Casa Nova

Music and Cinema Controller Theta Digital invented separate component digital to analog converters
shortly after the introduction of compact disc players in order to provide improved sound quality from digital sources. Theta has won acclaim for pioneering important technology in "high end" (audiophile) digital sound reproduction. Casablanca marked a new path in home entertainment systems, by bringing together the highest quality video and audio in one no-compromise, noredundancy, amazingly flexible and changeable controller. Casa Nova is the newest step on that path, benefiting from research and development that shaped Casablanca, and stems from over a decade of intensive research and development refining all aspects of digital signal reproduction. Casa Nova's "open architecture" design is unique among music reproduction and cinema processing equipment, making personal optimization as easy as "plug and play." Casa Nova's amazing flexibility and upgradability allow you to custom tailor your system. As new technologies come along, add the improvements and capabilities you want, when you want.

Why Casa Nova Exists

Until now, manufacturers have been bringing out products that, at best, are good for movies, but are not acceptable to audiophiles for music. Theta introduced Casablanca, a radical rethink of audio/video components, which makes sense in the present, with the technology available now, and will become the basis for future technology. Casa Nova is a direct outgrowth of the Casablanca project, and offers many of its advantages, at a more comfortable price.
Now Audiophiles Can Enjoy Movies Too
Casa Nova relieves music lovers of the painful dilemma of having to choose between movies and music: high quality, faithful music reproduction or home theater components featuring decoding, processing, and switching.
Truly a high fidelity audio component, Casa Nova can act as a preamplifier/digital to analog converter. It can also act as a high fidelity video switcher, and offers options for various types of surround sound decoding. You choose.

Quality

Casa Nova and Casablanca are in a realm apart from all other home theater components. Theta is legendary for digital to analog conversion. Theta's faithful reconstruction of digital signals -- the science behind the art will bring you realism and musical excitement that most makers of home theater equipment have never even experienced. Whether performing as an analog or digital preamplifier, Casa Nova conforms to listening standards beyond the reach of even very expensive audio/video components. You'll experience breathtaking soundtracks with stunning realism that only Theta can give you. Casa Nova's broadcast standard video switching is capable of preserving information much more faithfully than you can normally expect to see. Our parts quality is uniformly exceptional. Casa Nova's internal shielding, high grade, multiple linear power supplies, and the sheer number of parts necessary to do the job right make the Casa Nova a hefty piece. To give you a crude measure of the difference, your average audio/video component weighs in at 8 or 10 lbs; even the expensive ones. A fully loaded Casa Nova weighs about 23 Ibs.

Flexibility

Casa Nova has the flexibility you need to keep up with changing times. We see industry standards changing rapidly. Casa Nova is configured for flexibility and adaptability beyond all normal expectations. Casa Nova is a component that music lovers can update and upgrade over time, and a cinema component offering video technology customized to your choices and changing with the times. Upgrades and additions can be done easily in your home or the dealer's showroom: it does not require test equipment or programming knowledge. When a card is changed your Casa Nova automatically reconfigures. (You don't even need to take the top off; just unscrew the plate of the module you want to replace, and pop in the new one!) In the February 1997 issue of Home Theater, Al Griffin called Casablanca "the logical choice for a future-proof high-end home theater system." Casa Nova offers the benefits of this heritage.

A Crucial Difference Casa Nova's key intelligence resides on "daughter boards," rather than being locked into the permanent, central "mother board." This makes a Casa Nova even more "future-proof" than your computer! As computer chips increase in power, future systems and techniques will expand their demands for that power. You will want to be able to keep up with those advances. With a Casa Nova you're not married to an old CPU (central processing unit) as you are with PCs. Currently, other companies are beginning to make "intelligent" audio and home theater products, using one or more (currently) powerful CPU. As these are embedded in the motherboard, they prevent meaningful upgrades. As soon as they become obsolete, the component is, effectively, history. Theta's engineering team has a two and a half year head start on companies now starting to build modular units. A project as complex as Casa Nova takes a lot of time and effort to polish. Casablanca's design took years to perfect. Prototypes underwent exhaustive revisions and refinements. In creating a whole new kind of component, we had to teach ourselves how to do a lot of things that had never been done before, both in software and in hardware. Our understanding and development of technology didn't occur overnight, and it is doubtful that any other companies can sidestep similar learning stages. Volume control is an excellent example of the kind of substantial differences between Theta's perfectionist approach and that of other companies, even at comparable priced levels.

Volume Control

Casa Nova's volume control is performed 100% in the analog domain! Digital volume control is simple to implement, but at a cost. It works by throwing away information; "bits" of resolution, which shape the sound. Losing this information means that the quality of sound deteriorates; as you lower the volume level, the quality of sound becomes worse and worse. Casa Nova keeps all the resolution there is, even when you've turned the sound down to a whisper. Casa Nova of offers the advantages of Theta's legendary mastery in digital signal processing, and sound quality no other equipment approaches.

