I still own the Classe SSP 800 and it is an excellent sounding unit, especially when used as a stereo preamp for listening to music, this is where the SSP 800 stands out. Its stereo performance fares with those high end stereo preamps in the $5k to $7k ranges. It is a very musical sounding pre pro. It excels in both stereo music and surround sound movies besides lacking auto room correction, but instead Classe provided manual PEQ.
However, the SSP 800 is pretty barebone lacking features bells & whistles. It does not process video, it simply switches it, no video processor/upscaler. No multi-zone control, no built-in streaming apps like those found in cheaper Japanese processors eg Denon Marantz Onkyo/Integra Yamaha, etc. I never found those omissions a deal breaker. What I'm after is a pure sound quality.
So, the new upcoming replacement for the SSP 800 will be expected to sound better than the SSP 800 and will most likely be equipped with Dirac Live room correction but there will be no multi-zone control, video processor/upscaler or built-in streaming apps.
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