New Classe Delta amps and stereo pre amp
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Finally, after the Middle Kingdom years we are moving to Japan. My CP-700 will be replaced in a decade with a Delta Pre when available for a quarter of MSRP given that it features processor bypass mode. Such a smooth companion for my UD9004 with balanced stereo stage and the wonderful Paradigm Reference S8s. Some details and photos here, the Made in Japan label prominently displayed on back (Abt has been shipping our appliances across four states for past 10 years, their staff are great to deal with): https://www.abt.com/product/155609/Classe-Delta-Pre-Amplifier-DELTAPRE.html Manual: https://www.classeaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CLASSE_Delta_PRE_Manual_v1.4_EN-2.pdf |
@gallus - The Anthem also lets you bypass digital conversion of analog sources. From the manual: CONVERT ANALOGSince I no longer have analog sources, I haven’t compared the STR to competing units strictly as an analog preamp. It is outstanding as a digital one, controlling two subs and two mains with RC for the bass. I hope you have fun with your project! |
@gallus - Classe is owned by Sound United, which I think is based in North America. It's the factory assembling the Delta series that is in Japan. Do I recommend the Anthem STR Preamp? I think it's a great choice if you want its feature set: a stereo DAC-preamp with ARC room correction, digital tone controls and digital crossovers for mono or stereo subs. It is as transparent as any DSP I have used (many, including the Weiss EQ1, a fixture of high-end mastering studios). I think that ARC does a fine job of automatic RC and provides a good deal of flexibility for manual tweaking. The software does have a few minor bugs, but Anthem has been whacking away at those. The DSP is done at 192 kHz, and finally, we have a consumer preamp with DSP that is truly transparent -- at least in my very quiet room through my Janszen electrostatic speakers. I have not used the phono stage, and the STR might not be the best preamp for a vinyl fan who wants to keep everything analog. That can be done with the STR, but you lose all the DSP features, which are one of its strengths. The user interface of ARC is quite good, and the interface of the STR, also. I like that (for calibration) you can connect the mic to a laptop, which connects to the STR through your home network. This greatly reduces the fuss involved in calibration. I hope that helps. |
@mike_in_nc thank you! Well, considering the Classe is a 10k unit, I think a proper multichannel processor to be bypassed through the preamp would be a better solution. Do you recommend the Anthem so far? I considered the Bryston SP3 as well.Classe is owned by the japanese now so it is very likely they changed everything and kept only the name for marketing sake. |
@gallus -- The DSP section of the CP-800 was OK, but not great. I own one, and I have moved it from my main system to a desktop system. In the main system, an Anthem STR Preamp at $4k (and often discounted) gives far more transparent DSP. With any luck, the DSP of the Delta Pre is better, though it appears that some of its limitations (only 5 filters per channel, only one set of filters storable) were not addressed by Classe in the update. If you’re considering one and interested in streaming (LAN or WAN), check whether they’ve fixed the failure of the streaming input to do gapless playback. That was a major "gotcha" of the CP-800, and really indefensible in a $6000 unit. (I asked for, and received, a discount on that account.) |
These amps are made in Japan by the same company that owns Marantz. They claim the new mono amps run up to 35W in pure Class A whereas the stereo delivers around 25W in Class A. Looking at the design it is very clear it is indeed a class AB project with proper class A bias, particularly on the fan-based cooling system it employs (!). I am unsure about the sonic effects of that solution on the overall performance, as critical as overheating is for this kind of topology. The preamp features an analog section (volume control, RIAA inputs etc) and a separate digital section with dsp settings, which is very interesting for someone like me figuring out how to integrate HT and stereo optimally - an optional HDMI board is offered as well. |
If Class D. ?Not likely, with this kind of bandwidth 1Hz – 650kHz and weight 102.3 lbs (46.4 kg) and ability to increase wattage from 8ohms to 4ohms to 2ohms Stereo 250W / 8Ω 500W / 4Ω 350W / 2Ω Monoblocks 300W / 8Ω 600W / 4Ω 1000W / 2Ω No Class-D could do this sort of doubling. https://www.classeaudio.com/products/delta-stereo/ Cheers George |
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