Official Classe SSP-800 thread. - Page 33

And no Doug specifically I said "I can't say what the boards are constructed of here" so I'm making no assumptions of their quality at all.

Do you really think you can somehow embarrass me in this thread because I misspoke on another thread and identified it as a card that it could not have possibly been?

If you would have spotted my error that would be one thing but how could you make me "mad" if my error was pointed out by someone else.

You have a much higher opinion of yourself then anyone ought to have.
You must feel G-dlike To think you can even have an effect on the state of mind of others.
Just to be clear Doug, I misspoke on 1 card only, I was correct about the other. I just posted in haste and err'd. No biggie.
Why are you mad because you bought everything I said. Too bad, shame on you! We all make "mistrakes" now and again.

well... the Mark Levinson is nothing but a rebadged Lexicon 12HD with a fancy screen and a huge mark-up. Doug probably has a good point with that model. It fits into his argument. I saw and heard it last June. Wasn't impressed.

But the Classe is a different animal all together.

Already did. Just wanted to see if you knew the answer. Apparently not.


Good engineering. Quality = fitness for use.


They don't what? Just hit the multi-quote button. Not too tough is it? And what's the excuse for not doing so on single author replies? How lazy! C'mon, be a real member of the forum. I dare you.

Since we're stoking the fire, this is classic Doug. He said nothing to further his argument and nothing to counter mine. This is because he has no argument. So what does Doug do in this case, goes to his tried and true method of stating a variation of "I know you are but what am I?"

Really Doug, everybody on this board knows you have little credibility and you lose a little bit more with every post. But I'll give you this Doug, you're a glutton for punishment.

Why don't we all collude to ignore Doug from this point forward? He has no credibility, clearly does not do any comparative listening, he just looks up dacs and chips and specs and declares high end product overpriced. He is probably a very lonely person and engaging in antagonistic exchanges with AVS Forum members is the only way he can experience any kind of emotional interaction. So ends today's pop psychology analysis

Interesting approach, Scott

Hey, to get things back on track here (this is about the SSP800, no?) have people been having problems with the unit just freezing up, and no sound but having picture? I've also gotten blank screen error messages and fast blinking blue light. This seems to be happening more and more to me. Of course, still having the bass and surrounds problems. Appreciate if anyone has encountered these additional issues.

Thanks

Again, where is this $6000 difference in the classe that would make it that much better? It does not have video processing or room correction coming close to that of the integra.


Do you have a link to that?


I doubt you did.


And trying to save a couple bucks by not using the same DAC's.

1796 = 3.70
1792a = 13.35


How about you back up your "audiophile" jibberish because it sounds like you are talking about cables and cable lifts.

sounds to me like its time to RMA your SSP... either that or its overheating.

I just said it. you can link off of me.

Alrighty.

One more thing, the $1600 denon AVR-3808CI runs dual differential DAC's.

I agree with everything you've said.

While I happen to be somewhat of a Levinson fan, having previously owned one of their pre-amps and currently 3 of their amps, I'm not about to recommend a product just because I've had good results with a brand in the past. Regardless of what it's roots may be, mark-up or not, I'm fairly certain their new pre/pro is not what I'd need or want.


By the way, Doug has already given you credit elsewhere for your observations regarding the 502 vs. 12HD. You've fueled the fire

lucky me...

mark levinson is not the company it once was... sadly enough.

Neither is Revel, also part of the Harman Group.

Tom today indicated that there were reports of problems with the latest firmware upgrade which had caused freezeups and error messages. That's why I asked here if others have had issues since the upgrade. I did request an RMA but was told that this should be addressed in the next FW upgrade.

Cool. I'll put that down as one AVR in the dual DAC column.

One of many, so why did classe cheap out and not use the better DAC for an extra $10? Seems like the extra $6000 would have covered that cost.

Mine screen on the SSP froze up once and I unplugged it and rebotted and it has been fine since

All I can say is that the performance and value of any man made thing be that an AV component, car, cel phone, etc is often more than the sum of its parts.

If I gave you all of the pieces to build a Ferrari, would the end result match that of one built by the company? And could you assemble a car equal in quality to a Ferrari for the price of a Honda? Not likely.

