Yup...junk the Classe. Wanna solve the problem on the cheap? I recommend the Audio Refinement Complete Integrated. Phenomenal 50w/ch SMOOTH piece. Their CD is mighty nice for the bucks, too. Both pieces are a LITTLE rolled off up top. Re: passive dynamics...it's all about whether your front end can drive your amp, isn't it? If there's insufficient drive there'll be less dynamic headroom. If there IS sufficient gusto the advantages are multifold.
Am I deaf?
I've got three CD outfits here on loan from my dealer. A Linn Ikemi, a Bel Canto DAC 1 running off a Pioneer 525 DVD player and a Classe CDP. They all sound almost EXACTLY the same. After hours of switching cables, power cords and anything else I could think of, I did form a slight preference. And that was for the Pioneer DVD running straight into my amp! This freaked me out so much that I subjected my wife to the same test. She also preferred the DVD player. What in the hell is going here? Associated Equipment: Classe CAP 100 integrated amp, Sennheiser HD600 headphones, Von Schewikert VR3 speakers, Cardas and Kimber cables.