Well, I TRIED to own three CDP-1.5 units. The first one had tracking problems, the replacement unit had tracking problems, and the one that replaced that one had tracking problems as well. For $2,700, that shouldn't be happening. The second and third units were supposedly calibrated and re-checked by the manufacturer. Finally I just told the dealer "I've had it!" and got my money refunded. I like Classe amplifiers - and I liked the sound of the CD player (when it wasn't skipping) - but I will never purchase one of their CD players again. |
Thanks for the input, I have heard very good things about the CDP-1 and CDP-.5, but had heard nothing about the CDP-1.5 |
I have had little experience with Classe CD Players but had a nightmare experience with their 80 Watt Integrated Amplifier (since discontinued). I am an installer that acquired a few of these at the insistance of a customer. One unit failed and took out a driver on a very expensive monitor. Upon returning the amp to Classe for service, I had to deal with customer service problems that bordered on overt hostility. I do not sell Classe products, and although I have friends and clients that swear by the company, my experience was was almost unbelievable. |
IF you can find the old CD-1 get it, it was $3500 retail and sounds much better then the new 1.5 which is only $2500. They have cut back on the parts for the transport in the 1.5 because the market for $3500 one box players is less now thanks to SACD |
Hello, I just bought the Classe CDP1.5 by mail order in Canada for $1900US including shipping. My is 5 months old and without any problem like previous posts. This is the frist CD player, so I can't compare with the other brands. The CDP 1.5 sounds wonderful with Classe amp, pre-amp, and my Jm lab speakes. Good listening |
I owned the CDP .5 cd player and have some cd player experience to semi back up what I will say. I will tell you my experience strictly from a quality of sound perspective. I wanted the .5 to be great. Its specs, looks, company reputation were and are impeccable. It was not. After owning it for 2 months a buddy of mine brought over his Marantz CD63SE and left it for a while. The two players sounded IDENTICAL. I confirmed this later on via several other unbiased people and some switching and even long term. I sold the player and got something better for even less $$$. I now own the Meridian 506.20 and completely love it. It is way more refined than the CD63SE. At the bottom I will include a list of CD Players I personally have owned. After several calls to Classe I got the answer that this player (and the CDP1) only carried their name and was not designed or built by them. Classe may be a fine company but their digital is a complete joke. 1.) Classe CDP .5 2.) Rotel RCD 990 3.) Krell KAV 300CD 4.) Meridian 506.20 Keep looking there is much better out there. Also from my experience the Rotel was WAY nicer than the .5 so the 991 may be something to check out. Good Luck. |
Thanks to all for the input so far....when used properly this site can help us share experience.....and make better choices. |
I had cdp.5 cd player. It sounded great, better than the Sony XA7ES that I have now. Tracking was the big problem. More than 25% of the cd could not be played. |
I have CDP.3 for last 2.5 years and it has performed both mechanically and sound wise flawlessly unless CD's themselves are dirty or contain scratches. Obviously I can't vouch for the other models. I also have their amps CA-400 and CAV-150, Pre-amps CP-45 and SSP-50 and they all sound great. Great values to boot. |
Hi...just some other information from my first post (the first one in this thread). After returning three 1.5s for skipping, the dealer told me they had to return 2 or 3 others for the same problem - tracking/skipping. The best players I have ever heard or owned were: anything by Meridian, and California Audio Labs. After the bad experience with the three Classe 1.5s, I auditioned and purchased the CAL Audio Labs CL-15. Price: $1,595 ($2,100 with balanced inputs). Great sound, great machine from a company that specializes in CD players. Stereophile rated this model as "B, but borderline Class A in the right system". While no one should buy a component based solely on a Stereophile rating, check it out or audition it and see if you agree. By the way, I still like Classe amplifiers and I own one. |
I currently own (bought new) a CDP-1; the first Classe CD Player. Up until about a year ago, I felt it was bulletproof, as well as one of the best "one box" CD Players. Currently I have a problem where it intermittently doesn't read a CD. Once the CD is read (at first load), it is terrific. Unfortunately, a call to Classe has indicated that the problem cannot be fixed....that a $2500 CD player is (soon to be just)a paperweight. That dissapoints me. However, I don't learn very well; I'm considering buying a CDP1.5 |
Probably just needs a new transport. Parts Connexion should have the philips transport for you. |
I have same problem with 0.5. But sounds very smooth. |
I have had the cdp.5 for several years w/out any problems. Reads cd fine and sounds great. Built like a tank!
Great sounding audio w/my Classe Cap 150 and BW matrix speakers. |
Owned a cdp 1, fed through a Dact attenuator into a Classe S700 into mg 3.5's. The cdp 1 is at least as good as the Benchmark Dac1 I now use. |
Have owned the 1.5 for 3-4 years. I bought it used on Audiogon. It began having tracking problems. I called Classe, I shipped it to Canada. They put in a new transport and didn't charge me. My guess is they no longer stock the CDP 1's transport. What great customer service!!!! |
I just received a CDP1 and wondering if there is away to change the operanting voltage (220>110) w/out using an external transformer...
thanx fr any help |
I've had a CDP .5 for about five years, and I probably won't buy another cd player , at least until the format wars are settled. HDCD is/was IMO the best format and is amazing on this player; unfortunately, the discs are hard to find. I'm anticipating the end and buying vinyl now. Soon I'll purchase a TT, but I won't get rid of the Classe.
I had one problem with this player: a loose tray mechanism which caused a lot of the same problems that are mentioned above my post. Sent it to Classe--BTW, the company is under the B&W group umbrella--so I was charged $100 to have them adjust the tray. Works fine.
Anyway, for years I used the CDP .5 with a Classe CAP 80 and loved the sound. From there I went to a way too powerful Musical Fidelity and hated the combination. Now I use a McIntosh MA6500. A little softer, a little fuzzier, and I couldn't be happier. |
i have owned the cd.3 since 1999 and havent had a single issue with it,build quality and reliability are an a+,i have gotten the upgrade bug so i will be auditioning cdp's soon,but i could live with the cdp.3 for another ten yrs. |
I have owned a .5 since early 98 and bought it new. Still works flawlessly. A number of years ago, I got a cd jammed into the drawer(my fault). I inserted the cd and it was not lying flat but the drawer closed anyway. I had to take the housing cover off to get at the drawer. Luckily, I was able to wiggle the cd so it sat correctly in the drawer and then the drawer opened up Ok. Now I always check to make sure the cd is sitting correctly before I load the disc. |
I bought a used CDP1 from this site a year or so ago and will add that while it occasionally balks at ripped CDs, it never gives me problems with redbook disks. And the sound is really terrific -- light and airy, well-defined yet not edgy. Lots of dimension. And XLR outputs are sooo quiet! Yeah, I'm sufficiently pleased with it to keep it for now; for what I paid for it used, it's a superlative deck. |
Simply pressing "standby" followed by "play" on the remote will make my CDP1 read the disk every time. That only takes a second and is not as aggrivating as repeatedly ejecting and loading like I used to do. Wonderful unit.
Blue Crow |
I bought the CDP 1 used and have owned it for about 6 years. It played wonderfully until recently, when it began not recognizing discs. I sent it to Classe, and they were very nice and did not charge me anything, but said that the parts to fix the problem were no longer available (really??). I expected more out of such a high-end component, but I do think I got my money's worth considering it was made in 1998 or so. When I was auditioning components at the time, it trounced an Arcam I was considering. As I have read more while looking for my next player, I have discovered that the transport problems were apparently not unusual. |
