Class A amp vs Class D amp


I have B&W 802s for fronts and HTM1 fronts and SCMs for rears. I like listening to stereo and watching movies. I recently visited a high end stereo establisment and came up with two options and am trying to make an educated and wise decision. It comes down to should I spend more on the audio side and have less for the visual side or vice versa. I looked at class D Rotel RB 1091 500watt monos as three seperates to power the front and a 2channel RB 1092 500 watt to power the rears in a 5.1 system. I also looked at the Classe 5 x 200 amp which is Class A. The Classe is approximately $8,000 and the Rotel $5200. The matching processor for the Rotel top of the line RSP 1098 is $2600 and the bottom of the line Classe SSP 300 is 4500. First of all is there roughly a $5000 difference in sound quality that justifies the more expensive system. I listened to both at seperate establishments and they both sounded good, with certainly the classe seemingly superior. The question is it in total $5000 superior? Secondly do you sink $4500 into a processor that has no HDMI connects and will likely be obsolete soon, if not now. I also listened to the anthem P5 and was not significantly impressed.
ghaas

Showing 1 response by bullitt731

From what I have read mixing amps across the front is not the best idea although many people will mix the front 3 channels and the rear 2 channels.

My AD sells both lines and I am presently saving up to make the jump to Classe from Rotel. My personal long term plan is to run the Classe CA-3200 up front and CA-2100 in the rear. Due to the cost of both amps I may run a used Rotel RB-1080 across the rear for a while after picking up the CA-3200.

There are so many changes going on in processors right now its very difficult to have the courage to buy anything. A used 1098 is still a pretty good deal for the money, but there are other choices as well. I wouldn't buy a new Classe or any other brand for that amount of money unless I was totally sure I would have a reasonably priced factory upgrade option down the road. I just picked up a used Anthem AVM-30 which is priced similarly to a used Rotel 1098. Unlike the Rotel I do have the option although pricey to upgrade the Anthem.