Theta Digital Releases Second Generation Of Dreadnaught Power Amplifier

11-Oct-02

Theta Digital has introduced the Dreadnaught II Power Amplifier at CEDIA EXPO 2002. Theta's most significant change was made to the original Dreadnaught's amplifier modules. Employing technology developed for its world-class Citadel Monoblock Amplifier, Theta improved the Dreadnaught's overall sonic performance. The Dreadnaught II's internal electronics are built on a four-layer circuit board with dedicated layers for the ground plane and each supply line, to significantly improve the symmetry of the balanced plus (+) and minus (-) signal paths.The design of the Dreadnaught II's power supply also underwent a significant upgrade. The single transformer in the original Dreadnaught was changed to two transformers, both torroid, in series for the Dreadnaught II. More capacitors were added to better regulate the power supply. Additional internal bypasses have been provided for both regulated and unregulated supplies. The Dreadnaught II's power supply allows power to be distributed to each module as needed. Any single channel confronted with a full-level signal will have the entire current capability of the transformer at its disposal. Unless all modules are driven to full power, the channels not being driven hard effectively lend their portion of the transformer's power to the more active channels.Each module contains LED indicators for fuse and temperature status. There are locking XLR jacks, and new damping technologies and placements to reduce resonance and mechanical noise.Output connectors are Cardas Rhodium binding posts in the single-channel module, and gold-plated binding posts in the two-channel module. CE-approved versions are supplied to countries within the European Union. Each module also incorporates a buss selection for stereo or surround modes, so that when a user selects stereo mode from the Theta surround processor, all the energy from Dreadnaught II's power reservoir will be focused on the needs of the active channels.Like its predecessor, the Dreadnaught II can be outfitted with either single- or two-channel modules for up to ten channels of fully balanced power amplification. The single-channel module provides 225 watts into 8 ohms, with all five channels driven full-out, and over 250 watts if fewer channels are being driven. One channel driven into a 4-ohm load delivers 450 watts. The two-channel module delivers 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms. All amplification channels are stable down to 2 ohms. Both modules accept input on XLR and RCA connectors. All Dreadnaught IIs undergo rigorous testing and an extended burn-in period. Current Dreadnaughts may be upgraded to the performance standards of the new Dreadnaught II.The Dreadnaught II power amplifier is available at a suggested retail price of $6,500 for the 5-channel/225 W configuration. For more information, visit www.thetadigital.com.

Read More:
http://www.thetadigital.com