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

Have A Bryston 4B that I bought used 27 years ago, driving peripheral speakers. never a problem. Have a newer 4B SST driving Vandersteen 3A sigs. I messed up a binding post on the 4B SST and Bryston fixed it under warranty with great communication and quick turnaround. Both Brystons are being driven by a DeHavilland Ultraverve. I’m happy with the sound produced by this combination. Both Brystons get a little warm (temp) but not enough to be of concern to me. 

A few comments.

@psnyder149 found the Classé CA 2300 fan inaudible. I agree that it's a fabulous-sounding amp; in fact, I was about to buy one. But in my audio room, when I was listening to string quartets, the fan became audible during quiet passages. I'd urge caution in this respect for prospective buyers. Most listeners don't mind the fan, but some of us do.

@georgehifi points out that amps that use reduced feedback might have "high" THD, around 0.1%. I agree with George that that amount of THD can be inconsequential. It's difficult to hear, and I would not rule out an otherwise well-regarded amp for that reason. THD, especially 2nd and 3rd harmonics, is far less objectionable than IMD.

On Classé repairs of older equipment, I urge caution again, and I'd ask Classé how repairs might be handled for a specific model. The last information I saw from Classé (during resurrection from the B&W closing) was that older products would be handled by B&W but that parts availability might be problematic. So, wise to check before buying.

And @timothywrite, I sympathize with the difficulty of getting anything done these days. Looking at Audio Advisor, I see Bryston again has raised prices, with the 4B3 MSRP going from US $5995 to $6795 (though currently discounted to $6115). That would be one way to get a home audition, but boy, Bryston sure has become pricey!

@mike_in_nc 
You are correct that for 1-2 years, the Classe repairs were being handled by B&W and quality was definitely suspect but over the last year or so many of the original technicians from Montreal have been re-hired.  Last year at Axpona (April 2019), I had the opportunity to speak with Dave Nauber (General Manager of Classe) and he told me that this was exactly the plan that would be taking place over 2019 and it appears that the plan has been successfully executed.  All of the new equipment is now being manufactured in a SOTA factory in northern Japan.

Classe is now back up and operating as well as shipping new products.  I actually listened to a new Delta Pre with Delta Stereo in February that had been delivered in January.  These products are extensions from the CP-800 pre-amp (which was the design basis for the Sigma SSP I recommended) and the CA 2300/ CAM 600.  These new and improved versions are priced at nearly 2x their predecessors.  They sound fantastic but I have not had the opportunity to listen back to back with the predecessors so I can't say degree to which they are better.  The amps are biased much more towards class A operation (I think 35wpc before crossing into class A/B.  Even so, these units run very cool compared to other designs.  

Last month, I was on the phone with one of the technicians that I remember from earlier days as I was trying to purchase a new shipping box for a Classe Sigma Amp 5 that I am going to be selling.  Unfortunately, they were not able to supply me with one as this product has been discontinued but he did confirm that they will service it as well as the 3 other Classe products that I own.

The market seems to be taking notice of this situation as many used Classe prices have been drifting upwards.  There is an exception to this:  the Sigma Amp 2 and Amp 5 lines.  This is because Listen Up in Colorado bought up all of Classe's remaining inventory and has been selling these at less than 50% original list.  I own an Amp 5 and used it for nearly 5 years with my SSP.  This is a very good class D 5 channel amp with 2 channels fully balanced, but the sound quality of the CA and CAM versions is significantly better IMHO.  I say this at my own loss because I would love to sell the AMP5 and it will not be worth nearly as much as I would like. 

Regarding the fan noise, in my listening room, the fan noise from my plasma TV is actually louder than from the 2300.  This could be a function of layout, proximity to hard reflective surfaces vs. absorptive, etc.   So I can only say that in my room the 2300 is not audible over ambient levels except at startup as noted before.  I live near a highway in the Chicago suburbs so my ambient noise might be greater than yours therefore potentially covering up fan noise that might otherwise be audible.  

psnyder149

... in my listening room, the fan noise from my plasma TV is actually louder than from the 2300 ...

Wow - I had no idea that some TVs have a fan. Thanks for this info!

L6FAYYYH0111 Panasonic Fan
The part number so that you can have one of your very own for $28.95! lol