Theta Jade vs. Data II
Lewis Brown
Data II transport and (Theta) DS Pro Basic IIIa processor. (The digital
cable is the Marigo Apparition Reference IIIa.) I wonder how the
soundstagng and BASS compare in particular, between the Data II and the
Jade, because I don't want to give up these strengths of the Data II.
However, the Data II takes forever to access CD's, and the midrange and
treble could stand to be a little smoother and more detailed. I know
cosmetics shouldn't be a factor, but the Jade is quite handsome!
Does anyone know how Theta's new jitter jail works? Supposedly, one is
built into the Jade to reduce jitter; any thoughts?
Anthony Cordesman recently gave the Jade a great review in Audio, and I
wonder what the rest of you audiophiles think. Is it good for the $2500
price, or is there something else better for a similar price? New or
used is OK.
Here is a list of my other relevant components:
My linestage is the ARC LS-25, my amp is the Krell KSA-300s, and my
speakers are Apogee Divas.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Lewis Brown
Apogee Acoustics Users' Group
Rodney Gold
I have compared the 2 , ended up with the Data II .
The Jade has better detail and is a lot quicker at acess than the data
II universal , however I found the jade lacking in the very low bass
that the DataII had. When testing the Jade , this low bass loss was
VERY evident , however if your system doesnt go to the last octave it
might not be a problem. The jade is definately better in the treble
and has a slightly more spacious soundstage. I tried it in a Z-sys
RDP-1/meridian 518 / meridian DSP5500 speaker system using illuminatti
D60 cabels , but have also heard the 2 transports in a Apogee /classe
system (I forget the model of the apogees , big things , perhaps divas
,) In fact I bought the data II from the apogee guy.
The apogees had serious bass as well , but there was a big hump in the
chaps system , at 35-40 hz , thus the bass diffences there werent as
evident.
Same comments apply in the apogee system , detial and spaciousness are
improved via the jade , yet I didnt feel the price differential worth
while , the Data II had a richer mid bass and a tad more bloom , which
I felt was more musical , I was willing to put up with the slow acess.
The jitter jail is much like the Meridian 518 , you could get a 518
for the data II which makes a big sonic difference (2nd hand round
$700 or so) the Theta jitter thing is also available as a seperate ,
tho I havent tested the seperate vs the 518 , the 518 will increase
resolution in the mids and treble , a data II + 518 is better than a
straight jade in my system.
The 518 allows you to dispense with a pre (does the digital attn at
very high bitrates) , adds pre-emaphasis, does wordlength matching and
has variaous flavours of dither , with one , one can effectively
optimise resolution and subjectively get up to 19 bits from a 16 bit
media (simplistically put)
In real terms the 518 will exhibit a depper bass with better pitch
definition , more ambience in the mids , cleaner treble and a wider SS
, however the music "slows" which I attribute to more audible decay.
I feel the Data II is still pretty good , despite its slow working.
Be VERY certain you are doing a "true " upgrade , I got tired of the
jade sound quickly/
Rodney Gold
"The nicest thing about smacking your head against the wall is-
the feeling you get when you stop."
Michael Ryan
replaced the Data II with the Jade, I was very impressed. The
midrange is smoother and more liquid; sounds emerge from a much
blacker background; the tonal balance is more natural; the
presentation is liquid and dynamic. I use the single-mode optical
link (as with the Data II).
After five years with the Data II/Gen V, I doubted that a transport
could make an amazing improvement; I stand corrected. I bought on
the recommendation of my dealer (Ed at Audio Solutions in Atlanta),
whose ears I trust.
The Jade is highly recommended.
Michael Ryan
In article <7i8m97$gj3$1...@remarQ.com>, audi...@webtv.net says...
> Has anyone compared the Theta Jade to the Theta Data II? I now have a
> Data II transport and (Theta) DS Pro Basic IIIa processor. (The digital
> cable is the Marigo Apparition Reference IIIa.) I wonder how the
> soundstagng and BASS compare in particular, between the Data II and the
> Jade, because I don't want to give up these strengths of the Data II.
> However, the Data II takes forever to access CD's, and the midrange and
> treble could stand to be a little smoother and more detailed. I know
> cosmetics shouldn't be a factor, but the Jade is quite handsome!
> Does anyone know how Theta's new jitter jail works? Supposedly, one is
> built into the Jade to reduce jitter; any thoughts?
> Anthony Cordesman recently gave the Jade a great review in Audio, and I
> wonder what the rest of you audiophiles think. Is it good for the $2500
> price, or is there something else better for a similar price? New or
> used is OK.
> Here is a list of my other relevant components:
> My linestage is the ARC LS-25, my amp is the Krell KSA-300s, and my
> speakers are Apogee Divas.
> Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Jms ent
>replaced the Data II with the Jade, I was very impressed. The
>midrange is smoother and more liquid; sounds emerge from a much
>blacker background; the tonal balance is more natural; the
>presentation is liquid and dynamic. I use the single-mode optical
>link (as with the Data II).
>After five years with the Data II/Gen V, I doubted that a transport
>could make an amazing improvement; I stand corrected. I bought on
>the recommendation of my dealer (Ed at Audio Solutions in Atlanta),
>whose ears I trust.
>The Jade is highly recommended.
I went from a Data Basic II to a Jade. My DAC is a Gen VA. To me the
system with the Jade is smoother, less agressive, but still very
detailed and has that dynamite Theta bass. However, the Data Basic
tracked discs better than the Jade, and I didn't think it was
possible to supply a cheaper remote than the one that came with the
Basic. I was