Classe for the Audiophile?

[David T]

Yes, I do have a big plasma TV and a DVD player, seldom used. I am an audiophile and play 80% vinyl, 18% digital on a Naim CDX2 CDP and on occasion a cassette on my old nakamichi. I have been on a search for a new amp for my Verity Audio Parsifals and have really enjoyed a demo of the Classe CA-2200. This is not an amp that gets much attention outside of the recording studio's or home theater crowd. I am not sure why this is and would be open to some feedback. I find it very neutral, sweet in the mid range, almost like tubes, perhaps not "punchy" in the base but I think that is due to not being inflated in the base. I am also struck by the price. The other amps I have looked at are the Sim W7, Pass 250.5 and McIntosh 402. Now all are nice but what struck me was that 4 years ago all were in the $5K-$6K range and now the Classe is $5500 and the others are $7000-$9000. If anyone here uses there Classe for primarily audio or has some other interesting observations please share. Thanks.
David

[Srrndhound]

Sometimes natural sound is underappreciated as it doesn't stand out and grab you by the neck. But when does live music sound punchy? Enthusiasts might like punchy, but audiophiles like natural. I'm with you, and a happy owner of CA-201 (for stereo) and CAV-150 (to add surround).

[wxmanunr]

Yes, Classe For Audiofiles

I have a CA-301 for stereo and CAV-150 (bridged to 3 channels) for surround. You can't beat the sound sourced by an SSP-800.

wxmanunr

[ChrisssB]

I have ca-2200* for some years now. I bought it after a long long "searching" and auditioning many amps at that price range (some a bit more).
Seriously everyday that passes I'm more happy with it!
what is best about it?
It draws your attention after a long time of using it by realizing that it never draws attention to itself! That's what I truly think an "audiophile" piece of kit is!
It doesnt have an overblown bass that will impress many at first sight err listen and that will make them tired after a week or 2!! It doesnt have ultra sharp pointy highs that shouts DETAIL but will make your ears bleed after 30 mins...(but it still has ALL the detail there is)..
It's only very well balanced and natural.
Oh and build like a tank 2! As Soundstage's Jeff Fritz put it
"Value: "For $5000 you get an amp that crosses the threshold of the super-amp universe." Read it there: http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/classe_ca2200.htm





* for 2 channel only

[sikoniko]

there may be amps out there that do bass better, or perhaps mids and highs differently, but none of them can do it without costing you fatigue...and are only listenable for short bursts. classe is the only amp I've ever heard that gives me no fatigue, even after hours of listening.

[David T]

Thanks, I pulled the trigger on the Classe today and hope to get it early next week. The amp that I demo'd that was the closest was the Audio Research Reference 110. This was a tube amp, perhaps more depth to the sound stage, the classe had a little better base, detail about the same. What I did not like about the ARC was the fan noise and the extra $4500 it would have cost. The Classe was as enjoyable and will be far more reliable. Thanks for the comments.
David.