CP500 versus CP47.5 Preamp and N802 Speakers

[Greg Gale]

I currently have a Classe CA201 Amp with a CP47.5 pre-amp and was considering upgrading the pre-amp and I am currently audtioning the CP500 Delta Series. To my dismay my wife and I noticed that the deep bass is not present with the CP500 however the midrange and high end seem quite smooth and extended although not noticably different (better) than the CP47.5.

Since I listen mainly to rock, I do not want to sacrifice the last octive of bass and am wondering if anyone else has had similar experience with the new Delta series.

I called the technical department at B&W and they told me the newer Delta series will be a bit brighter than the old and will not have as much bass as the older Classe or even Rotel pre-amp which I find strange.

I was planning to audition the Ayre in a similar price range but I want a pre-amp with an option of a built in phono stage (due to space issue in equipment rack) which I currently have with the the current unit which is also available with the new.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Eliav]

I currently have a Classe CA201 Amp with a CP47.5 pre-amp and was considering upgrading the pre-amp and I am currently audtioning the CP500 Delta Series. To my dismay my wife and I noticed that the deep bass is not present with the CP500 however the midrange and high end seem quite smooth and extended although not noticably different (better) than the CP47.5.

Since I listen mainly to rock, I do not want to sacrifice the last octive of bass and am wondering if anyone else has had similar experience with the new Delta series.

I called the technical department at B&W and they told me the newer Delta series will be a bit brighter than the old and will not have as much bass as the older Classe or even Rotel pre-amp which I find strange.

I was planning to audition the Ayre in a similar price range but I want a pre-amp with an option of a built in phono stage (due to space issue in equipment rack) which I currently have with the the current unit which is also available with the new.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hi
I am using the cp700 and the bass is great. Classe delta series are refined and detailed in all frequencies, the 'Bass shy" reputaion they have IMHO is non existant to minimal. I really don't think it is as remarkable as you have noticed. bare in mind that "bass response" is a synergy between the other componenet and room acoustics, not the pre per se.
having stated this, it is your ears that matter, try other stuff such as Krell, ML and Mac, and see if you like it.
Good luck
Eliav

[tboooe]

I would have to agree with your sentiments about the Classe Cp bass. Before I starting using the Cp700 I found the bass on my 802d to be boomy. With the CP-700 the boominess is gone. I would say that Classe is really smooth but at the expense of punch and dynamics. The sound is very polite. I would be careful what amp you pair up with the CP.

[Greg Gale]

I do not classify the bass I currently have as boomy with the CP47.5. The bass is tight and deep with tremendous dynamics with kick drums. With source material with very deep bass I can acutually feel the room shudder with bass you feel down to your bones.

The issue with the CP500 is it is missing the bass dynamics and very lowest bass.

It sounds that you prefer the new Delta series as this has eliminated the boominess in your bass which in my mind is not desirable.

[Greg Gale]

Your comment "bass response" is a synergy between the other componenet and room acoustics, not the pre per se" I would normally agree with however the only componenet that has changed in this case is only the pre-amp. Room acoustics and speaker placement is identical. If that is the case then how would you explain the CP500 in my opinion lacking low end bass response in relationship to the 47.5 (by the way the CP500 is completely broken in by the dealer)?

[tboooe]

Greg, when I changed my pre everything else stayed the same so I have to assume that it was the pre that changed the bass in my system.

[Eliav]

Greg
As odd as it may sound, having all other componente unchanged (except the pre units) still does not isolate the "problem' to be the pre. that is because the synergy between all components is not necessarily linear; once you've changed one component - you created a brand new "creature ",you MAY need to restart playing around with speakers position,sweet spot and room acoustics to extract the max potential out of the system as a whole.
my experience is that boomy bass at these levels of refined electronics is mainly a problem of room interaction with your system rather than the minute differences between different pre amps. again, not trying to defend Classe's cp500, just my own experience.
Eliav