced. 5-channel is nearly as detailed as the Soundstage, but with a wonderful relaxed quality and richness. There are no software pops or glitches, and even the remote works great! I''ve never enjoyed hearing my current music more, and as a result, I''ve bought more music in the last few weeks than ever before. I decided a while back not to chase DTS-ES/DPLII and 7.1, and decided to find the best 5.1 processor and be happy with it. Thanks to the Ovation Plus, I''m not just happy, I''m downright ecstatic! Associated equipment: Sherbourn 5/1500A Amp EAD Theatervision P Progressive DVD/CD Bohlender Graebener Radia X3 Towers Bohlender Graebener Radia X1 Center Phase Technology Teatro Surrounds DH Labs BL-1 Interconnects Bettercables bi-wire speaker cables Bettercables Toslink cable Bettercables Coaxial cable

Similar Products Used:

Ead Encore, Lexicon DC-1, Anthem AVM20, Acurus ACT-3, Aragon Soundstage

Neutral. Analog bypass, excellent in multichannel sound reproduction.

No 24/96khz digital handling, DPL2 or DTS-ES. Only one toslink input.

I''ve had the TheaterMaster Encore since -98 and upgraded to the TheaterMaster Ovation-8 in 2001. It''s hard to fault this one when it comes to the soundquality. All multichannel systems on CD, DVD and LD sounds wonderful. Music from CD is detailed and naturall. Very transparant analog bypass wich at the same time is versatile since you can configure it as one 8-channel or divide it into 6-channel and 2-channel at the same time. It''s a bit expensive in Europe. The user interface is good and becomes better with the Pronto remote. The autosetup feature works very good and makes it easy to set it up. As for discreet IR-codes this one has it all! Almost everything is a discreet code.

Similar Products Used:

TheaterMaster Encore, H/K Signature 2.0

Burr Browns all the way around.Built like a tank.Check out the rca''s,that''s right each one is screwed to the chassis.DVD audio with ead''s own inter connect.DTS so smooth .

Just bought by Taralabs , Hope these guys don''t drop the ball.

I''ve owned the Encore,ovation,and now the upgraded ovation-8.All of which are the same unit sent back to EAD for factory upgrade. The ead "sound" is so holographic and draws you into the movies like no other.Since i have a three year old and sit through hours of animated films i have grown to respect pixar,disney and a slew of other movie makers. This processor is so clean.and clear.I run it through B&K st-140''s( three).Between the warmth of the b&k''s and the soundstage of the ead i can''t loose.I also use older paradigm mini mk3''s for the front LCR and ES.Soon to use another pair for the back RL.I''ll never sit in a noisy movie theater again.This system is so enjoyable i have a very small wish list.Using the ead for two ch. listening is gripping to say the least.Great cd''s sound so engaging you can imagine you are there at the session.Badly recorded cd''s are so easy to pick out and never visit again.I''ve been building this system for years (fourteen to be exact) I''m at a place now that has got to be my personal pinnicle.I''ve heard louder systems and listen to more expensive systems but when i put in Steely Dan two against nature in dts, Killer,killer,killer keeps coming to mind.If you are begining to build a system always remember a loud speaker that got rave reviews will sound as good as it did five or ten years ago.And amps are amps, they have changed little inthe last ten years. Find a stereo amp that is warm and engaging and when you think it''s the one for you, buy two more for hometheater. The processor is the heart.They have made leaps and bounds in the last ten years.Imagine using it day to day and let that determine which one you buy.EAD Ovation-8 is a no-brainer.Look no further.

perfomance

no on screen display

the performance at this price level is astounding. The silver faceplate is gorgeous and the build quality is excellent. I have had none of the issues with display noise etc that others have noted. Works flawlessly. The auto-set-up was also an impressive feature. the ovation really does make a formidable audio/home theater combination, handling music and the most demanding video/soundtracks with ease, illuminating the details superbly. You cannot go wrong owning this unit.

just a brief review with an update. AS a satisfied customer and a proud owner od ead, i wanted to let everybody know that ead has revised their theatermaster series reently. and the new one no longer has problem previously assoiciated with theatermaster. no more display whining, no more pops or click. The revise TM2k (theatermaster 2000) has new display with black background and blue lettering. high contrast and viewable from distance. this is the best display available currently. remote has also been replaced with a new one. half touchscreen and half buttons. better ergonomics. and retain the EAD famous high quality audiophile sound.
check it out at ead user tip page at

EAD THEATERMASTER TIP PAGE

and join us at our mailing list for update and info on ead product!!

regards
Abdul
A proud Ovation Owner.

