Anyone heard a Classe CA-400 amp?

but that doesn't mean it's biased to run a constant 80W in Class A. read Glen's post again: it's some type of sliding bias, which was first used in the Threshold 400A AFAIK. Yamaha did a very sophisticated version (Hyperbolic Class A) in the MX-10000, and Krell does a quantized sliding in the KSA-S series. i'm sure there are more companies that did it, too. the reasoning is that if you can monitor the signal and keep the bias above it, it doesn't really matter how much above it is. this lets you keep waste heat pretty low, especially at idle. you can argue that the process of monitoring the signal and appropriately sliding the bias could somewhat dirty the sound, so some people view it as less pure than traditional Class A. and, of course, not all implementations are created equal.
 
I try to conserve energy around the house, using all CFC bulbs, efficient appliances, turning off unnecessary lights, etc. At the same time, I have two Classe amps and won't be giving them up though. I will let them be my guilty pleasures. To each his own.
 
Moon W5, awesome amp but alas I'm just about to take the plunge in getting a new amp. I'm thinking a Bryston 14B or if I could find a used Jeff Rowland. Maybe a Moon W7 or even something from Mark Levinson (again used). There is a very ripe market right now for really good used high end equipment and the price seems to be quite low. I think there is quite an obsession with mid-market 70's and 80's stuff and that's leaving a lot of high end stuff lingering on the shelf. It's all good, I'm sure the market will swing back.
 
Could I just add that one of the criteria I'm using in buying a replacement amp is the quiescent current. Some of the amps I mentioned in my last post run as high as 200 watts (Bryston) and others not more than 50. I guess right now power is still relatively cheap where I live but I don't expect that to remain the same. Even though I live in the land of Hydro our power bills are still relatively high (compared to the rest of Canada) because the province sells a lot to the US.
 
Dunno what the power rate is where you live, but where I live it is roughly $0.08/kWH. 400 watts idle current means it would cost roughly 3 cents per hour of idle time.
 
You know I just did a little math and can't believe the the few years I had my Classe' CA400 that I was paying about $300 a year to keep it powered up all the time and that's not including consumption during music being played on it. I thought it was an expensive amp to run but didn't realize just how expensive!
 
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Yes I've heard them, I have a friend who used 2 of them in a Vertically Biamped config.
they R freak'n Awesome!!!!!!!!
 
Greetings everyone. While I purchased a CA 400 from Chris, just before Christmas, I've had continuous issues with my preamp and while I've managed to get it working, it remains a problem. As far as I can tell, it's time to bite the bullet, throw in the towel; am looking for a good quality, well matched preamp.

The preamps on my list, so far:

Arc LS 26
Belles 21a
Cary SLP 98, SLP 05
Modwright LS 100.

Seems not one is a perfect choice, each with strengths and weaknesses, but I'd certainly appreciate any thoughts on which one would match well with the CA 400!

thanks,

John
 
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I have no experience with the preamps on your list, but I think you would be hard pressed to do better with one of the finer Classé preamps. For a good match with your CA-400, I recommend the CP-50, CP-60, CP-65 or DR-6. The CP-50, which I have, delivers 95% of the performance of the CP-60 at lower cost. The audio circuitry is exactly the same in both preamps. The difference with the CP-60 is outboard power supply, additional filter caps in the preamp, and all features available on the front panel. The CP-50 has the same features available, but they are accessible only via the remote, so it actually has a less cluttered front panel.

Here's the internals:

CP-50_CP-60.jpg
 
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Glen, that is truly a thing of beauty! I'm sure they come up for sale, from time to time, but none currently available. I have had the SS experience for 17 years, was hoping to marry one of the tube units, listed above, as moving towards a more musical, relaxing, laid back sound (to go with my age). Again, though, another Classe beauty.
 
man, John, i just don't think you can go wrong with any of those units. for me, at least, it would probably come down to cost. i've thought quite a bit about all of this, and here is what i think you should do (for several reasons, enumerated below): find a 21A Auricap and buy two sets of NOS 12AU7's -- some RCA Cleartops and some Mullard CV4003s will show you the range of that unit.

reason one is the low financial risk. from what i can tell, this is probably the cheapest of the preamps above, and it sells regularly in the ~$900-1200 range (plus the potential new tube cost, depending on what is included). if you decide you don't like it enough, the worst you could do is lose $300, assuming you bought high and sold low. that's not bad for worst-case.

reason two is servicing. the company owner and designer is also the repair guy, and if you drive across the border he's in the same state. he's a reasonable, dependable guy who's good at what he does, even if he does not exactly have cheap labor fees.

reason three is shipping. i'm not sure about all of the other units, but i know Modwright at least looked fairly heavy, and you might be coming close to the USPS International Priority 40lb weight maximum. the Belles, though well built, will clear that handily, which means you could more easily buy from the US and not have to worry about travel to the border and the corresponding potential tax liability.
 
Chris, thanks for responding!

Yes, cost is a concern, although if the choice/purchase turns out to be stable and desirable, while retaining its investment value, that would be ok.

Your choice makes perfect, logical sense, especially as you argue, one that I nearly made. However, the tech people at Classe suggested that the high gain on the Belles 21A could turn out to be an issue and for this reason, I've steered away (although it might be ok; only one way to find out).

Agreed on Dave Belles, given I phoned and had quite the pleasant conversation with the man. He's one of these rare technical sages, the kind that, once you meet, you never forget. He made a comment I won't soon forget: "God could have designed it and some people will find a reason to be dissatisfied!" I'm sure that's exactly right! In my case, I just want something that works, is reliable and a pleasure to listen to (which he said is reasonable). Dave recommended the VT-01, although these don’t often appear for sale and are also not inexpensive.

There is a Belles 21a available, locally (this side of the border), but it's not the Auricap version, has the Dayton (I believe) coupling caps. Dave said these are 85 to 90% the Auricaps, but at much lower cost. The $1,200 limit on the Auricap version reflects the high price of these Auricaps and so the Dayton version should sell for much less, I'd think; yet, the fellow is asking $1300. What would you recommend?

Yes, for us (Canadians), the border is an issue, unfortunately, even though I'm nearly right on it.

So, not sure what to do; but, I am enjoying my headphone amp, as I write.

Chris, thanks for responding!

John
 
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