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Theta Dac

Svein

pfm Member
I have recently bought a little used Theta Digital Cobalt 307. It sounds good and is sturdily built.
The are 2x2200uf 35V capacitors on the right side, the other 5 are are 5x4700uf 16v - all Nichicon Muse caps. In the middle there are 4X47uf 16v - also Nichicon Muse. I have not counted them all, but there are 10uf 16v tanatalum beads placed around in the circuit. It's a review of the unit in the Stereophile archive.

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Was this the one on Ebay that didn't mention the word Theta in the heading? I did wonder about that- a lower model in their range but I bet it sounds very good, do post your thoughts if you have any.
 
Was this the one on Ebay that didn't mention the word Theta in the heading? I did wonder about that- a lower model in their range but I bet it sounds very good, do post your thoughts if you have any.

Hi, this one was bought online here in Norway, and sent from Nordkapp - no less. I am the second owner. I have never heard any other dac from Theta. The Cobalt 307 sounds engaging and powerful. I have other dacs here which are more transparent and faster. That doesn't stop me to look forward to every CD played through Cobalt and it give a great listening pleasure.
 
Maybe, I have some DACs of roughly that period which will process higher bitrate youtube streams, including Theta DS ProPrime II, Theta Chroma 396 and Deltec Bigger Bit. But my treasured Museatex Idat 44 won’t.
 
Maybe, I have some DACs of roughly that period which will process higher bitrate youtube streams, including Theta DS ProPrime II, Theta Chroma 396 and Deltec Bigger Bit. But my treasured Museatex Idat 44 won’t.

When you say higher bitrate YouTube streams, is this a pay-only feature? Haven't come across it before.

I just got hold of a modified Museatex Bitstream- it's fantastic.
 
No not pay only. I stream youtube through the Logitech Media Server. All I know is that Museatex won't do it, but my thetas will! It's VERY annoying.

I think I know where you got that Museatex from! I'm sure you will enjoy it.
 
No not pay only. I stream youtube through the Logitech Media Server. All I know is that Museatex won't do it, but my thetas will! It's VERY annoying.

I think I know where you got that Museatex from! I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I already am- it's a very natural sound. Maybe for another thread as this one is supposed to be about the Theta. Which in itself looks great.
A lot of reason to use these older dacs, especially with software-based playback, you can downsample any hi-res stuff to 44.1/48.
 
I found some old Theta brochures in a plastic bag here.
Their own words about the Theta Cobalt 307:

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Theta digital certainly has a sound and it is as you describe. I had a Theta Miles CD player in my system recently and it was great fun. A departure from the modern, insipid and super detailed sound.

I alao heard the Theta Pro Gen V in my system. It didn't stay on long because i couldn't afford the asking price. But i thought it was too much of a good thing, too much bass basically in my system.

So, be careful what you wish for IMO, you might be at the Theta sweet spot already.
 
Yes halvis, the Cobalt 307 is fab. The result I get here with this dac, Avondale amplification and SBLs in the end is very engaging. The bass weight, dynamics and pacing the 307 is capable of is perhaps hard to beat.
 
The early Theta and Wadia dacs were pretty darn good. And they underline for me that dacs haven’t improved nearly as much as many breathless reviews (and manufacturers!) would like you to believe.
 
I have used a Theta Pro Progeny for a while. It has quite a different presentation compared to the Cobalt 307. The Progeny is very detailed with focus on structure and musical lines. Everything is presented clear and understandable, all voices in an opera, the clarity of each instrument in a string quartet etc. Transients and pace/punch in rock is very good. This openness is relentless and not always a comfortable listen. I expected them to sound more similar as both units have the same PCM67 dac chip. The Progeny has 4V output, the Cobalt 2V. This is no problem with the mighty Avondale 821 preamp, it has no tracking or channel imbalance at all.
Pics of the unit, dust included.

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I also have a DS Pro Progeny, it's a very special DAC IMHO, and just gets everything "right". Despite not being the top-end unit, this one is often favoured to the more complex models in the Theta range. One to try if current DACs don't deliver on enjoying the music...
 
Yes, The Pro Progeny is more advanced than the Cobalt 307. The Pro Progeny has high resolution and is very revealing. Interesting to know all that's going on in a recording, but can be tiresome over the long term. The Progeny also seem to sweat a bit and struggle with the musical flow. I think the Cobalt 307 is better. It has that punch and drive, combined with good transparency and the sense of ease.
 
Aren't the engineers behind Theta now producing 'Schitt'?

One of them was at Theta yes..

Stoddard started Schiit Audio with Mike Moffat in 2010. Both men came from hi-fi backgrounds. Stoddard had been a lead engineer at Sumo, a now-defunct company known for its high-end amplifiers, and Moffat helped design really expensive digital-to-analog converters for Theta Digital. The two men became friends in the early ’90s — their respective companies at the time shared a parking lot
 


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