Build in impressive.
Appearance is stately, and muscular.
Sound is just right for me and on all genre's of music.

Remote works fine, is well laid out but,,,,,,,,,,,it just doesn't go well with the rest of the unit in terms of quality. It must be an afterthought.

I recently picked up a "hurry buy it now" Theta Miles Cd unit. The implosion of the Stock and credit markets in 2008 make it a fine time to comb the used market, this economic shock has shaken out many fine HI FI components. This is my 3 rd Theta unit and I am again very pleased with the machine. A fine and well balanced box, clearly laid out controls and an even stately design is very appealing and it yells quality from first glance.
This sound is just fantastic. Effortless, revealing, smooth and still offering the Theta SLAM in the bass registers. Really makes Rock sound right and with the better discs it is tough to work nearby, it makes me stop what I'm doing and listen. With DGG and Telarc cd's, Classical is beautifully layered and balanced, strings with sheen, brass with defined bite and tympani's which bring forward transients un noticed before. You can use it without a Pre but in A to B comparison, I much prefer the preamp in the circuit. Yes the remote is CHEAP compared to the rest of the unit. With Conrad Johnson MV 45a, VTL st 125 and Krell amps this unit has stood shoulder to shoulder with each, working together harmoniiously.
Steal one used, Theta service is great is anything every wears out, it's a lifetime player.

Customer Service

I fixed a balky drawer on my old Basic and Theta service was professional, not fast, and my unit runs like new.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Bada HS 22 Se, Theta Basic II, Theta Pearl, Creek, Rega, Sonic Frontier's, YBA, others.

Incredible bass, extension and staging. Build quality is good.

Remote. It's cheapo plastic.

After growing tired of so many boxes, units and cables in my system, I decided to simplify. I read numerous reviews of CD players that incorporated analogue volume controls (including the Audio Aero CDP) but Theta's Miles cd transport and player that caught my attention. I picked one up in the single-ended version. It packs a Theta Pearl Transport, analogue volume control and a mean cd playing mechanism in a very well designed 20 some pound chassis. After having the unit in-house for over a month, and listening to it connected directly to a B&K ST140, an Acurus A250 and a Classe CA100 I have to say I'm more than satisfied with this purchase. Taking the pre and processor out of the signal path have really improved overall quality of my rig's sound. Bass is absolutely stunning(with decent 2 or 3 way floorstanders you may not need a sub), and not just through the classe; the b&k puts out more detail and power than I ever imagined it had; the Acurus doesn't suffer from edgy brightness, though it sure packs a serious bass and midrange wallop. This is by far the most musical CDP I've heard at this price range. I highly recommend it over the CAL CL15.

Similar Products Used:

Dennon and Pioneer transports.

Clean, accurate, tonally correct sound, ability to drive an ampifier "direct".

THE REMOTE!

This actually replaced my multi-unit CD playback set up formally consisting of a PS Lambda transport & Sonic Frontiers SFD-2. The Miles sounds better - in all parameters. Smooth, articulate mids, outstanding bass, and clear fast highs. This one's got it all! Have to believe its the best all-in-one cd for under 3k.

Only gripe (and its justifiable) is the small, chintsy remote which looks like it came from a "Sound Design" product.

Put this and the Krell 300 on my shortlist. Didn''t like the Krell with my speakers -- B&W 802s. Almost wanted to put my hands over my ears. Too much detail too little music. Completely different experience with the Miles. Lots of music. Very much a feeling of being there when the music was made. With my system, however, it is a rather ruthless revealer of poor recordings. Does need to warm up for a while, though.
Very satisfied, especially for the price!

best rock 'n roll player on the planet.

Overdone transformer, great Pioneer transport, dimmable display, adjustable volume, can be played direct to power amp (although I've never recommended it), great weight, great build quality and looks. As for how it sounds, fast, precise, controlled, dynamic and real. This is one player that doesn't lack bass, weight, dynamics, and soundstages
deep, wide and high. Anyone who still admires Iron Maiden,
Deep Purple and the likes, should own this player. If anyone prefers to pair it up with a Theta DAC, do it with the Generation V. and take the playback one step further.
I found this combination to be the only one that would seriously threaten a good analog front end. The remote could be better but I guess you can't have everything...

Similar Products Used:

copland, mcintosh 7007, cary 301, cambridge cd-6, rega planet, wadia 280, esoteric, vrds-8, meta research laser-1, others...

great sound, good looks

terrible remote

Fantastic sound at a good "entry level" audiophile price point. gets the job done well, and mates well with the rest of the electronics via balanced connections

used with Ayre K-3, Audio Research 100.2

Similar Products Used:

CAL Ikon, various others

My search is over, at least I think so (since you never know when the urge to upgrade something will hit). After much deliberation and comparative reviewing, I chose the Theta Miles CD player (balanced version) to go with my Classe CP-50, McCormack DNA 0.5 and Vandersteen 1C's and 2WQ sub.
I like almost everything about this player. It has great sound, clean with no grit or grain, and outstanding bottom end. There were many things I liked about the runner-up, the Meridian 508.2, but compared to the Theta it sounded polite. It just couldn't get down and rock the same way, and the Theta has great detail, if only a hair less than the Meridian.

My only minor negative is rather small display, which is very hard to read from across the room, and the loading drawer requires the disk to be placed label down. Both are very minor and I'm sure my adjustment to them will come quickly.

My one suggestion to prospective buyers is to make sure you audition the balanced version, it is much smoother and cleaner than the single ended version, and the added cost of $500 is not a deal killer.

It may be just short of the very upper most echelon, ML 39, Krell, Wadia, or maybe it's closer than you realize. At this level, I beleive the differences have as much to do with synergy with your system, as anything else. So go audition it (at home, preferably), I heartily recommend it for someone looking in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.

I auditioned the single ended version of this player against the CAL CL-15. My observations are that it is great a detail retrival, from treble through bass (actually incredible in the low bass), but it ultimately did not bring the parts that it analyzed together to form music. The overall sound was rather bright and a bit tizzy, and I did not like this player in my system. Kudos for the nice appearence and the analog volume control though.
Associated equipment: Sonic Frontiers Line 1, McCormack DNA-0.5, Snell C/V, Adcom GCD-700, CAL CL-15. Wireworld, MIT, and XLO Cables and Interconnects.

Overall value for me is 3 stars, priceweighted, I think one can do better, therefore also 3 stars.

This player is extremely worthwhile. It has excellent detail and clarity, ( very good bass detail also), and
sounds best when used without a preamp. I find that one
really enjoy even poorly recorded CD,which I could not
before..
Great buy.

The Miles is by far the best I've had in my system to date. Before the purchase I ran it head to head with the latest Cal Audio in a reference BAT, Dunlavy system-the Theta was much better. In my system I've also had EAD, Micromega etc. The Theta is wonderful. My personal system for reference is:Chang litespeed 6400 20AH
Synergistic Research Reference A/C master Couplers
Theta Miles
VAC 80/80 with Genalex KT88 Gold Lions and Amperex 7316's
Synergistic Research Designer's Reference interconnect 3ft.
Synergistic Research Resolution Reference speaker cable 8ft.
Thiel 1.5's with 2pr. of Teknasonic C10's mounted on rear of speakers
Bright Star Audio Big Foot under both components
Bright Star Audio Little Foot on top of the Miles
Target B2 2 shelf stand-sand filled