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Review 1 of 1
Price Paid:
$3400.00
from Audiogon (used) Summary:
I am very pleased with this amplifier. After having purchased an Anthem D2 processor (which I recommend as perhaps the single best high end value out there), I was very interested in getting a P5 as a mate. However, while looking for a good deal on a P5 I came across an amazing deal on a Theta Dreadnught II and grabbed it. I used the Theta for a couple of months and I can honestly say there was an immediate noticeable difference between it and my previous amp, the Adcom GFA-7700. there is no doubt in my mind that the Theta had far superior clarity in all respects, both during music and movie playback. Even my girlfriend (who was furious at all of these purchases) noticed an immediate difference. In any case, I sold the Dreadnaught II at a small profit once I found a P5 I wanted and have been using it now for a couple of months. I was nervous when I gave up the Theta, but I should not have been. I am pleased to report that the very things that appealed to me in the Theta are also present in the Anthem. The clarity from voices in movies is oustanding and the bass impact is overwhelming. One thing that was definintely an improvement over the Theta was the noise floor. There is dead silence in the room when there is nothing playing and during particularly quiet passages of music or film, there is no audible hissing at all, which is something I can't say about the Theta.
One note of caution though when buying an amp with the power of this one. The owner of the store where I bought my D2 has a P5 as well and he had been using Paradigm S8 main speakers as well as a Paradigm Seismic 12 sub. I consider this to be a reasonably serious sub, but this guy said that the bass impact and volume potential coming from his mains effectively made his sub disappear and he ended up getting a Signature Servo in order to keep up with the rest of his system. Apparently this had never been a problem with his previous MCA 50. Strengths:
-Huge Power and impressive bass
-Excellent voice clarity
-Tremendous noise floor. Weaknesses:
-Extremely heavy (130lbs)
-22 inches long which is a problem with many audio stands
-Two power cords that each require a separate circuit to operate properly (one cord runs three channels, the other cord the remaining two) due to the enormous demand from the amp
-The rest of your system needs to be up to the task Similar Products Used:
Adcom GFA-7700
Theta Dreadnuaght II
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