Class A amp vs Class D amp


I have B&W 802s for fronts and HTM1 fronts and SCMs for rears. I like listening to stereo and watching movies. I recently visited a high end stereo establisment and came up with two options and am trying to make an educated and wise decision. It comes down to should I spend more on the audio side and have less for the visual side or vice versa. I looked at class D Rotel RB 1091 500watt monos as three seperates to power the front and a 2channel RB 1092 500 watt to power the rears in a 5.1 system. I also looked at the Classe 5 x 200 amp which is Class A. The Classe is approximately $8,000 and the Rotel $5200. The matching processor for the Rotel top of the line RSP 1098 is $2600 and the bottom of the line Classe SSP 300 is 4500. First of all is there roughly a $5000 difference in sound quality that justifies the more expensive system. I listened to both at seperate establishments and they both sounded good, with certainly the classe seemingly superior. The question is it in total $5000 superior? Secondly do you sink $4500 into a processor that has no HDMI connects and will likely be obsolete soon, if not now. I also listened to the anthem P5 and was not significantly impressed.
ghaas
Mixing the Classe amps for the fronts and the cheaper Rotel for the center and surrounds is not a problem, and would be the preferred way to go if you are truly sold on investing in a surround system.

However, from personal experience, I'd skip surround sound and stick all of your money into high quality 2 channel gear with a quality subwoofer... you'll end up with very good performance for movies, and even better performance for music.
From what I have read mixing amps across the front is not the best idea although many people will mix the front 3 channels and the rear 2 channels.

My AD sells both lines and I am presently saving up to make the jump to Classe from Rotel. My personal long term plan is to run the Classe CA-3200 up front and CA-2100 in the rear. Due to the cost of both amps I may run a used Rotel RB-1080 across the rear for a while after picking up the CA-3200.

There are so many changes going on in processors right now its very difficult to have the courage to buy anything. A used 1098 is still a pretty good deal for the money, but there are other choices as well. I wouldn't buy a new Classe or any other brand for that amount of money unless I was totally sure I would have a reasonably priced factory upgrade option down the road. I just picked up a used Anthem AVM-30 which is priced similarly to a used Rotel 1098. Unlike the Rotel I do have the option although pricey to upgrade the Anthem.
I would avoid the Rotel B&W combination for movies. One of the biggest lessons I learned in my last round of speaker buying was just how lifeless that combination is. When I say lifeless, I mean no soul, very detailed but couldn't get me involved in the music at all. Several others have backed me up on that. This is not what you want for movies.

Consider the Channel Island class Ds. I have them and love them. Can't stop tapping my toes.