You're a specs and objective data guy, I get it. But until you have put the Classe up against an Integra in a blind test yourself, you have no more basis for your argument that an Integra is equal to the Classe than we do for feeling the Classe is better.

So you are fine with the fact that classe did not spend the extra $10 to match the DAC's of the rest of the processor?


I am trying to get more people to do double blind testing.

why is every thread that is informative and interesting subjected to the visual punishment of DW?
I like the Classe unit from a SSP viewpoint why insist on telling me that it is too expensive? I really don't care, I want to know about the capability of the unit. DBT is for techie's, I like to hear music and movies. Here is my concern: Some reviewers seem to understand balancing measurement with listening I have never seen a single post where DW has actually listened to a piece of equipment before or after adding his 0.02 cents. Please let the world know if you actually watch movies or listen to music and prove it.

In this thread it was said that the classe was $6000 better then the $2000 integra, I am just asking questions about that statement.


Prove that I have listened to music and movies?

Doug,

Do I care if Classe used less expensive DACs on the surround channels? Not really, because I find that the Classe sounds better than any other processor I've owned. Though I must admit that until about a year ago, it probably would have bothered me.

I've been in the hobby for 15 years and for most of that time, I've owned upper mid-fi gear. (I was a long time Denon owner prior to the purchase of the SSP-800.) Like you, I read the spec sheets, and researched the tech in the components that interested me. I also thought that based on specs and tech that it made no sense to spend money on a piece of gear like the Classe. But I found that the performance of my system did not match the sound quality I heard in the high end show rooms. The best gear at the high dealer sounded very close to reality, while mine sounded very good but still more like a reproduction.

So I decided to take off my logical, analytical hat, I stopped looking at the numbers and took a different approach. I listened. I tried the Lexicon MC12HD (loved the Logic 7 processing), the NAD Master Series, the Anthem Statement D2 and the Classe. While the differences between all of them were subtle compared to something like different sets of speakers, the Classe produced the most natural sound to these ears, while also resolving more detail than the others. The Anthem sounded no better than the Denon 4308 AVR I was using at the time.

Getting back to the use of "lower quality" DACs in surround channels of the SSP-800. Here's somewhat of an analogy that I hope makes sense. When I bought my 58" 720P Plasma TV a few years ago, I compared it directly to several 1080P LCD rear projection sets. Even though the LCDs had higher resolution, I went with the 720P Plasma set because it was more like looking through a window than the picture provided by the higher resolution LCDs. The Plasma was more expensive and used less advanced technology, yet it looked better to me. Same goes for the DACs in the surround channels of the SSP-800. They may not be the the highest spec, but whatever Classe did with the design around them sounds better to me than something like the Denon I used to own.

Please prove to the AVS community that you actually listen and actually care what a piece of gear sounds like

While I respect what you are trying to do with DW, I'm afraid it's going fall upon deaf ears (pun intended).

DW has a closed mind and a mediocre intellect. He has a limited view of the world and is unwilling to accept that anything outside of his little box exists.

I've been guilty of stoking the fire myself, but I think this thread would be best served if we could all just ignore him.

Tim,

Very well said! I could not agree more. Some people can not get past the fact that you actually listen and view these components we own. Thats why we buy them, to enjoy them. Not just reading a spec sheet and a parts list.

Bill

It has also been common practice, for over 12yrs., to use an arrangement of different DACs in the front and rear of the second-rate, pedestrian, Theta Casablanca.
Cheaping out, as it were, doesn't seem to have hurt it's reputation any.

I'm sure that people enjoying the Classe' will be able to endure this type of hardship just as well.

Nothing of the kind was ever stated in this thread.

I hate to disagree with you Roger but you're wrong.
I don't know who you're responding too but those exact words were used a number of times, by a poster with the initials DW and only DW.

I fully agree with all the points made here its your money and you can get whatever you like and trusting your ears/eyes/gutfeeling is the best way. But i see the argument 'we listen and then decide' but in following most/all highend threads what i see mostly a lot of preordering by fans without ever having even seen/listen or know the full specs. Infact my guess is 50% of the buys i see in these threads are on name only.

Again i don't care myself all i hope is that more highend brands make it to 2010 and solve the problems they all have clearly with hdmi and the new formats.

Daniel.