dac in ssp-300 for 2-ch listening

[Freek]

today i listened to 2-ch stereo from my marantz cd/dvd player through my 7.1 input on the ssp-300. t
normally i use a digital coax connection and the dac from the ssp-300.
i thought the high end ssp-300 dac should be better then my marantz dv6400 multi players dac.

to my surprise the sound through the 7.1 input was much warmer, better bass and a more open soundfield.
with an analog db meter i measured to see if it was due to a louder setting. but that was not the case. the volume was exactly the same, but it was just better sounding.

is it possible that the dac's in the $900 marantz are better sounding then the dac's in the ssp-300?
if yes, would an upgrade to a high end external dac be even better for 2-ch listening (a step up)?

[wettou]

today i listened to 2-ch stereo from my marantz cd/dvd player through my 7.1 input on the ssp-300. t normally i use a digital coax connection and the dac from the ssp-300. i thought the high end ssp-300 dac should be better then my marantz dv6400 multi players dac.

to my surprise the sound through the 7.1 input was much warmer, better bass and a more open soundfield. with an analog db meter i measured to see if it was due to a louder setting. but that was not the case. the volume was exactly the same, but it was just better sounding.

is it possible that the dac's in the $900 marantz are better sounding then the dac's in the ssp-300? if yes, would an upgrade to a high end external dac be even better for 2-ch listening (a step up)?

It's not because it is Classé that it will sound better :cry: Let your ears be the judge :B

[Freek]

i know that your ears will be the judge.
but i read in another thread that the dac's in the ssp-300 are not designed for 2-ch. what does that mean and what is the effect on 2-ch listening?

[SwainDtV]

to my surprise the sound through the 7.1 input was much warmer, better bass and a more open soundfield.
with an analog db meter i measured to see if it was due to a louder setting. but that was not the case. the volume was exactly the same, but it was just better sounding.

I have a similar experience. I own an Arcam FMJ CD36 CD player connected to the SSP-800 in bypassed mode. I prefer the analog connection.

Ab

[wettou]

I have a similar experience. I own an Arcam FMJ CD36 CD player connected to the SSP-800 in bypassed mode. I prefer the analog connection.Ab

This would translate as the DAC are better in the Arcam compared to the Classé 8O Did you use HDMi?

[Freek]

wettou, thank you for your time so far.
do you know what it means that the dac in the ssp-300 are not designed for 2-ch listening and how that effects 2-ch listening?

[SwainDtV]

This would translate as the DAC are better in the Arcam compared to the Classé 8O Did you use HDMi?

The Arcam FMJ CD36 has no HDMI output. I compared analog RCA with coaxial S/PDIF with good quality interlinks from the same brand.

Programmed each input to a function key for easy A-B comparison. At the end I preferred the analog RCA connection.

Ab

[sikoniko]

The Arcam FMJ CD36 has no HDMI output. I compared analog RCA with coaxial S/PDIF with good quality interlinks from the same brand.

Programmed each input to a function key for easy A-B comparison. At the end I preferred the analog RCA connection.

Ab

I found better results with HDMI than I did S/PDIF.

Did you plug the RCA's into the 7.1 inputs? I believe you will be able to engage analog by-pass if you, whereas you can not on standard RCA inputs. IME analog by-pass with balanced connections is better than single ended. I prefer HDMI over all of them. But it comes down to personal taste.

Don't give up on the SSP-800's DAC's. :T You might find at some point you like them. When I first heard it, my opinion was that the high and mids were better but the notes from a bass guitar were suddenly hidden and not as pronounced as I had been used to. My opinion changed over a few weeks of comparisons.

[wettou]

wettou, thank you for your time so far.
do you know what it means that the dac in the ssp-300 are not designed for 2-ch listening and how that effects 2-ch listening?

Hum interesting now I am not sure 8O Classe always pride itself as music comes first so that is strange?

