Classe-80 or Roksan Caspian or Audiolab 8000s ???
Jimmy Chen
Hey Guys...I'm in the market for an integrated amp and have the
following three amps in mind. I will be using the Monitor Audios
PMC703s with it (20 to 200 watts reconm.). The price of the amps and
their corresponding power ratings are as follows: Classe 80 $1295 (80
watts), Roksan Caspian $1490 (70 watts), and the AudioLab 8000S $995
(60 watts). What I want to know is which should I choose and why
(especially if you've had experience with any one of these amps). The
monitor audios can be bright at times so they probably would not be so
good with an overly bright amp. However, I don't want an amp that
would roll off the highs too much as this would only make it sound
artificial. I'm looking for the best of the three. Roksans are known
for their warm sound. The AudioLabs are very neutral and the Classes
are suppose to be very clean. I wouldn't know if these
characterisitics are true because I haven't had the chance to hear
them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I will be using
Goertz cables with the amp and they have low impedence characterisitcs
so are they safe to use with these int. amps?
Fear3000
[ I was going to reject this post because it mentions nothing
about the sound of any of the three components in question,
especially with regard to the speakers mentioned in the
original post - Monitor Audio PMC703. There is a dubious
reference to current/drive capabilities -- especially in light
of the fact that the 703 has a claimed nominal impedance of
8 ohms with a 90dB/1watt/1meter sensitivity -- but that is all.
The main point is the Classe should be the choice due to
the fact that it is the largest company, able to invest a
little bit more than the other two in their CS dept. That in
turn, according to this poster, would probably mean that the
Classe will have a higher resale value than the other two.
I am hoping that this post can spark a debate as to what is
the most important aspect of a final purchasing decision.
Is the sound the only thing that counts?? Or, as this poster
has mentioned, should potential resale or other factors play
a significant role in the decision-making process?? -- jmv ]
Having worked in the hi-fi- business I,d like to steer you toward the Classe.It
is made by a "real" company with exelent service and custemer backup. The
other products you've mentioned have somewhat dubious distributorships, and
may reduce your re-sale value. Also, the Classe will drive a speaker(a real
load) far better then the othr two.
Best wishes
Fear 3000
Stewart Pinkerton
fear...@aol.com (Fear3000) writes:
I think you'll find that Audiolab is every bit as 'real' a company as
Classe, and may in fact be larger. Roksan is now part of a group which
includes Quad and Mission/Cyrus, and so is equally well backed in
terms of service and financial security, while at the same time being
somewhat more 'exotic' as a brand. The only real advantage I can see
with Classe is that they are a Canadian maker, so there is better
access to the factory from the US market.
As far as your technical comments go, the Audiolab 8000S, while rated
at only 60 watts into 8 ohms, will in fact put 260 watts per channel
into 2 ohms without complaint (Hi-Fi News, 8/96), which I think you'll
find is more than a match for the Classe in the 'real load' stakes,
given that the bigger CAP-100 blew a fuse at 200 watts into 2 ohms on
test (Stereophile, 9/97). I would also say that I have not yet heard
an amplifier at *any* price which sounds better to me than the 8000S,
given that a 60-watter is adequate for your speakers, which at
>89dB/w/m shouldn't be a problem in most rooms.
--
Stewart Pinkerton | Music is art, audio is engineering
ASP Consulting |
(44) 1509 880112 |
Arthur LeGrand Shapiro
I guess I must quibble with the assertion:
--> ... according to this poster, would probably mean that the
Classe will have a higher resale value than the other two.
I am hoping that this post can spark a debate as to what is
the most important aspect of a final purchasing decision.
Is the sound the only thing that counts?? Or, as this poster
has mentioned, should potential resale or other factors play
a significant role...
As my own system has moved fairly loftily up the pyramid, I've been
forced to show more and more concern about resalability. Most of us
have finite disposable capital, and being ultimately able to attract a
buyer is a legitimate worry so as to be able to advance the system.
