My 1st review of this product was on 5/10/99. After tweaking and listining to the GTX-1 for approx 1 month, the sound is much better. There has been a significant increase in the sound stage and the mids and highs have become much more refined. Theater modes reveal the nuances in most film sound tracks with very good seperation and sound steering. This units sonic attributes are fantastic. I guess there is merit to burnig in system components.With the high level of sonic performance that this unit displays one would figure that the operational component of this unit would be on par.
WRONG!!!
Sonically Great.
Build quality Good.
Feature suite Good.
Operations awful.
This unit has more quarks, glitches ,problems or whatever than any consumer product that I can think of. USERS BEWARE, one problem that the unit displays can result in catastrophic failures to other components in your system.
With the unit in the VCR mode, increasing the volume via the remote caused the GTX-1 to immidiatley go to MAX volume. Attempts to decrease the volume failed requiring a hard reset of the GTX-1.
Following is a list of the more mundane operational anamolies to date.
Unit will not lock onto digital input.
Unit will not hold speaker level adjustments.
Test tone generator changes sound making validty of set up questionable.
Direct selecting source devices via Remote will sometimes power down unit.
Source device selection via front panel locks up unit requiring power reset via back panel.
Front panel power button selects input device, does not power down unit.
With all these problems I figure that the consumers are SOLO electronics R&D test lab. For this reason I feel the software upgrades to correct these problems should be sent to owners of the GTX-1 free of charge. Any future upgrades within a reasonable time period should be provided to owners of earlier units at a substancial discount.
For a couple of grand I would expect a product to operate as advertised.
I dont think a HUGO had as many problems as the GTX-1 and HUGOS arent around any more.
In Solo's defence they are working on enhancments. Hopefully they will be available shortly as this unit is sonically superior to most & functionally abysmal.
Solo can only be aware of problems if we the consumer notify their dealers or Solo Electronics.
Currently this unit gets 5 stars for sound.
4 stars for customer service.
1 star for functionality.
Over all rating 3.5 stars.

I too wanted to fall in love with the GTX-1 but it was not user friendly in my system and had just too many operating quirks and failures I returned it and am now living very happily with an ACT 3.
The two most frustrating problems I had with the GTX-1 was that I could not keep my speaker levels calibrated. No matter what format I was in DD, DTS, DPL I could never get the volume levels to lock in for any given time. Also the test tones would also never be the same...sometimes it would sound as if the pink noise was muffled.

The other major problem was that it would sometimes not detect DD or DTS format. I would have to switch to another source then back again in order for it to recognize what format was required and it usually came on with an initial loud pop and crack. On the DTS Hell Freezes Over dvd I was never able to experience the DTS intro at the beginning of the disc. It would leave out the audio for some reason and then resume when the actual concert started.

There were numerous other operating flaws with this unit that finally drove me into returning this processor. I believe this product has alot of potential for being a great piece, but it needs more work Solo Electronics. I am a proud owner of a Golden Tube Audio SE-40 tube amp and I guess my expectations were running high.

I must say though, the Golden Theater does one thing very well...SOUND. The audio quality of this piece when it's working right, can give you goose bumps where you've never had them before, and can easily stand-up to other processors two and three times its price.

All I can give the GTX-1 in its current version is 2 stars.

Well, I waited for this pre/pro for some months. Finally brought it home and plugged it in. Yikes. I have all kinds of gripes about this unit, and wouldn't feel right about not telling others. I REALLY wanted to like this unit. After three days of tweaking, I finally know what it is capable of, but there are just too many problems with it for me to keep it around. The sound can be GREAT, but here is why I'm returning mine:
Cannot use Sony remote controls (freezes preamp, requires unplugging to reset - Solo electronics knows this and say they're working on a fix)
No DVD control button on remote (you can assign it to something like "AUX" but come on! We wouldn't be buying this pre/pro if we didn't have DVD!)
Cannot use Kimber Kable interconnects between this and the GTA amp. (LOUD hum)
Confused when turned on by AC switched source (like my Panamax)
Does not consistently auto-detect AC-3 signal
Display hard to read at a slight up angle
Volume resets to saved setting when track is skipped on DVD player
Sometimes power button will not shut unit off (just cycles through settings)
No dimming for display

I like how the unit looks, and I like the feel of the buttons, but for me I'm willing to go the next step to EAD.

