RE: Better...Classe CA-2200 or Levinson 333-5-6?

To Davt:

I spent some "time with it" yesterday, first at the store to test it with the Prodigys that are on consignment. I wasn't floored by the Prodigys, though, as I found them very detailed on songs full of detail, and with impressive bass that were heavy in that department as well, but when songs were complex, with a mix of highs and lows, I found the Prodigys to emphasize the bass moreso, with the highs getting lost in the shuffle.

I decided then to take the CA-2200 home for further listening (as that was easier than getting the Prodigys home for a listen), but in my own room and my own system. I was impressed with how it worked there, particularly with how it made the Apogees sound. I'm not look for an amp with a "slam," but one that doesn't lie, and is very exacting in its reproduction.

I think you are accurate about your "timbre" comment, as I came away with the same sense when I listened to the CA-2200 in my home setting.

For what I was willing to spend on a Mark Levinson that is anywhere from 10 to 15 years old, the Classe seems to be a great value in being new with a full warranty and being less than $1,000 more than the used Levinson.

To Ghostrider45:
While I was at first enamored with the idea of getting a set of Logans, I have come away more torn in not wanting to "write off" the Duetta Signatures. The only problem is that a few months ago, I began to hear some vibrations from one of the panels (the one that was repaired in 1996 by ADS when I stupidly tried to install the feet while sitting down and resting the speaker on my knee, only for it to slip and fall into a stack of equipment, damaging the bass panel) and I'm thinking that the foam in that panel needs to be replaced. The other panel has no such resonances. So the consideration of that repair cost/time is now bouncing around in my head as well.

From what it sounds like, the CA-2200 should, by itself, handle the Duetta Signatures load, even if it can't handle the combination of both the Duettas and the 2Ce's together, as a Classe rep told me by e-mail himself.

To no_money:

Keeping the cat off will be a challenge. I have a rack that has 9-inch spaces, and while the CA-2200 does "fit", it only leaves a quarter-inch gap above it. Classe on it's Web site cites the need for at least six inches of space, so I'm thinking of putting it on the top of my rack, which would keep it open, but at that height of about three feet, I don't see my cat ever making that leap, as she never even tried in the seven years I've had her. Where the Levinson was on the floor, largely because of its 125 pound heft and my concern of that weight on the top of my rack, she just had to climb up. The Classe is "lighter" at 92 pounds, and I think the rack can conceivably handle that weight at the top.

Hey Musicnoise:

I don't know if the wife will go for that...even though I agree that would certainly do the job. I'm thinking with the top of the Classe amp more than 3 1/2 feet off the floor should do it without the need for razor blades.

To no_money:
I'm pretty much decided on going with the Classe amp and will give the Prodigys another listen, maybe this weekend (especially considering the switch you mention that's likely on the back of each speaker), even though I'm very positive in keeping my Apogees, even if I might have to do some work on them in the near future. I'm hoping to hear some costs associated with some tweaks to one of the speakers that might be necessary.

Throwing a potential wrench in the equation...A 333 that I had only been considering only slightly, as the price was out of my range has been dropped to less than (about $600) what the Classe would be if I bought that amp. The 333 evidently had significant work done to it to update/upgrade it, so one could almost argue the 333 is almost sonically new.

While I'm not too afraid of road trips, I'd have to get in the car to drive 6 to 8 hours just to listen to the 333 to then decide on whether to buy it, versus where I've already had the CA-2200 on loan in my home the last two days in my system to get a sense of what it can do.

Should I still go with the new Classe, with the full 5-year warranty, over the 333?

Thoughts?

To Gundam91:

While I know my cat has had a fancy or two to try to walk across my computer keyboard, she's yet to master the skill of typing.

From what I was told by both my salesperson and the tech guy who talked to him, the cat urine is what did the unit in. And the time from when the cat had sat on the unit to the time (and I saw her and shooed her off) and the amp coughing up black smoke was barely a few minutes.

Understanding the costs associated with getting Levinson gear fixed, and the times associated with that, I've come to the sad conclusion that I could have invested $2,600 to $4,000 to fix the 333, only for some other issue, even non-cat related to require another hefty bill to be paid.

That's why in part I've come very close to a sad acceptance that the next main amp in my system will not be a Levinson.

It troubles me to hear about the recalibration of the unit that ended up costing you $1,800. But from the horror stories I've read in many places at how Levinson service has degraded to, I'm in some ways not surprised.

I'm confident that had I had the work done by Levinson and had it sent to them, I'd be looking at a number closer to $4,000, as it's the whole board (at a cost of at least $1,600) and not "just" capacitors that needed replacing.

I'd have my doubts about the unit being under warranty, at its age, especially with from what I've been told was the cause, that's certainly not covered.

The tech that would have repaired it works in conjunction with a store that had been a Levinson dealer, but with so many issues, has dropped the brand, but will continue to try to service the brand in some fashion that's better than the aggravations that exist when sending it directly to Levinson.

And while I was leaning strongly toward getting another 333, I've come to the conclusion as you so rightly say, "If you buy another one, you never know when the caps will blow up and cost you more money to fix."

In my having tested the Classe CA-2200, and done some research on the brand, the horror stories that have so colored my view of Levinson don't seem to be the case with Classe.

While your suggestion of the Pass X350.5 sounds like a good amp, I was having trouble with the idea of spending $9K on two pieces (the Classe AND a set of Prodigys I was thinking would replace my Apogees), when the Pass by itself runs that cost.

When I get that next bonus check, I might consider such an option, but for right now, spending slightly more than $4K on the CA-2200 will be enough of a punch to the chest, er, wallet.