Excellent sound and build quality

I have not found any

This unit does everything it promises. Excellent sound quality for HT and stereo. My unit has operated without any problems. I am looking forward to enjoying this item for many years. An excellent value in home audio. I would definitely recommend auditioning this unit when considering a pre/pro in this price range. I do not feel that you can go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

ACT III

Finish,build quality,dacs

Remote,software,imputs,outputs,operation

More observations since my last glowing review.
I have had the version 2 software of this unit for 5 months now.
Having owned this unit for a while I feel an update was needed.I am still impressed with the build and finish and stereo performance of this unit but I must say that it has been a nightmare in operational glitches and ground loop hums.Some days the unit seems to have a mind of its own and will simply not turn on via the remote or the the power switch. The only way it will is if you leave it sit for an hour without the power going into it ,then plug it in an away she go's.
The mode and other buttons on the front of the unit are very unresponsive and have a mind of their own. You can never seem to repeat the problem twice which is a worry.
The remote is also a pain in the butt as you can not teach it commands that are not in its memory. So if you components are not in the memory forget this remote.
The buttons are way too small and not labled.Even after 5 months it is still confusing.
Pressing the remote has no effect when you are too far off center as I believe the reciever is focused on a narrow angle and not powerful enough.
My greatest drama has been the grounding issues which present a consistant Hum with nothing connected. I have had it serviced 6 or 7 times and the result is the same. Lifting the ground on the amp and/or the GTX-1 has no effect.All the techs have said is that it is inbuilt in the curcuit and Golden Theater needs to fix it.
Emailing Golden Theater got me no response and I just got sick of the poor operation of what looked like a good unit.
It still sounded good in stereo "When it worked"

I found the sound was great in DTS/AC-3 and Stereo but the other modes where useless. Why don't they have a good 2 channel to 5 channel mode instead of wasting it on hall/stadium etc
The lack of 6 channel input and component input really dates this unit now.
I am glad I only paid $1300 for the GTX-1 as I only lost $100 when I sold it a month ago .I guess Golden Theater have a lot to learn about looking after their customers and doing some testing before releasing a defective product.I will avoid any further Golden Theater products from now on, that is for sure.

I now have a fully loaded Cassanova which is much better sounding and easier to operate with no bugs and glitches. It gives me choices of Xovers/Slopes/Circle surround and any other options that a full card based machine allows.

So I guess it shows why a follow-up review is needed as I have gone from 5 stars to it being hardly worth 1 star.
Nice face shame about the legs.

Similar Products Used:

Theta Cassanova,Meridian 561/568

Sound

none

In support of Chris Lau and Solo Electronics I am one of those few owners who have had minor problems with the GTX-1.
In my previous post I gave Solo 5 stars for service. If I could give them 10 I would. In my particular instance Chris/Solo bent backwards to resolve the issues with my unit. Their ultimate goal was my satisfaction.
Being in the service profession myself and quite accustomed to receiving subpar service from most companies, it is good to see one company which is willing to take the extra step to satisfy one of its customers.
And by the way the unit sounds better than ever. The operational errors are all but gone and the sound is fantastic. Even at $2K this is still the best sounding unit that I have heard.

Finish & Rear Panel Layout

Glitches,Poor Remote,No On screen menu.

I loved the rear panel layout. I loaned this unit for over a month as I compared a few different units and it reminded me of the EAD units for its uncluttered back panel.

The sound was also pretty good compared to most. But the EAD units where definitely much superior sounding.
One thing is that I hated the operation of this unit and the remote was just as bad as the poor EAD unit (sometimes better sometimes worse).

After reading some negative comments made about some of the operational issues that pestered some on this board, I must add that my unit also displayed some quirks and had a mild low level hum with the GTA (Golden Theater)5 channel amp.
It was mainly annoying and noticable in the quiet passages of the soundtrack but it was a big nuisance.

I tried several Pre-amps and they all have certain faults, but the GTX was the hardest to live with as far as its quirky remote and slow relay switching.
The IR pickup or the remote itself did not like you being much off center, and as my equipment is at the side it was difficult to get the remote to respond.
It looked promising but not as is is sold today.
My Votes where:
The EAD for its by far and away the best sound quality and ease of initial set-up (mic set-up with auto distances).

The B&K Ref20 for its great all round performance with lots of I/O's and a total glitch free operation.

Similar Products Used:

B&K,EAD

stereo suound, build quality, high end at a great price

can't listen to cd while watching video source

I was convinced that the Acurus was the pre-amp to beat at the $2000 price point. My local dealer had me listen to the Acurus and several other much more expensive units. The Acurus was good, but could not match the others. I was not willing to spend $3500, so I was going to buy the Acurus. I heard about the GTX-1 through a review of the Acurus and tried to check it out. It was tough finding a dealer that had even heard of the GTX-1, but it was worth the effort. When I finally heard it, I immediately knew that the GTX-1 was superior to the Acurus. First there are ample s-video inpus, which was a problem with the Acurus. The build quality is high end, solid construction, and great connectors amply spaced. There was a clarity and dimension to the music that was missing with the Act III. My priority is 2 channel music and the GTX-1 compared favorably to every surround pre that I have heard and even to many high end stereo preamps. When I got it home, it made my system sound great. After it was broken in, there was a clear improvement in sound quality. There was information on my cd's that I hadn't heard before the GTX. The soundstage is excellent and the instruments seem to be in the room. The dolby digital and dts are excellent as well, and I found the surround modes (hall, stadium, concert) to add subtle effects, which can by usefull with poor sources. The only problem that I have is that I cannot select a video source and listen to a cd at the same time. That being said, the video selector is good and I see a better image on my tv. The video selector issue is a small sacrifice considering the quality sound that you get for $2000. My system consists of GTX-1 pre, McCormack dna .5 front power, B&K ST1430 sII center/rear power, Vandersteen 2CE, Vandersteen VCC1, B&W DM 601 rear.