- Darell

no dealer support currently, occasionally "temperamental" operation, no component video in, 1 sub output, no 6 channel thru, no analog thru,

I have owned this unit for almost 2 years, and I originally purchased it as an economical unit until the digital/HDTV shakedown could occur, and standards be adopted. I could not see spending significant $$$ with as many changes would be occurring in the very near future. It seems that standards still have not been adopted, and "future-proof units" will innevatibly have some serious trade-offs. The GTX-1 has more than bridged this gap. It sounds like equipment costing 3-4 times as much.

Having made this statement, the unit is not perfect. I originally experienced some quirkiness with the 1st version of the software, like the unit locking up and having an audible pop in the sub channel when sources were switched. The version 2 software has cured these problems, except for a period of about 1 week that I could not get the unit to recognized DTS signals. It seems that models from other manufacturers also experience this problem, however. This has cured itself, and the unit has continued to play beautifully.

The versatillity of the unit is good, with the ability to change sub crossover settings, fine tune sitting positions, etc. I also like the digital tape loop for CDR recording, which I think, this unit was one of the 1st to include, certainly at this price point.

The sound is superb. I am using Krell gear with electrostats, and the GTX-1 is very transparent, complementing this gear well. I am using a KRC-HR pre-amp with the thru circuit for HT. This provides the best of both worlds for analogue and digital. Keep in mind that the GTX-1 was originally conceived as an outboard stereo DAC, and the designers decided to make it a home theater processor due to the rise in popularity and sales of 5.1 systems. So all 6 of the DAC's are top-notch and the sound reflects this. It also may explain some of the quirkiness of the unit.

I agree that this unit is destined to be a classic. When it performs, which is most of the time in my case, it is amazing. I can see, however, how others have found some of its eccentricities frustrating, especially with version 1 software. It is like a classic automobile, which may not be reliable all the time, but provides a little bit of heaven when it works. If you can find one that has been relatively trouble-free, buy it. That having been said, I may be selling my unit shortly since I just purchased a HDTV
satellite system and need component switching, and would like more sub outputs and balanced outs.

Similar Products Used:

krell, denon,

clearlty, sound stage, and decoding

LT viewing too small

this product is worth the money and I hope more people will know this product instead of going with Class's or Lexico. I particularly like the stereo sound, so clear, clean, deep and bright. Very powerful, you can hear the most unnoticable instrucment that you ever heard before. When I listen to my CD collection, I found so much enjoyment with most of them because I hear something I have never heard before. For HT the sound stage is excellent, the rear sound picks up very well. For $2k, this product is way too down.
The thing that I think this product can improve is
1. the view LT is too small, not bright enought.
2. the PR of this company is very poor. The enclosed paper was copy, not even print!
3. the company's e-mail address does not work. whatever I try to send them something, it keeps sending back that the address is wrong. I don't know what is wrong with the company's wed sit.

A week ago I posted a wonderful review of the Golden Theater. I had the unit 3 days and prior to the review, I had no problems. However, since then I have had numerous software problems. The LCD display looses its ability to display text. The LCD remains backlit but without the ability to display text. In order to fix this problem you must unplug the unit. This is the second unit I have had this problem with. In additon, the test tone generator is not accurate. At some times the test tone gerator would have a different tone, and others it would change. This GREATLY effects the speaker calibrations. Also, there is no way to use a set-up disc to generate the test tone because you have to go into the menu to individualy change speaker levels and this defeats its ability to pass a signal from a source.I hate to say it, but its great value and sound does not make up for its software problems. However, in defense of Golden Theater (Solo Electronics) they are making upgrades in their software. But I will be returning the pre-amp and starting the search once again.

Build Quality

No On Screen, No Component ,Operation

The GTX-1 sounds good and is built well but, like a few others have reported on this review site, I found the operational errors and glitches a little too much to handle.

