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Classe CAM 350 monoblock vs Classe CAM-400 or Bryston 4B3

I am looking at two Classè audiogon postings. A Classe CAM 350 monoblock ($4,449) vs Classe CAM-400 monoblock ($4,900).


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.


timothywright
timothywright OP
55 posts
 
thank you sgmsmg, I have messaged you directly
Timothy Wright
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,802 posts
 
Go with something current , that can be repaired or in the case of the Bryston probably still has a decent warranty left
timothywright OP
55 posts
 
@ GeorgeHiFi

 

I have never actually listened to either the Parasound Halo A21+ or the Bryston 4B3. I am trying to arrange that now.

 I don’t have an informed opinion.  At best I have uninformed concerns as follows:

 The Parasound Halo A21+ is rated 500 wpc 4Ω (which I like) costs $2995, however THD is rated <.1% which does not impress me. The amp I am replacing has THD <0.005%

 I also know that Parasound runs hot as hell at my listening levels.

 The Halo JC1+ mono-blocks cost $8,495 each which at $17,000 for the pair puts them out of my price range. The Halo JC1 (no +) is an older and inferior to the Plus and still cost $5000 used. It does spec much better.

 The Bryston 4B3 in contrast MSRP is $5695, almost double the Halo A21+ ; about 1/3 the MSRP of Halo JC1+. So one can not fairly compare three items of such vastly different costs.  Suffice it to observe the Bryston spec much better than the A21+. And I can find 4 late model Bryston 4B3 on Audiogon right now.

 The halo + items are newly introduced; I could only find those for sale at a dealer for full price.


timothywright OP
55 posts
 
I think I may foresee a Sanders Magtech in my future.
mike_in_nc
1,147 posts
 
@timothywright:

I own a 4B3 and it's the best amp I've had. I preferred it to the Pass X250.8, not just for lower heat, but because I found the Pass a little too lush and tubey. A great amp, to be sure, but not as neutral to my ears as the 4B3.

Regarding the Magtech, when I auditioned it a home, I disliked it intensely. It was the anti-Pass -- icy and uninvolving. I can't explain why I reacted that way to this widely respected amp.

As I said in a previous post, I have enjoyed both Classe and Bryston amps (the brands you were considering).

In getting what suits YOU, it would be great if you could audition what I think is a prime contender, the 4B3 (or 14B3). Any way you could audition one? They are great amps, more relaxed than previous Brystons. You can find dozens of glowing reviews in actual publications, as well as by happy owners.
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