Classe CAM 350 monoblock vs Classe CAM-400 or Bryston 4B3
I don’t know
Classè
amps all that well but the earliest
reviews I can find for the CAM 350 go back to
2001. The CA-400 may go back to 2009,
when was the CAM-400 last made? I don’t
know. Any differences in reliability or
performance?
Should I assume both need to be recapped? Does one amp run hotter than the other? Is one Class A the other class AB?
Are there any Classè experts out there? I’d guess for the newer more powerful CAM-400 and extra $450 is not much of a difference everything else being equal.
As an audiogon virgin, having never bought or sold here I
don’t know that “everything else is equal”. I don't know how much to trust what I read.
All source material will be FLAC files. Speakers are Magnepan 3.7i about two years old. I know I love how Classè sounds but I worry about the heat making the room unlivable. My taste in music is eclectic, almost anything except rap.
Perhaps the cool alternative would be a used Bryston 4B3 which Audiogon
has 4 for sale at $4,100 - $4,500, any of which would have to be newer and less
expensive than the Classè amps. I have never listened to Bryston 4B3 on magnepan 3.7i speakers. I don't know if I would like it?
A little guidance for the blind, but not deaf, yet, please; thank you.
If the older Classé amps ever need service, that might be complicated by Classé’s ownership changing from the B&W Group to Sound United, which I believe is not repairing older units. Bryston, of course, is not owned by a holding group and repairs all their gear. I have not heard those Classé amps; a newer CA-2300 sounded superb to me. Unfortunately, it had a fan, which I could hear -- ugh. I picked a Bryston 4B3 instead and am enjoying it very much. It's a great amp, very smooth for a SS amp yet with a powerful grip. Still, $4500 would be high for a used one, in my opinion. You might also think about the 14B3, the bigger one, as @arctikdeth suggested. I had a 14BSST and thought it was really wonderful. I hear that Maggies like power. |
timothywright The Magie 3.7i have a nasty low load at 200-600hz http://www.people.vcu.edu/~sliner/MG37_P&I.jpg The Classe CAM 350 monoblocks on Stereophile said "Classé more than met its specified power, delivering 450W into 8 ohms (26.5dBW) and 780W into 4 ohms (25.9dBW). Into a 2 ohm load, however, the protection circuitry cut in at 1000W, equivalent to an output current of 44.7A!"Look good to go for the 350 monoblocks Cheers George |
I have been performing a little research. The Classè heat issue still concerns me with
my modest abode. I can listen to music
for hours at a time and Classè amps operating over that length of time could
make my listening room uncomfortable. Today I found a black Bryston 4B3 power amp for only $3575 on Echohifi.com. Black will match the rest of my rack. This unit is only 2 years old and in “9” condition. S&H will cost me an additional $119 but this will total cost $1,000 to $1,500 less then either pair of Classè monoblocks which were at least 10-15 years old. The difference in money concerns me less than the significant heat issue which I have experienced myself. I expect I can manage to get by with “only” 500 wpc into 4 Ω which is a small step up from 350 wpc into 4 Ω. I will have three days to decide once I take possession. I could be annoyed, not at anyone here at audiogon. If I can buy from a dealer in Oregon but my local shop has not answered my phone call for at least a month. Had he at least returned my phone call and told me what Classè amps he had in stock I would probably own one of those instead. Those monstrous Classè monoblocks do radiate a presence in a bachelor’s home, some evidence of commitment and grander, and contempt for all WAF issues. One could put two of them together with a dog bed on top and keep several greyhounds very happy all winter long. I can admit that I was tempted but in the last analysis only impressing oneself does not amount to much. Better to own something I can live with. I’ll need at least six XLR cables of reasonable quality. I have some on order from Cable Matters. I may yet replace my Rotel RC-1590 preamp with a tube amp given the opportunity. I looked into music service streaming DACs but I suspect none will sound better than my 54,000 flac files ripped from 4,000 CDs. I would like to thank all who were so generous with their advice and encouragement. |