[hd99yr]

today i listened to 2-ch stereo from my marantz cd/dvd player through my 7.1 input on the ssp-300. t
normally i use a digital coax connection and the dac from the ssp-300.
i thought the high end ssp-300 dac should be better then my marantz dv6400 multi players dac.

to my surprise the sound through the 7.1 input was much warmer, better bass and a more open soundfield.
with an analog db meter i measured to see if it was due to a louder setting. but that was not the case. the volume was exactly the same, but it was just better sounding.

is it possible that the dac's in the $900 marantz are better sounding then the dac's in the ssp-300?
if yes, would an upgrade to a high end external dac be even better for 2-ch listening (a step up)?

here is a question I asked Classe with their response

Hope it helps

I do have one more question for you. It's in regards to the stereo circuit in the SSP-300 compared to the CP-500. what are the differences in the two circuits for stereo processing?

The circuits for the CP-500 and SSP-300 are completely different designs as the CP-500 is a pure analog preamp with a circuit purpose built for stereo only, whereas the SSP-300 is a surround processor, and so even in stereo mode the line level inputs do run through the DAC circuits of the SSP prior to the outputs. The one exception to this is the 7.1 channel input on the SSP, which is a pure analog bypass input and would be the closest comparable circuit to that of the CP-500.

[sikoniko]

here is a question I asked Classe with their response

Hope it helps

I do have one more question for you. It's in regards to the stereo circuit in the SSP-300 compared to the CP-500. what are the differences in the two circuits for stereo processing?

The circuits for the CP-500 and SSP-300 are completely different designs as the CP-500 is a pure analog preamp with a circuit purpose built for stereo only, whereas the SSP-300 is a surround processor, and so even in stereo mode the line level inputs do run through the DAC circuits of the SSP prior to the outputs. The one exception to this is the 7.1 channel input on the SSP, which is a pure analog bypass input and would be the closest comparable circuit to that of the CP-500.

balanced analog bypass on the ssp-600 is more comparable to the CP-500 and the real value added difference between the 300 and 600, along with all balanced outputs. but i think some people would be indifferent about balanced outputs.

[alebonau]

in the end its a combination that produces a result. with a device such as the arcam fmj cd player with its excellent dacs and beuatifull analog output, that are perhaps superior to the classe pre here, then hardly suprising it sounds the best hooked up that way.

similarly if using yoru average dvd or universal player with pretty average dac and analog power supply implementation then probably better to hook up a player such as that over digital say via hdmi or coax/optical.

the pre matters as well ofcourse if it is better over analog or with digital. not suprised in classe's response on the cp500 being superior over analog vs the ssp300. even with the higher models, in my experience with my cousin comparing the classe 600 vs cp-700 the cp 700 was far and away a better option for 2ch analog. With his 600 he uses a high end DCS dac with his top end denon transport to feed the 600 analog - as the dacs in the dcs are far superior than what the 600 is capable of.

with the experience I have had with the 300 I would be feeding it over analog if you have a decent player or dac but let your ears decide. given the dependance in on this on the pre and source used.

[SwainDtV]

I found better results with HDMI than I did S/PDIF.

Did you plug the RCA's into the 7.1 inputs? I believe you will be able to engage analog by-pass if you, whereas you can not on standard RCA inputs. IME analog by-pass with balanced connections is better than single ended. I prefer HDMI over all of them. But it comes down to personal taste.

Don't give up on the SSP-800's DAC's. :T You might find at some point you like them. When I first heard it, my opinion was that the high and mids were better but the notes from a bass guitar were suddenly hidden and not as pronounced as I had been used to. My opinion changed over a few weeks of comparisons.

It was a puzzle to connect all devices and setup the best possible combination.

My Lexicon RT-20, I use for DVD, SACD and DVD-Audio, is connected to the 7.1 analog bypass input. For the occasional Dolby PLII mode I use the coaxial S/PDIF input. With movies there's is not much of a difference in sound experience. With concerts I prefer the 7.1 input.

For CD I prefer my Arcam FMJ CD36 via analog RCA input. The second analog RCA input is used for Vinyl. At some point I would like to experiment with the analog XLR input. But only one of the two devices can benefit from the XLR input.

My Pioneer BDP-LX91 (09FD), I use for BD and DVD, is connected to the HDMI input. The S/PDIF input is for obvious reasons not very interesting.

Probably the Pioneer BDP-LX91 would benefit more from the 7.1 input, but the Pio cannot play SACD and DVD-Audio.

I believe my current SSP800 setup brings out the best possible sound experience for all the current devices I use.

Ab