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Classe CA2300 vs Vitus RS-100

What amp is better? For classic music, for hard rock & metal? How good is Classe 2300 for Sonus fabers, e.g. Stradivari? I've only listened to entry level Vitus amp with Strads and it was great match, but Vitus is a bit expensive and Classe amps are more often met in second hand than Vitus so I'm looking for information, impressions and opinions about.
the_crow

Showing 2 responses by melbguy1

melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
Aural memory is fallable, but if I recall, the RI-100 sounded on the dark side of neutral, whilst the RS-100/RL-101 combo sounded a bit less so. The separates had a bit more resolution; a bit more life and sounded a bit more open. The separates also subjectively had a bit more control, though that was likely due to the separate power supplies. Whilst the separates did not sound quite as dark, the overall sound signature was the same.

I did see your earlier thread, but warn I am no expert on the features or functionality of the amps you're considering. I still haven't familiarised myself with the setup options of my own equipment!
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
I haven’t a-b compared those amps, though I did own a Classe Cap-2100 & have heard the RI-100 & RS-100 before several times. The Classe has a typical Canadian sound (ie: clean, smooth, fairly neutral). The CA-2300 of course would have a lot more control. I know the CA-2200 had good synergy with the Infinity Renaissance 90’s as it’s a fast amp with plenty of power to control those notoriously inneficient Watkins woofers.

The RS-100 sounds rich, detailed & sweet, with plenty of control. Scot Hull (Part Time Audiophile) found the RS-100 was a good match with the Tidal Contriva Diacera SE speakers which have natural warmth, less so with the more neutral Magnepan 3.7’s. I know Joeinid on Audioshark loves the sound of his Strads with tubes (CJ, Cary, Manley), but has also loved the sound with Vitus.

My feeling is the Classe might be a bit lean for the Strads and not play to their strong suit (ie: midrange magic), whereas the Vitus would be more sympathetic to the Strads sound. Btw, rule of thumb: Vitus sounds best with Vitus. I (personally) wouldn’t match an RS-100 with a tube preamp or ss pre from another manufacturer as results could be a crap shoot. If you couldn’t afford to add a Vitus RL-101 or RD-100, you might want to consider an RI-100.

I own a Vitus SIA-025 which is warmer & more musical than the Reference series, though pricey. For the outlay, the Ref series is very good value paired with the right speakers.
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