Review: Classe Audio 70 Amplifier

One only has to look at the similiar products in the review to understand where I placed the Classe 70.

By no means can the Classe 70 compete with esoteric tube gear or high end Class A output amps such as Pass Labs,Threshold/Forte. Nor can it compete with the Classe DR line.

But for what it is I find it is one of the true bargains of high end. The Classe 70 has in recent times become somewhat of a cult item such as the NAD 3020 and others that have held the test of time.

Few of us will ever own FM Acoustic gear. I just cannot justify $30,000.00 for a preamp and $50,000.00 for a Power Amp. While that gear represents the pinnacle it is just not for the mass crowd of high end. Plus most of us just do not posses the golden ear to fully appreciate.

This review was to let the budget minded among us, that this product is of merit. Two channel audio is an ever evolving process and that few of us will ever own the crowning achievement of the designers art. With that in mind this review was presented.

Many thanks to the respondents of this review, your opinions are most welcome.

Well Ferrari, you did say "for me, this is as good as it gets for class-A/AB amplifiers", which I took to mean all class-A/B amplifiers, which means the vast majority of amps on the market. That's a pretty strong endorsement, even if you limit it to the Seventy's price range, and the other amps you list probably aren't chopped liver. This makes me wonder whether I could ever be happy with relatively inexpensive solid-state sound (something I haven't attempted to survey). For the record, I bought my C-J MV-55 as a demo for about $200 less than the Seventy went for new, so I wouldn't exactly call that tubed amp "esoteric" - never mind costing as much as a luxury car, so I'm not sure where the FM Acoustic comparison comes into play. (BTW, I bought and then sold my Seventy for $450 each time, and would question spending more on this piece.) The MV-55 also has its shortcomings to be sure, though to me they're more tolerable, endearing even, than are the Seventy's. Again, I cannot see why the amp I heard and lived with would ever become a 'cult item' as you say, but as a 'starter' amp like it was for me, I suppose worse could be done for the money if you're stepping up from an NAD or Adcom. Thanks for posting the review and your gracious response to my demuring.

I too have owned and found the Classe Seventy to be a very musical amp worthy of the excellent praise it received in The Absolute Sound when it was in its early production. I know many other well seasoned audiophiles whose ears I trust that feel this was an excellent design and a great deal for what it cost.

What I find somewhat sad are the responses from Zaiksman and particularily Bigbry. Based on one of Classe's entry level preamps Bigbry feels the need to criticize not only the model Seventy, which he's never even heard, but the entire Classe line. Bigbry, I'm curious what the point of your post is since you obviously have no real experience to offer, just negative criticism of what another member has found to be very nice. I have not heard the 30, but I have extensive experience with with the DR-6 and CP-60 preamps, the DR-15, CA-300 and CA-100 amps, as well as the Seventy and they are anything but "muddy, dark, and shut in with low resolution."

Zaikesman, you obvioulsy fall clearly into the tubes are better than solid state camp and I'm not about to argue that the Seventy is better than the CJ MV-55 since I've not compared them, but they are a different approach and suit different tastes and systems. But come on, comparing the Seventy to mass market receivers? Put into the right system the Seventy is a very musically satisfying amplifer and represents a very nice value at current used prices. Obviously Ferrari has found this to be true in his system, and as you have mentioned, so have many others. So I ask you as well, what is the point of your post? To me it is just critical of what another member has found to be excellent based on their taste and experience. Finally, you might want to be a little more sure of Classe's history of design before posting. All of the early designs with the DR designation were designed by David Riech (sp?) when Classe was a very small company. The DR designation was dropped when DR left and Glen Grue(sp?)took over the company and its designs. The Seventy, Ten, Fifteen, and Twentyfive were all designed by GG as were the preamps, but retained similarities to the earlier DR designs. Of these the Seventy and Fifteen were the most popular. Classe has grown into a large company and today, according to one of their techs, a design team is responsible for their designs.