build quality, 7.1 analog bypass, amazing sound , Aesthetics, set-up flexibility

component switching

I was searching for a Preamp and I had the change to compare the new Tag Mclaren (with ex) the new EAD Theatermaster 8 (7.1 channels) the Onkyo Integra and Theta Casablanca II (I live in Europe, I don't know if the new Tag is available in USA) All of them were playing in the same system, ($ 20.000 speakers – amps) therefore the comparison was really interesting. It is very hard to hear all the above with the same system set-up.
I read every day comments from people in lots of forums. What I realize was that most of them haven’t really made a true comparison because they hear the Preamps with different systems. The sound of Tag and Integra was really similar in reproduction of Home cinema. I can’t understand why many friends discover differences. Both machines give a robust but limited soundstage, good channel separation, deep but not well controlled bass, good voices. Compared with integrated pre -amp like Denon 5800 or Yamaha AX 1, I can say that they deliver the same quality. However in stereo mode you realise why you must pay more and take separate preamp. Both TAG and Integra give much better sound than the -all in one- machines. I really like the Integra in stereo mode, I put Tag far behind. The sound of Tag is very compressed, its like a curtain in frond of you. Sure, as I mentioned before is superior to -all in one- machines but for $4500 I was expecting much more. Integra is far better pre-amp.
As you can read I haven’t mention until now EAD and Theta. That’s because this two preamps are 10 classes above TAG and Integra. WOW, what a difference!! It’s like hearing a CD after an old cassette. Tremendous separation in Home cinema, you can define even where a nail is dropping, the voices are crystal clear , the soundstage huge, the bass punch your stomach, you feel inside the movie !! In stereo mode everything is amazing. Smooth sound, well defined and huge soundstage, you can detect all instruments, the music just blends and fills your place. Yes, that’s what I need. I was really blow away when I hear DVD Audio from EAD. (Unfortunately, Theta does not provide bypass !!, so forget DVD Audio)
When I hear Thetas price ($ 15000) part of my dream collapsed. But when I hear that price of EAD is the same like Integra and Tag, I really jump up and down many times blessing EAD and wondering what’s wrong with the people out there who pay lot of money without listening to EAD dream machines. Now I am the proud owner of EAD Theatermaster 8 and very soon from Ultra DVD Audio Player (the first 8 channel Audio player with Farouja progressive circuit).
If you are searching for the best Pre-amp out there just buy the new EAD. It’s a well priced dream machine.

First, sorry for my bad english, but i´m many years out of school.I´ve the E.A.D. Ovation now for 4 month and i have never heard much better for this price. The front staging of this preamplifier is very good and i think a little be better as a Lexicon DC 1. BUT the DC 1 is a little bit better to give up a good surround Stage from the Surround Speaker. Finally the price for this produkt (here in germany 10000 German Marks; about 5880 US Dollar) is very good. The Ovation has been the same D/A Board than the AVP from proceed. The ovation has the D/A Board for all channels and the proceed onlx for left, center andd right. For the surround channel the avp had not the same D/A Chips.
I miss the on screen display on tv much. The ovation is something for purist listener.

I had looked for a preamplifier for about eight months. This being my first foray into high-end audio/video equipment, so I figure I'm bound to make a mistake or two. After a month of living with the EAD Ovation (AT1505 for amp), I figure I have yet to receive an equal amount of pleasure for the dollars invested.
The biggest problem lies with the design of the unit, not the quality of sound it is capable of producing. The information displayed on the faceplate is unrecognizable from a distance of over five feet, the locking flywheel whines at a pitch that would annoy any living creature within fifteen feet, and the remote--what a catastrophe @#$!%!. If and when the remote chooses to work, I still find it cumbersome to program any advanced features. On the flip side, however, . . . .

The sound is just magnificent. Warm, lively, and invigorating. At work I long for the 10pm hour when everyone is asleep so that I can play records of choice. It has truly knocked my socks off when listening to musical pieces from Holly Cole, Tool, and Stanley Clarke. Other good news. . . .

When my first remote was rendered useless after two days of use, I called EAD and received awesome service from a guy named Steve. I was having a party that weekend, so he shipped out the new remote overnight, Saturday delivery. Yeah! Now if they could only develop a remote that would actually bring out the true capabilities of the preamp, Ovation owners everywhere could rejoice!

31/2 stars all the way around, 41/2 for the music for sure!

Mine unit is quiet. Just makes some clicking sounds when switching inputs. Sound is just great for both 2-ch. music and movies.
I really liked it more than Proceed AVP , Lexicon, Classe SS-25 and of course Sunfire TheaterGrand
It has great anti-jitter capabilities. The great SF Ultrajitterbug , that contributed a lot with my previous D/A just can not add anything to quality of the sound with EAD.
It has enough inputs - 6 digital , 3 analog plus you can link any of audio input to any of video inputs.
Display …Well, it is kind of small. It's OK if you sit close enough. If not , they are planning to release device for on-screen display.
I wasn't a big fan of remote at first, but after a couple of months I've got used to it and actually kind of like it - it is very flexible and I have programmed it for all components - CD,DVD,LD,TV . It works fine as well. The only annoying thing - you have to replace batteries every couple of months.
I actually have one problem - random sound outbursts when I am navigating trough the menu in my Toshiba DVD player, but I suspect it is a Toshiba's problem.
I consider my $3,600 well spent and highly recommend it for an audition.
The rest of equipment :
Mark Levinson 37 CD , Krell KAV500 Amp., Toshiba 3108 DVD, Pioneer 704 LD, Illumination Digital,
CLS interconnects, Transparent Musiclink SUPER , KEF speakers - Ref.3, 200C, Q50