Easy To Use

Casa Nova is easy to use. Both the LCD front panel and the on-screen video display offer information, choices of various functions and selections of surround modes. Casa Nova accepts both analog and digital input signals. Signals entering by any of Casa Nova's six analog inputs are converted to digital, for DSP controlled surround

sound. AC-3 RF inputs are available as an option for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound Despite Casa Nova's great technological sophistication, we believe in making it as easy as possible for you to use. We think you'll enjoy the intuitive way the Casa Nova works. Rather than offer a frustrating bewilderment of little-used functions in constant view, Casa Nova is structured more systematically by functions, which activate menus when called upon. The user interface is based on simple logic. For example, when a function button is pressed, you can make changes within its menu(s), and press the same function button again, to store the changes and exit that function. (The same button that got you in gets you back out.) Also, when in a function menu or sub-menu, many other features and functions will not be accessible, because they have no direct bearing on the function being edited
Standard on every Casa Nova
24 bit 96kHz D to A converters Six stereo pair of analog inputs, 20 bit 48kHz A/D converter. Two pair of buffered analog tape outputs. Six coaxial, and two TosLink SPDIF digital inputs. Two coaxial SPDIF digital outputs. Dolby Pro Logic, Theta's special matrix and matrix modes and stereo. Full crossover capability for five main channels and woofer channel. Six frequency settings (40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120 Hz), and four slope settings (6, 12, 18, 24dB/octave) for each; L/R surrounds and center. Center and surrounds also have phantom setting for simulating such speakers. Separate delay settings for matrix modes and true 5.1 modes. Zone 2, with volume control.

Options

AT&T or Laserlinque. Video switching card (necessary for on-screen display) (six composite, 4 Svideo inputs); provides one main composite output, one tape composite output, one main S-video output, one tape S-video output). External RF demodulator. DTS processing card. Dolby Digital processing card. This enables a full Dolby Digital setup menu with selections for the following: high and low level compression and LFE (bass) level control. Tape out DAC (for taping sources with digital outputs while watching or listening to a different digital source). Circle Surround Spatializer

The Future

Video and audio technology will continue to evolve. Casa Nova's open structure
allows for implementation of any new standards in digital or analog conversion, control, routing and processing. This offers striking advantages to a Casa Nova owner: instead of trading in an outdated A/V preamp, you could be considering new options: switching that automatically dims the lights while turning on the screen and power amps; additional channels; perhaps another surround sound mode.

Future Casa Nova options

Capability to download new DSP software from a CD or the Internet. A card for component video input and output. A Smart Home communication board, to increase Casa Nova's control and integration functions even more. This will feature an RS232 interface for elaborate multi-room installations.

Casa Nova Specifications

Conversion: A/D Conversion: 20-bit Delta-Sigma; D/A Conversion: 96kHz, 24 bit. Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, -0.2dB, Ref. 1kHz THD+Noise: Less than 0.002% @ 1kHz, max. output. Dynamic Range: 120dB min., 20kHz bandwidth, Ref. 1kHz Signal to Noise Ratio: 120dB minimum, 20kHz bandwidth, Ref. 1kHz at maximum output level.

Inputs

Analog Audio: 6 stereo pairs (RCA) Minimum Input Level: 50 mVrms, Input Impedance: 10 K ohms. Digital In Card: 12: 6 coaxial (RCA), 1 AES/EBU (Balanced XLR); 3 optical (2 TosLink; 1 open for optional AT&T or Theta Digital proprietary Single Mode); 2 optional AC-3 RF. Video: 10: 6 composite (RCA), 4 S-Video, NTSC and PAL compatible. Input level & impedance: 1 Vpp, 75 ohms

Outputs

(Audio) Balanced/Single-Ended Card: Analog Outputs: 6 channels: Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, Right Surround, Sub (Front Left, Right and Center balanced XLR) and single ended [RCA] outputs for each. Left Surround, Right Surround and Sub have single ended outputs only. (Audio) Analog and Digital Card (Optional): Analog Outputs: 6 channels: Left, Right, Center, Left Surround, Right Surround and Sub (all Single-ended RCA jacks); 6 S/PDIF channels on 3 RCA jacks: Left/Right, Left/Right Surround, Center/Sub. (Audio) Digital Card (Optional): 6 S/PDIF channels on 3 RCA jacks: Left/Right,
Left/Right Surround, Center/Sub. Analog Output Impedance: 36.5 ohms on SE output, 70 Ohms on balanced output. Maximum Analog Output Level: Balanced: 20 Vrms, Single Ended: 10 Vrms Video (Optional): 4: 1 Main; 1 Tape Out/Zone 2 (both composite [RCA]); 1 Main; 1 Tape Out/Zone 2 (both S-video), all on Video In card, NTSC and PAL compatible. Miscellaneous 1 stereo (RCA) analog pair (Tape Out) on Analog In card. 1 stereo (RCA) analog pair (Zone 2) on Analog In card. 1 Volume Data (RCA) output on the optional Digital Out and Analog & Digital Out cards. (Digital volume control data for External Volume Control Unit.) 2 coaxial (RCA) digital Tape Outputs on Digital In card. Dimensions: 19" W x 14.5" D x 4.5" H Remote Control: 1 hand-held; uses 2 AAA batteries