Price Paid:  $5000.00 from Precision Audio

Summary:
This review is for the cinema reference mach II. I traded a Ead 8000pro for this unit and couldn't be happier. The EAD was a good piece but had problems with all the commands to run my theater. The ADA not only runs everything great, but it works so much easier. It has every output you could possibly imagine and is also capable of running multiple rooms with ease. The Ead had problems with completing multiple functions at one time. To the point it would lock up or be extremly slow. The ADA has never had this problem which my family loves. Highly recommend!

Strengths:
Tons of programmable inputs and outputs. Upgradable but has everything currently available and then some.

Weaknesses:
none yet

Similar Products Used:
Ead 8000pro,Krell showcase

Price Paid:  $2795.00 from HiFi Buys

Summary:
I have been using my Reference 20 for over three years and I cannot produce a single complaint about this unit. I really do believe this is the closest to an audiophile quality component you can purchase for the price. I've heard the Proceed pre-amps, the Denon Receivers, Sony and even the Lexicon pre-amps; I believe it outperforms these with the incredible sound quality on movie soundtracks.

Strengths:
Available number of inputs, digital in's for everything, dual zone operation, ease of use, factory upgradeable, incredible sound quality.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood KC-X1

Summary:
The ADA Cinema Reference is a fully featured preamp/processor. It comes with loads of useful features, and a bidirectional remote to boot. ADA calls this 2 way remote the "thing", which is what it looks like, but works really cool because it actually mirrors the Cinema Reference's front controls. Another very cool feature is the six quadrant vector scope, which works as a channel level meter/spectrum analyzer......and now for the really important stuff, after all, looks don't mean anything if the sound is inadequate. The technical stuff......the Cinema Reference can decode dts, Dolby Digital, Pro Logic, and offers full THX enhancements. It handles stereo, and offers other surround modes for music and movies. It comes with the highest grade crystal 24 bit CS4390 digital to analog converters (DAC's). Dolby Digital and DTS are processed using a pair of ZORAN ZR38500 and a Motorolla DSP56009 processors. One thing to note is that the THX enhancements can be switched on and off individually for each mode..very cool feature.

The ADA Cinema Reference sounds amazing!! I've only had it for a few months and have discovered detail in DVD's that weren't noticeable with my B&K Reference 20. It is very revealing, it extracts every little subtle detail from every soundtrack, and by the same token exposes bad material. It performs the same way in stereo, the DAC's do an amazing job, I listen to CD even more than watching DVD's, so the quality of stereo performance is very important to me, and the Cinema Reference delivers the best 2 channel performance I've heard,,,,yes it's that GOOD! Whether I'm watching a DVD in Dolby Digital, DTS or listening to 2 channel music, I notice with the Cinema Reference natural presence, precise imaging and 3 dimensional staging,,,all this equals one word....AWESOME!! I love everything about it, from it's orange glowing control labels, to the simple five-knob front panel operation, all the way to it's state of the art audio features. Another thing I want to add is that I recently found an incredibly sweet deal on ADA's MPA-501 monster amp which I will be mating soon with the Cinema Reference, currently I'm mating it with Bob Carver's amazing Sunfire Cinema Grand. I truly feel that adding the MPA-501 to my setup will take my listening pleasure to an elite level enjoyed by few.
The Cinema Reference is easy to rate. 5 Stars.

Strengths:
unique in style and design, rack mountable, PERFORMANCE!

Weaknesses:
no balanced outputs.

Similar Products Used:
B&K Reference

Summary:
I bought this unit on auction to replace my AVP1030. The quality of 2 channel playback is terriffic. I find the soundstage to be much larger than the 1030, and the sound more accurate (saxaphone, piano, drum-all sound much closer to the real thing.)
The unit is very flexible in setup, allowing seperate speaker sutups (bass management) for each input. This was nice for me since I do not like to use a subwoofer in stereo playback.
There is a built in Rf demodulator. The design is unusual in that you connect the AC-3 Rf out from the laser to the ADA, then loop AC-3 demod out to digital in on the ADA.
For DTS, you can run in regular DTS mode, or apply bass management, or even THX mode to it.
The unit lists for $8,000 and I do not feel it is worth that much. I paid 4K for mine, and after selling the AVP1030 and my external DAC and Rf demodulator it only cost me 2K to upgrade, and I do feel it was worth that.
There are fetures on the unit that others might feel make the unit more valuble. It will switch compenant vidio and handle High definition video switching, as well as a host of other fetures.
On movie soundtracks I find there is a little bit more detail present, but nothing of great significance.
The remote that came with the unit is called the Thing. The nice feture about this remote is it is two way communication with the preamp. The display on the preamp is to small to see from my chair, but the Thing has its own display screen that replicates what is on the preamp's screen. The downside to this is that volume control is slow as the remote has to continually update with the preamp.
I am giving this a 5 star rating on value because for 2K it was an exceptionall deal. At 8K, it depends on what fetures you want.


Equipment used in evalution:

B&K EX4420/TX4430 amplifiers
Paradigm Studio 100's left and right speakers
Paradigm studio center channel
Velodyne F-1800XR sub
Definitive Technology BPX surrounds
Parasound C/DP 1000 (digital out to ADA)
Pioneer DVL700 DVD/LD player
XLO interconnects and speaker cable

Strengths:
Soundstage, Ease of use, Setup options

Weaknesses:
Price

Similar Products Used:
B&K AVP1030