Thanks for your post Ferrari, I enjoyed reading it. I have also heard very nice things about your Marsh preamp and it sounds like a good match for the Seventy. I found it interesting your use of the DCM Time Windows, a very inovative design in its day and apparently still very enjoyable today in your system. Enjoy the music!

Tnadu: You asked, "But come on, comparing the Seventy to mass-market receivers?"

What I said above: "...I'm guessing it would still beat many mass-market receivers around the price it goes for used in terms of fulless and body." Well, so would a Krell monoblock - why do you take this to be some sort of slam?

You also said, "You might want to be a little more sure of Classe's history of design before posting." You then go on to say essentially the same thing I wrote in my post, which is that the lead designer for the Seventy was not the same guy as for the DR series or their current offerings - a point I raised in response to Bigbry's post, who's somewhat careless inference about Classe in general (true as his reporting may be for him personally) you also took exception to. Although I had forgotten GG's name since I owned the amp, again, just what is it about my words that you're attempting to call out here?

As to your supposition that I'm simply a tube kinda guy who'll never like SS, I wrote: "This makes me wonder whether I could ever be happy with relatively inexpensive SS sound (something I haven't attempted to survey)." That is as honest and open a statement of my position on the question as I can fathom a way to write. Sure, I like tubes, but that doesn't mean I like just any tubed amplifier. By the same token, don't read more than is there into my wondering about affordable SS - a few of the most accomplished amps I have ever auditioned were solid-state. For instance, I have no reason not to think that Classe's top offerings of today might not surpass the tubed amps I currently use in many ways - indeed quite possibly in all ways - but I don't know from personal experience, which is why I didn't attempt some sort of definitive pronouncement on the relative merits of the two technologies (and would never presume to do so). Rather, my musings were simply a logical extension of Ferrari's finding that he liked the little Classe better than many of the budget (used, I'll assume) SS contenders he's owned/auditioned and listed as such, which by implication might mean I would prefer my budget C-J over them by an even wider margin than I did with the Seventy. But I made sure to qualify that sentiment with my parenthetical statement that I had not surveyed all the competition, and by noting that Ferrari and I seem to hear differently regarding the Seventy's merits and shortcomings anyway.

Tubes vs. SS wasn't the point of my posts, but I felt that readers should be provided with some sort of context about where my comments were coming from. Please don't try to hang me for being forthcoming - all I'm interested in good sound, not which method one prefers to get there. I will happily affirm that the Seventy will beat out any similarly-priced (new) tube amp I know of in terms of bass slam and weight, although not necessarily overall bass musicality (I found its bass wasn't as open - didn't 'breathe' or 'flow' as well and wasn't as transparent - as I might have liked, and tended to somewhat overshadow the amp's mids and trebles in a way that detracted from its overall coherence). My main point wasn't that the amp was terrible, but that I had a different take on it, and have never understood exactly where its apparently persistent lofty reputation comes from. Obviously, I think it is possible to do much better for not a lot more money on the used market.

You call my posts "sad", ask what the point of my writing them is, and conclude that "...it is just critical of what another member has found to be excellent...". All I can say is that Ferrari himself seems to have no such qualms about my contributions, which I can assure you are just as honestly reported as I'm sure his or yours are. You seem to think that I, or anybody with a divergent take, ought to self-censor before posting anything negative following a positive review in an open forum. Now, *that's* sad!

High end at best is a subjective endeavour. And yes we all hear sounds different from each other. After all we are human and we all are subject to our environment we have moved in. Based upon this initial review I find nothing I can carp on. I owned a 70 for many years and would not hesitate to recommend this amplifier to anyone seeking fine music reproduction. Based upon the products that were listed as similiar products, I would find this to be a very good base in recommending the 70. After all Ferrari has been at this far longer than I have and that probably goes for about 90 percent of the membership here. That alone speaks volumes.

I have since moved further upstream in audio, but the Classe 70 remains a fond memory. Thanks for the review.