2. amps-preamps
  3. 1288033652

Can you get good sound bridging 2 Classe CA-200s

I have had on-going issues with my Classe CA-200 amplifier's mosfet fuses blowing out driving my Thiel CS2.3s. The sound is excellent, however, after 40 to 60 minutes the amplifier gets hot and the fuses blow. (I do play music loud). One reasonably economical solution would be to find another used CA-200 and bridge the amplifers to double the power. Will this work? Will the sound be as good? Has anyone tried this. Thanks!
128x128bcarr38
gbart
290 posts
 
As stated above, for many years I have been running Classé with speakers that drop below 3 ohms, also have quite severe phase angle, and never had a failure.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
Is their good airflow around the amp?

The 1 person I know that had Classe swears by its capabilities....and stability.
gbart
290 posts
 
Since I service my own amps, I've had quite a bit of back and forth with Classé tech support. I am reminded in an old e-mail message from them I have archived, that "in response to reports by some owners that amps were running too hot", they lowered the recommended bias setting for the CA-series amps. It is probably best to contact the factory to discuss the amp issues.
bcarr38's avatar
bcarr38 OP
9 posts
 
Thank you for all the great comments. Sounds like a second CA-200 is probably not the answer. In response to some of the questions,I have the following information:

* I'm not that technical so I don't know how to check the bias.
* AC may be a problem, I will try to plug the amp into a seperate circuit from the other equipment.
* Not sure what it means for the amp and preamp to be DC coupled, sorry.
* The CA-200 is a side heat sink version.
* The amp is well ventilated.
* I do have a Furman power conditioner which is a relatively new addition. I will bipass that and see if it helps.

Thanks for all the ideas! Sounds like a call to Classe is in order as well. Thanks!
gbart
290 posts
 
*You can get a technician to check the bias for you. Its not difficult to do but if you're not careful, a slip of a test probe can cause expensive damage. If you need the service manual, send me a PM and I will reply with a copy.

*IMO, the AC supply should not be causing the issues you're experiencing.

*"DC coupled" means having no capacitors in the signal path. A DC coupled preamp or amp will pass/amplify DC. This can be a problem if for example a source component or preamp has high DC offset. The amp will amplify that DC and pass it to your speakers, which can damage them if the DC level is high enough. Many/most modern amps have DC protection circuitry that will open an output relay in the event of severe DC offset. IMO, high DC offset should not be blowing your mosfet fuses. The CA-200 has protection circuitry for that purpose.
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