I did not think the unit sounded bad though, and its build was as impressive as many expensive units, but the operation of the unit was most frustrating .I must agree with some that the remote (B&K also use this unit)is a pain in the a_s.
I still can not work out why the unit would fail to respond at times when using the front panel buttons ? A few others had reported this on a news group and one guy said it had something to do with voltage surges but I am not sure because it was erratic.

John G

A good first up effort from Solo, but I have given it back to the dealer (trade in)and I will get the superior Anthem.
But I will keep an look out for a the new improved model GTX as I was very impressed with the fit and finish . Operation and sound are more important to me in a Pre-amp as I like to just turn it on and relax.

Similar Products Used:

Acurus,Denon,Anthem

Build, ease of use, sound, customer support.

none

Ive had my GTX1 since DEcember last year, the unit has performed flawlessly since, absolutely no problems. The sound quality for the price is unbeleivable. I use the unit for about 70% two channel sound and 30% for Dolby Digital processing. Its excellent in both catagories. Ive used the above preamplifiers, and had problems with all but the GTX1. The customer support is top notch. I bought my unit from the dealer as a demo unit, it had not had the chip upgrade. I live close to Solo Electronics and stopped by there to pick up new chip. I arrived and was invited in by Mr. Lau. Not only did he give me the chip upgrade, but installed and bench tested while I was there. I am most happy. Highly reccomended product.

Similar Products Used:

EAD, parasound, BK

Solid build, good performence

LCD-disp hard to read, would be nice to be able to have the sub. turned off in stereo

Crustal clear sound, the difficulties that some people experienced Very easy to setup. The rulloff of the sub is very good. It is well worth the money I paid
approx $2000

Similar Products Used:

Avr32, Sunfire,

My great preamp/processor search included some units that I couldn't afford -- so that I knew what the "next level" sounded like. My serious contenders list units were: Sony TA-E9000ES, Acurus ACT-3, Golden Theater GTX-1 and the Chiro C-802.
For reference, my system, sans Preamp/processor consists of:
Front Left/Right speakers: Acoustat Spectra 22
Front Left/Right Amplifiers: Bryston 4B (pre NRB and ST series)
Center Channel speaker: Magnepan CC1
Center Channel amp: Marantz MA-500 (c'mon Bryston release a 250 watt
monoblock like the powerpac 120).
Rear Left/Right speakers: Magnepan SS1
Rear Left/Right amplifiers: Bryston 3B (also pre NRB and ST)
Interconnects: MIT 330 series 2
Speaker Cables: MIT MH-750

The first home audition was the Sony, going into this I thought this was the
preamp/processor for me. Then I heard it in my system. It was bright and harsh. Definition was good, just way too bright :-( The feature set was
really nice too.

I brought home the Acurus ACT-3 and it seemed to be the polar opposite of
the Sony -- dark and in my system, the highs seemed rolled off a little.
Music sound was good, not exceptional.

Next, I tested the Chiro C-802 (note: This was also my loaner until my permanent Golden Theater came in). Much more like it. A pretty natural sounding unit,
and I was pretty pleased with it. If I hadn't heard the Golden Theater I would
have bought his unit. Weakenesses: The TV sounded "hollow" and the channel definition wasn't razor sharp. Decent job on music, the best I had to
that point.

Then (still with the Chiro in my possesion, my dealer loaned me the Golden Theater. One word: Wow!!! Channel definition was superb. The sound was
just.... there. My favorite recording is The Eagles: "Hell Freezes Over" on
DTS DVD. It's an exquisite reproduction, although the surround effects don't
quite correlate with what you're seeing on the screen. Solution: Turn the TV
off. The guitars sound more natural and the effects speakers are much
more well defined. This was light years ahead of the Chiro.

Why only 4 stars?

I work with two retailers locally (one carries Bryston and Magnepan), the
other carries the Chiro and GT. So I also had the opportunity to listen to
the next price level. Notably the EAD Encore, the Theta Casanova and the Proceed AVP.

There is better out there, and it costs anywhere from 50% to 250% more
than the Golden Theater.

One other thing -- make sure you get the latest rev. of EEPROMs (around April 1 or so of 1999), there were apparently some nasty bugs with Sony DSS systems.
It was a bit of a wait (about 4 weeks but well worth it).