Which Pre/pro-Classe 800/krell s1200/anthem dv2
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Does Room EQ matter to you?
I personally have had Anthem d2,Classe SSp 600 and Krell HTS7.1 and chose the Krell,all based on sound quality only...although all good,Krell gave ME the best bass slam and that was a must...also their 2ch did not have the digital bkgrd sound like anthems d2...the Classe was fine,but also lacked the bass slam.......
I know these are not current HDMI 1.3 units,but i do not think the sound has changed "MUCH" from each companies character sound.
Also,and this was a must for me....I wanted a all in one box(pre/pro)
john
I know these are not current HDMI 1.3 units,but i do not think the sound has changed "MUCH" from each companies character sound.
Also,and this was a must for me....I wanted a all in one box(pre/pro)
john
your assumptions are incorrect. The difference of the ssp-600 and the ssp-800 are night and day. I too owned the krell temporarily while waiting for the ssp-800 to come out (was a dealer loaner). my wife hated the krell emphatically. said it was "too tinny".
OP - so, your best bet is to try and listen if you have a chance. everyone has different preferences and you are liable to end up where you started asking such questions... or even worst, adding more brands and more confusion.
your assumptions are incorrect. The difference of the ssp-600 and the ssp-800 are night and day. I too owned the krell temporarily while waiting for the ssp-800 to come out (was a dealer loaner). my wife hated the krell emphatically. said it was "too tinny".
OP - so, your best bet is to try and listen if you have a chance. everyone has different preferences and you are liable to end up where you started asking such questions... or even worst, adding more brands and more confusion.
Yes that is your opinion,as i also found B&W 802 to sound like cardboard in the bass regions with Krell and Bryston,but they sounded better with Mac 501's and ML pre....my opinion....i love Classe on my mid/hi but not on my bass(its muddy)...my opinion
thanks for the responses- this unit will only be used as a processor for surround sound and movies as i am going to get a separate pre for 2 channel- SO for movies is one better than the other- Have seen both the S1200 and class 800 on audiogon for the same price- thanks again for all your insight-
i'm just wondering why you aren't heeding your own advice? certainly a decent 2 ch pre can be had for the savings amount or less..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jose /forum/post/18120272
He says both the S1200 and SSP800 cost about the same (maybe around $7K at agon). I was referring to the S1000 or even the HTS 7.1. The S1000 can be bought for under $3k and the HTS, under $2K. Looks like an extra 4-5K, right???..![]()
i'm just wondering why you aren't heeding your own advice? certainly a decent 2 ch pre can be had for the savings amount or less..
hi Alex,I have owned several Classe(ca-300,ca-400,CAV-500 and 180 in home trials) amps and they all have the same effect...excellent on mid/hi but lacked some bass control at VERY HIGH SPL compared to Krell and Bryston..
I must comply that my findings are all based on high SPL(90db and up)
I did have the SSP 600 side by side and I preferred the HTS 7.1..my opinion,but i think after 25yrs in music i have a decent ear...I have heard several people say the 800 sounds better,NOT oranges and apples,just better is all.True,you can pick up a 7.1 for $1800 or find a used 800 for $7000.I use a CA-300 on my mid/hi as we speak...
hi Alex,I have owned several Classe(ca-300,ca-400,CAV-500 and 180 in home trials) amps and they all have the same effect...excellent on mid/hi but lacked some bass control at VERY HIGH SPL compared to Krell and Bryston..
I must comply that my findings are all based on high SPL(90db and up)
I did have the SSP 600 side by side and I preferred the HTS 7.1..my opinion,but i think after 25yrs in music i have a decent ear...I have heard several people say the 800 sounds better,NOT oranges and apples,just better is all.True,you can pick up a 7.1 for $1800 or find a used 800 for $7000.I use a CA-300 on my mid/hi as we speak...
John,
I heard HTS-7.1 and absolutely loved the sound with my Von Schweikert speakers. I wish there was dealer in my area that has an SSP-800 in stock and allow me to borrow the loaner.
Most of the folks on this forum like their SSP-800 / B&W combo. Unfortunately, I’ve never them together. Most of the B&W demo’s which I've heard were driven by Rotel or Musical Fidelity gear and I never liked this combination. Their overall sound was too thin, anemic, boring, and uninvolving for my taste. It just tells you how we all perceive music playback and our individual preferences. Therefore it’s hard for me to form an opinion of Classe’s house sound. Just to establish my reference point, the Von Schweikert may not be the most resolving speakers which I've heard but they sound full and very engaging.
