Classe CP-800

From Classe's website: http://www.classeaudio.com/delta/delta-cp800.htm A bunch of other literature there also for the CP-800.

Asynchronous USB input - good! - and it sounds like the Apple thingy input may be able to take the PCM from an Ipod or such instead of having the Apple device do the D/A. It's also takes HDMI 2.1 audio and does 2-ch EQ.

From reading the docs, it does have sub outputs and pass-thru, but it seems to be made for 2-ch setup. Their SSP-800 is for mch.

The unit is very nice! It's $5k.

larry

Heard the Classe at my local dealers and the Classe Rep was there giving a demo. It was hooked up to a pair of B&W 802D's. The music was played through a laptop. The sound was on par w/any ultra highend CD player I've listened to. A must audition if your in the market for a 2-channel preamp that excells in digital.

Got one with a CA-2100 and paired with Audirvana it is extremely impressive, I love it I have it hooked up to my MacBook Air 2011 edition and a pair of Paradigm Reference Signature P-Be S1 v3

http://www.paradigm.com/products/pro...s/signature-s1

The only bad thing is that is if the source is crap, ie bad recorded music remains bad

I am planning to get an SSP-800 for home theater use but also want to listen to two channel audio using a computer audio setup. I was initially planning to just connect a music server using a separate USB to S/PDIF converter and DAC to the SSP-800.

However, when I visited a Classe dealer, he recommended getting the SSP-800 for home theater use and the CP-800 stereo preamp processor for computer audio use. Regarding the CP-800, my understanding that this has both a stereo analog/digital preamp and an asynchronous USB DAC contained in one component. This means that I can plug an Aurender S10 music server into the CP-800 using a USB cable and output to the SSP-800. The CP-800 accepts PCM data streams up to 24bit/192kHz sampling frequency. The dealer said that the DAC in the CP-800 was far superior to the one used in the SSP-800.

Does anyone have experience using the CP-800 for computer audio use and if so what is the sound quality like compared to a high quality CD player? Classe claims that when playing computer audio files, the CP-800 surpasses the sound quality of a good CD player.

The dealer also said that Classe products are price protected and that he could not sell them below the list prices. Is it true that there is no room for negotiation on the list prices for new components? Can the dealer lower prices on only demo items?

wwwBladelius.com/ Check this out the Bladelius Embla.

Yeah, I know about the Bladelius Embla.
The Bladelius Embla CD Player/DAC/Preamp/Music Server comes in three flavors; Standard ($4,500), Basic ($6,000) and Classic ($9,000) all sporting a large touch screen display. The Basic model includes five digital inputs (AES/EBU, RCA, Toslink, USB, Ethernet and optional Blutooth) all capable of accepting up to 32-bit/192kHz data. The Basic model adds a 32GB Solid State Drive so you can rip your music to SSD or play it from disc and the Classic adds a 64GB SSD drive and 3 analog inputs. You can load up your Embla with up to 2TB of Solid State Storage goodness (I did not get the price for this but figurea lot).

However, I think that the Aurender S10 is a better sounding music server which is cheaper than the Embla when similarly configured.

http://www.aurender.com/index.html

Does anyone know if the ethernet upgrade is ready?

See this thread on the HTGuide forum:

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthr...t=37483&page=2

Current approximation from Classe is "late Summer".

Thanks. I'll wait and see. I've learned the hard way not to do vapor ware. It reduces the frustration factor.

I'm taking the same wait and see approach on this one. Note that the upgrade will be paid and that new units produced afterwards will have the functionality built-in but the resulting MSRP will be higher.

The interior shots show construction practices that while very nic
e are similar to those found in mainstream receivers. Can anybody recognize a mainstream product that it might be based on?

Just guessing SSP-800?

Wow, there is some nice equipment in this thread.

Talk is cheap!

Huh?

When you get rid of that Bryston amplifier and get a cheaper one, you will find out how much difference an amplifier makes...lol. I upgraded from a cheaper amplifier to the 3B-SST2 and it was a major improvement.

I've been listing to my CP 800 for a few weeks now, and it's a great unit in many ways, but I find the USB input not as musical either analog or optical in. Maybe I'm crazy, but it sounds a little less spacious, a little less articulate, and even lower in output volume slightly than the other inputs.

I'm using a Mac Mini with Pure Music software - all lossless rips of 44.1, outputting either at native 44.1 or 88.2 to test.

Analog in is USB from the Mac Mini to an external M2Tech Young DAC, analog out from the DAC to the CP-800. Optical is direct from the Mac Mini to the CP 800.

The analog and optical sound the best to me - very wide and deep soundstage....USB into the CP-800 a bit lacking

I know Classe is planning some USB and ethernet related firmware/hardware upgrades in the future (more for higher USB sample rates is my understanding) but I wonder if the USB is still a little bit a work in progress for Classe...

Any news on the Ethernet front?

I'm guessing next year (2013) . Although they may be able to preview something by the end of 2012.

Upgrade coming soon at a price!

Just kvetching about how audiophiles do the worst possible listening evaluations in terms of level matching, matching the music being listened to, and bias controls and then base far-reaching conclusions on them... They don't know how impossible their claims really are.

Someone tries to do it right:

http://www.matrixhifi.com/ENG_contenedor_ppec.htm

Please post pictures of you Classe systems here :)

 

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1468049/class-audio-hifi-home-theater-pictures