2. home-theater
  3. 128375-5802

Classe SSP-800 - Time to move on?

I'm looking for some advice...

I've been a happy owner of a Classe ssp-800 for the past 8 years.   Its been a terrific unit and I've found it to be a very musical.  Initially I focused on buying a high in audiophile processor that could also function reasonably well as a 2 channel preamp as it made a lot of financial sense at the time.

Since then my system has grown and changed a lot and I now have a dedicated Ayre preamp in the chain for my 2 channel listening which works great.

So my question is with all of the new home theater audio formats(and 4k) coming out and with room correction built in to a lot of processors now does it make sense to move on?   I've been specifically looking at the Anthem AVM 60, but am open to suggestions.   The whole idea of room correction sounds really good to me.

I would love to hear from some of you previous Classe SSP 800 owners to see if you had any remorse after selling your processor. 

Thanks




rshad0000
jrn
36 posts
 
I replaced my Classe SSP800 in August with an Anthem AVM60 PrePro and a Hegel P30 Preamp with home theater bypass and it has worked out very well. I found the Anthem AVM60 has superior steering to the Classe and the ARC2 Room EQ is much better than the Classe SSP800 manual EQ. Surround sound movies sound fantastic. And it is nice that Anthem can pass 4k HDR through The HDMI versus running a separate hdmi cable for the video to the 4k tv. Two channel music sounds fantastic played through the Hegel. This was my solution and it has worked out very very well. 
rshad0000 OP
268 posts
 
Thanks jrn.   What do you mean by, "superior steering to the Classe"?
ulmerc
4 posts
 
I have an ssp-800 with a Levinson 433 and 2x 431 amps in my HT. Stereo listening makes me warm and fuzzy but admittedly, from the HT standpoint I’ve looked high and low for a replacement and it’s all because of U4K video resolutions. From a purely sonic standpoint I couldn’t part with the Classe. In the end, I ended up with an outboard HDMI switcher, Crestron HD-MD6X2-4K-E 6x2.  They do have smaller ones.  I couldn’t be happier with the decision. In a perfect world, I’d forego golden convergence (audio, video and IP networking) for discrete components but manufacturers don’t seems to want to embrace such an old school line of thinking. The challenges of delay can be a real pain but where there’s a will there’s a way.
rshad0000 OP
268 posts
 
Thanks Ulmerc.  I decided to stick with my Classe SSP800 at least for the time being.   As I move toward a 4k player(oppo205) and a 4K projector, I'll definitely look in to the Crestron switcher you mentioned.
jh901
67 posts
 
I only have a single source in my home theater (Panny UB900), which sits next to my projector and has dual-outs. I run a very short HDMI to the projector and a long HDMI run carrying only the audio to my Pre-pro. I suppose most people have at least another source, such as cable/Sat.

Anyhow, I'm going to try out the minimalist audiophile route by replacing my Marantz AV7005 with a Cary Audio Cinema 12. No auto set-up. No EQ. No Atmos. I have acoustic treatment, such as bass traps. I'm highly confident the sound of the Cary will be far, far better than my old Marantz even when running Audyssey (I hope!), but I do wonder if the 8802A, for example, would beat it.

I could see trying the SSP 800 at some point if I'm pleased with the Cary. I've gathered that it is the king.
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