Since the SSP-800 is designed by the original Linn and Mark Levinson engineering team, I hope to hear a major difference between SSP-600 and SSP-800.
All the best,
Alex
I heard HTS-7.1 and absolutely loved the sound with my Von Schweikert speakers. I wish there was dealer in my area that has an SSP-800 in stock and allow me to borrow the loaner.
Most of the folks on this forum like their SSP-800 / B&W combo. Unfortunately, I’ve never them together. Most of the B&W demo’s which I've heard were driven by Rotel or Musical Fidelity gear and I never liked this combination. Their overall sound was too thin, anemic, boring, and uninvolving for my taste. It just tells you how we all perceive music playback and our individual preferences. Therefore it’s hard for me to form an opinion of Classe’s house sound. Just to establish my reference point, the Von Schweikert may not be the most resolving speakers which I've heard but they sound full and very engaging.
Since the SSP-800 is designed by the original Linn and Mark Levinson engineering team, I hope to hear a major difference between SSP-600 and SSP-800.
All the best,
Alex
I heard the 802D on a few different occasions(love their looks,audio&art),once with Krell 402,then switched over to Bryston 14bsst at the same dealer.I did not like these combo's at all....bass sounded like cardboard,mid/hi was not at all natural.........then i heard them with Mcintosh source and 501 mono's with Mark Levinson pre and this was much better,although i still found the kickdrum was not to my liking,800d may be better for my preference,but mid/hi improved.
I am sure you will like the 800,i am a kickdrum/bass fan(25yrs on drums ) so lower octaves at a good SPL is a must for me.
Let me know how it goes for you Alex
john
I am sure you will like the 800,i am a kickdrum/bass fan(25yrs on drums ) so lower octaves at a good SPL is a must for me.
Let me know how it goes for you Alex
john
John,
During my demo auditions, I’m expecting to feel the drum kick in my chest when I listen to 2-channel music without a sub. I’ve never heard B&W 800D demo so I can’t really form an opinion about its sound quality… Unfortunately during my 802D demos, I felt that that were not even close to my Von Schweikerts in term of bass slam magnitude and a 3-D image but they do have much more resolution at the top end. At this point I have no plans of replacing my speakers or the amp.
My living-room is not large enough to have a separate 2-channel preamp with HT-bypass and a preprocessor. So, I would be more than satisfied if a pre-pro would reproduce 2-channel recordings via its digital inputs with similar or better sound that I’m getting right now with my friends Cambridge Audio Azur 640D CD player and Ayre K-5xeMP preamp combo in my system.
Since I need a pre-pro with HDMI so that I can playback DTS-MA and TrueHD blu-ray concerts, I’m automatically ruling out Krell HTS-7.1.
-Alex
During my demo auditions, I’m expecting to feel the drum kick in my chest when I listen to 2-channel music without a sub. I’ve never heard B&W 800D demo so I can’t really form an opinion about its sound quality… Unfortunately during my 802D demos, I felt that that were not even close to my Von Schweikerts in term of bass slam magnitude and a 3-D image but they do have much more resolution at the top end. At this point I have no plans of replacing my speakers or the amp.
My living-room is not large enough to have a separate 2-channel preamp with HT-bypass and a preprocessor. So, I would be more than satisfied if a pre-pro would reproduce 2-channel recordings via its digital inputs with similar or better sound that I’m getting right now with my friends Cambridge Audio Azur 640D CD player and Ayre K-5xeMP preamp combo in my system.
Since I need a pre-pro with HDMI so that I can playback DTS-MA and TrueHD blu-ray concerts, I’m automatically ruling out Krell HTS-7.1.
-Alex
Good luck with everything Alex.
I will not spend my money on any new pre/pro for a while now that i seen Avitar in 3-D............
Amazing!!!!!!!!!
I will say that there are so few pre/pro products that keep their upgradeability in check...I know that Krell & Classe just keep on making their customers by a new pre/pro after a couple years......Anthem is one of the few that has kept up on their upgrades,although i am not a big fan of the D2 sound for 2ch(had a D1 and D2).....HT is fine.
john
I will not spend my money on any new pre/pro for a while now that i seen Avitar in 3-D............
Amazing!!!!!!!!!
I will say that there are so few pre/pro products that keep their upgradeability in check...I know that Krell & Classe just keep on making their customers by a new pre/pro after a couple years......Anthem is one of the few that has kept up on their upgrades,although i am not a big fan of the D2 sound for 2ch(had a D1 and D2).....HT is fine.
john
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