New deltas are coming...

[silvertone]

Thanks for the feedback, Patrick.

Is it too late to request an analogue volume control implementation on the next gen CP-800 (CP-900 ?), i.e. an R2R ladder volume.

ST

[Patrick Butler]

Hi ST,

Per Dave Nauber "The CP-800's volume control is an analog attenuator with steps selected digitally."

Regards,

Patrick

Originally Posted by silvertone

Thanks for the feedback, Patrick.

Is it too late to request an analogue volume control implementation on the next gen CP-800 (CP-900 ?), i.e. an R2R ladder volume.

ST

[karlseg]

I just wanted to comment a bit on the air in-takes of the mono blocks that were shown in the picture. Since this is not a final release of the amps I would like to express my "concerns" that these air in-takes are not very pretty. The former one's were much more sleeky in my opinion. Maybe the designers of Classé want to take this into consideration.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to 2017 to hear and also read about the annoucements and hopefuly the air-intakes have a nicer design by then

[audiomania]

I've always been interested in the CAM400 & CAM600 amps from Classe but the one thing that has kept me away from purchasing them is the inclusion of a fan.

My concern is not just from the possibility of hearing these fans when the amp gets hot but more so with the possibility of them failing at some point. Having a moving part within a big/heavy component like these amps is not something I can appreciate unless these fans are considered an "End User Replaceable Component". These days its pretty rare for a manufacturer to allow the end user to replace a failed component which is unfortunate.

If I owned one of these amps and the fan failed,and I wasn’t able to replace it myself, I would be HOT! (no pun intended)

There is nothing more annoying then having to re-box up a big A$$ amp and take the risk of shipping it back to the manufacturer so they can fix it. Even worse in this case would be if the amp still worked fine minus the moving part that IMO should not be included in the design in the first place.

I would much prefer having the amp include an additional 50lbs worth of heatsink weight added just to avoid the need of the damn fan.

[skyblue]

Any replacement for the ssp800?

[silvertone]

Originally Posted by skyblue

Any replacement for the ssp800?

I second the previous comments on the fans.

a) The intake is just not attractive, this could determine my purchasing decision when these units come out.

b) The risk of hearing a hiss noise coming from the fan during late night listening sessions is also a concern. It'd defeat the purpose of having a low noise floor if you can hear these fans. Why not go out of the box and think of another way to keep the units in thermal stability?

[joey_v]

Originally Posted by audiomania

I've always been interested in the CAM400 & CAM600 amps from Classe but the one thing that has kept me away from purchasing them is the inclusion of a fan.

My concern is not just from the possibility of hearing these fans when the amp gets hot but more so with the possibility of them failing at some point. Having a moving part within a big/heavy component like these amps is not something I can appreciate unless these fans are considered an "End User Replaceable Component". These days its pretty rare for a manufacturer to allow the end user to replace a failed component which is unfortunate.

If I owned one of these amps and the fan failed,and I wasn’t able to replace it myself, I would be HOT! (no pun intended)

There is nothing more annoying then having to re-box up a big A$$ amp and take the risk of shipping it back to the manufacturer so they can fix it. Even worse in this case would be if the amp still worked fine minus the moving part that IMO should not be included in the design in the first place.

I would much prefer having the amp include an additional 50lbs worth of heatsink weight added just to avoid the need of the damn fan.

Originally Posted by silvertone

I second the previous comments on the fans.

a) The intake is just not attractive, this could determine my purchasing decision when these units come out.

b) The risk of hearing a hiss noise coming from the fan during late night listening sessions is also a concern. It'd defeat the purpose of having a low noise floor if you can hear these fans. Why not go out of the box and think of another way to keep the units in thermal stability?

I had the CAM600.

Few thoughts on this.

1. The fan appears to be of good quality. I built many PCs/computers in the past and have had my share of installing fans. Perhaps Patrick can answer this question - what is the size of the fan (is it 80mm, 92mm, or 120mm)? And is it sleeve or ball bearing? If BB, the fan will last approx 50,000-70,000 hours, which is way more than we will every use the amps.

2. I would take fan over overheating the components any day.

3. The fan is not loud, never audible unless at start up.

[joey_v]

Originally Posted by silvertone

I second the previous comments on the fans.

a) The intake is just not attractive, this could determine my purchasing decision when these units come out.

b) The risk of hearing a hiss noise coming from the fan during late night listening sessions is also a concern. It'd defeat the purpose of having a low noise floor if you can hear these fans. Why not go out of the box and think of another way to keep the units in thermal stability?

You wont be able to hear the fans. You have more ambient noise in your room than the fans.

[doggiehowser]

I remember reading they are using Noctua fans or one of those PC fans designed for low noise.

The thing is the fans tend to only run when they are first powered on - and then they stay silent in most instances. The only time I hear them running even if at all is when they were rack mounted in the worst of conditions - no air conditioning in a corner of a study room.

There is a filter which traps the dust - one of the causes for a malfunctioning fan - and the manual tells you to clean it periodically.

I think the fans should be the least of your worries with the Classe.

[Mike-48]

Originally Posted by audiomania

I've always been interested in the CAM400 & CAM600 amps from Classe but the one thing that has kept me away from purchasing them is the inclusion of a fan. ...

I agree with you (and with your reasoning, not quoted here). Despite the experience of others, during my trial of the CA-2300 I found that at times, I could hear the fan. That made me sad, because to my ears, otherwise it was a great-sounding amp.

I do agree, also, that it is a big pain (and expense) to pack up a heavy amp and send it off for service. It's especially costly if you don't trust UPS or FedEx and buy insurance for the full value -- this typically costs more than the shipping itself.

I doubt we will see a change in this situation any time soon, as the sensor-controlled fan seems to have become a fixture in Classe's design scheme.