Similar Products Used:

acurus act III, B&K, Parasound

Build,Fit and Finish,Digital Stereo Sound,Layout

No Component,No On Screen Display,No Multiroom Volume Control,No EX/ES Upgrade,No Analog Bypass,No 5/7 Input For DVD-A,SACD,Poor Learning Remote,Small Display

The GTX-1 just did not ring my bell except as a stereo digital pre-amp which sounded very good.No analog by-pass is also a bad mistake.
I tried it in my theater and liked the finish and fit of the unit,but I felt like it was a product that would have been good about 4 years ago.
It lacked the modern refinements that I have got used to with other more up to date units.It just was not flexible enough as a surround pre-amp, and the crazy DSP modes sounded terrible.
Why do they put these modes in for ?
I only wish they had heard Logic 7 from the DC-2,even the 5 channel stereo from Denon sounds better than Hall,Stadium etc.
Also No Re-Eq made the brighter AC-3 and DTS discs far too brite.The remote was difficult to use,as it could not learn some of my other equipment (it only has certain equipment pre-programmed into itso it is not a learning remoteat all).The buttons are way to close and most are not used.

Comments made by Mr Lawson seemed to echo most of my thougts on the GTX-1.
I think that from now on I will take glossy reviews from Home Theater Mag like a pinch of salt because after reading the review in Home Theater (which was absolutely positive to a degree that it worked perfectly and sounded awesome) it is strange they failed to mention any faults which even the dealer new existed.
It failed to impress me in my system and it gets marked as I see it's standing amoungst the more up to date competition.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel,Lexicon,Onkyo,Denon,EAD,Parasound,

Soundstage; Realism; Top-notch 5-ch. HT application; 24bits/96kHz audio

I have had just pure pleasure from my GTX-1 and have experienced none of the problems some people here have mentioned.

Bottom line is that this is an excellent pre-amp which produces a highly realistic sound, eyebrow-raising and jaw-dropping Dolby Digital and DTS reproduction, true 24bit/96kHz audio processing, and spine-tinglingly detailed stereo imaging. You will not find a better pre-amp for under $3,500... I've looked!

You have to spend that or more to find another unit with all that this one has: Broadcast-quality relay switching, dual power supply, separate regulator for each stage, crystal 4926 processor, WIMA polypropylene capacitors, high end film and foil capacitors, hi-fi Burr Brown DC output stages, solid machined RCA connectors, very low jitter circuit, very solid chassis build quality, etc, etc, etc...plus it looks really cool.

My use is 50% HT, 50% 2-channel stereo. The GTX-1 is the best for this type of combined use.

I agree that the people posting 1-star reviews here just because they're mad or whatever, are being irresponsible and not giving the unit the credit it truly deserves. I heard that Solo Elec. was being bought out and is reorganizing. I dunno and don't really care. If anything ever happens to my GTX-1, I'll go to my local stereo repair place and leave it for a couple days, pay the small repair bill, then go back home and enjoy it. Geez, I mean what's the big deal? As an analogy, if Ferrari went out of business, I don't think owners would start complaining about their cars, but rather realize how lucky they were to have gotten one while they could've!

The GTX-1 is going to remain unbeatable and I'm sure people will start to seek out the units that are out there once they realize they can't get them anymore (for now, it seems).

Similar Products Used:

Anthem, Proceed, Mondial

Uncoloured sound, great imaging, high build quality

Remote could be better

The best pre-amp for 2 and 5 channel I have ever heard.

Lifelike reproduction which is nearly unparalled.

Back panel is well laid out for large cables and easy connection.

I have had nothing go wrong with my GTX. It has worked fine for almost 2 years so far.

I think the price is very good for the caliber of equipment this seems to be.

great product...great sound

company out of business

please mr lau i need the service manual...i want to keep

my golden theater ...i called msb technology and they say

that upgrade to 6-channel input fordvd-audio is possible

but i need the service manual....also for future repairs

mr lau where are you?.....

Similar Products Used:

b& k avp 1030

Great sound, Easy intall, Smooth volume control, Looks

Can't turn it off. I keep taking day's off from work to listen to CD's & watch movies.

I have had this pre-amp for several month, and after the software upgrade I have had no problems. It sounds great and is not to difficult to operate. It sound awsome in 2 or 5 channel mode. I have a B&W setup all the way around, I can't discribe the way it sounds. I currently have a rotel 985 pushing them now, but wait until the upgrade, (BRYSTONS). I might have to work VO every day of the week.

GTX-1- PRE-AMP
ROTEL 985- AMP
ROTEL 971- CD
SONY 550- DVD
B&W 603-2- FRONTS
B&W LCR6- CENTER
B&W INWALLS- REARS
TARA LABS- INTERCONNECTS
TARA LABS- DIGITAL CONNECT
SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH- WIRES