Theta Basic or Pioneer PD 65? Which One is Best?

I also own a Theta Pearl and for almost a year enjoyed it mated to a Bel Canto DAC 1.1, but now that I just purchased a Kora Hermes, the Bel Canto is taking a break. Both DACs work very well with the Pearl. If you have any reservations about the Theta transports and the mechanisms they use, drop Ed Deitemeier of Theta Digital an e-mail. When I was considering a Theta he helped clear up a lot of questions for me.

The Theta transports sound best when used with theta dac's. Please read the reviews of the Basic IIIa and Progen Va.

this is the exact, and i mean exact question i asked my dealer 3 weeks ago. well not exact because i was referencing the theta data basic ii versus the pioneer you mention. he said the theta will blow it away because of the jitter clock and the _____ board (can't remeber the name he gave). he said that the technology in the pioneer is significantly older and the newer dacs would sound terrible. so i went with the theta and it's been great. the basic has the pro-mechanism in it, not the cheap plastic mechanism of the pearl or jade. yes you'll have problems fixing if it goes but the chances are far less because the mechanism is clearly superior. and when it does go they'll be newer cheaper technology to take its place anyways.

The Theta Data Basic is a good transport, but is based on a Philips drive assembly that is no longer manufactured. For close to the same price used, they reccommend going with a Pearl (or Jade, at a higher price) tansport, based on the Pioneer Stable Platter mechanism, for which future service will not be as difficult. I have the Pearl and like it a lot, but have not tried a Pioneer player as a transport. Presumably, the audiophile-pedigree, transport-only Theta would be a superior implementation of the drive for use with an outboard DAC. Currently, Theta's in-production transports are now all based on DVD drives instead.

I owned a Theta Data Basic for a couple of years. You do realize that this is a transport and will require an outboard dac? Having said that, I mated mine to a Classe Dac-1. It didn't sound half bad in my system. Understand the Data Basic is fairly old technology (around 10 years old) and would probably run best when coupled to a Theta dac. I would think a pro-gen III would do the trick. If you can pick one up for $350.00 (That's what I just sold mine for) they're not bad at all.