In some ways, it's a viscious circle which can force one into a
somewhat smaller set of potential purchases, lest one be saddled with
an albatross down the road.
Alas, I can't speak very highly of Classe'. A Classe` DR6 preamp was
probably the toughest thing I've ever tried to sell. It took me nine
months, at a much bigger loss than expected. The company changes its
models with mid-fi consistency, so by the time one goes to sell, the
model is 3 releases out of date and essentially worthless. I'd say
the digital componentry has not suffered from this reality as much as
the amp and preamp lines. But this corporate philosophy has certainly
scared me away from subsequent purchases.
Art
chris topham
On 2 Oct 1997 10:56:06 -0400, fear...@aol.com (Fear3000) wrote:
>Having worked in the hi-fi- business I,d like to steer you toward the Classe.It
> is made by a "real" company with exelent service and custemer backup. The
> other products you've mentioned have somewhat dubious distributorships, and
> may reduce your re-sale value. Also, the Classe will drive a speaker(a real
> load) far better then the othr two.
If I'd adopted this approach when I was looking for an Amp 2 years ago
I'd never have even considered my current Audiolab 8000Q pre-amp. I'm
very impressed both with the superb sound and the huge interconnection
options from this pre-amp, and I wonder whether you have really
thought through your argument here? As yours is an AOL post it's not
obvious where you live but I expect you must be in (insert country
other than England) because here in England the support from Audiolab
for their products is terrific.
The only problem I had until last month was that I had no way of
connecting my record deck to the system. I was unwilling to pay the
£7-800 for the Audiolab component, but now thanks to a Musical
Fidelity X-LP I'm up and running once again. I haven't listened to
vinyl for 7 years and it is a real pleasure to dig out the old stuff
and hear it again.
Chris in West Sussex, England
Robert S. Rex
In article <610cm6$6...@jamesv.Warren.MENTORG.COM>, Fear3000
<fear...@aol.com> wrote:
> I am hoping that this post can spark a debate as to what is the most
> important aspect of a final purchasing decision. Is the sound the
> only thing that counts?? Or, as this poster has mentioned, should
> potential resale or other factors play a significant role in the
> decision-making process?? -- jmv ]
>
> Having worked in the hi-fi- business I,d like to steer you toward
> the Classe.It is made by a "real" company with exelent service and
> custemer backup. The other products you've mentioned have somewhat
> dubious distributorships, and may reduce your re-sale value. Also,
> the Classe will drive a speaker(a real load) far better then the
> othr two.
I think I understand where Fear is coming from. I too spent almost 20
years in retail and I've seen many of the problems that arise from
"dubious distributorships". Case in point: in the early Eighties, our
store took on the Audiostatic line. At that point, there were 2
speakers and they were being imported by Paul Heath. Heath didn't
support the line for long ( 6 months, maybe a year). We bought 2 pair
of the smaller panels, the ES240 if memory serves. We kept one as a
demo and I bought the second pair. Within a year, the demo pair had
problems, and my pair developed problems shortly after that. By this
time, Heath stopped repping the line and we were left high and dry. We
heard nothing about Audiostatic until SOTA took the line.
We had the same problem with Electrocompinent (sp?). We took on the
line when Karen Sumner did the importing. Eventually she dropped it
and there was once again a black hole until Mel Shilling picked it up.
Mel eventually dropped it and I have no idea who has it now.
When Fear suggests that Roksan or Audiolab may have "dubious
distributorships" he may be speaking from the same type of experiences
that I've had. Now, should this impact upon someone's purchasing
decision? I'm not too concerned about future resale ( I tend to hold
onto components longer than average, 8 to 10 years typically), but I
am concerned about after sale support. To me, this level of support,
both from the dealer and the manufacturer, is almost as critical as
the sound. And yes, a questionable history or future would sway my
decision.
Strangely enough, almost any of the equipment that has had this
problem has been European ( early VTL, Electro, British Fidelity). I
dont know why this is, but I will say that I get uncomfortable when I
see brands change importers frequently.
Bob Rex