I couldn't wait so I had to buy something to hold me over

I purchased a Classe CA-201 today to power the odysseys until the XPA-2s are released in 45 days to....well..who knows anymore.
I am eagerly awaiting the amp to see how classe pairs up with our ML gear. These amps sell very quickly on Agon, so I figure if it doesn't match up well, it will be on the open market quickly. I will do an A/B comparison of the Classe Vs. the XPA-2s once they are released. I had a Rotel 1090, The Classe CA-201 and the Mark Levinson No. 331 to choose from. The ML seemed under powered (for such a HUGE amp) and the Classe just seemed like it would...well, out Class the Rotel. But I do know the 1090 received a lot of praise. Can't wait to get some testing in!

Classe makes great stuff. I am sure you will be very happy.

Erik

I've got a brand new pair of MIT Magnum MA (speaker wire) coming....

I have a Classé CA-101 - it pairs *VERY* well with the MLs (or at least in my case, the Vista).

Funnily enough, I upgraded from a Rotel 1080 (which I had for all of about 20 hours) - that thing sounded horrid! When compared to the Classé anyway.

So there - I'm sure you'll be very happy.

Excellent. I'm glad to hear it was a good purchase. Looks like binding posts are a bit strange, but shouldn't be a problem as long as I use Spades only =)

Adamo said:

Excellent. I'm glad to hear it was a good purchase. Looks like binding posts are a bit strange, but shouldn't be a problem as long as I use Spades only =)

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Binding posts are a pain in the bu11.......but so are the ML ones without holes in the middle!!

amey01 said:

I have a Classé CA-101 - it pairs *VERY* well with the MLs (or at least in my case, the Vista).

Funnily enough, I upgraded from a Rotel 1080 (which I had for all of about 20 hours) - that thing sounded horrid! When compared to the Classé anyway.

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I think the 1090's were different from the 1080's (other than power of course...something design-wise I mean). That said, I have a 1080 powering my MBL 101's...yea, I know, they CERTAINLY need something of higher class to go with them...but it was all I could afford at the time and I must say I think they sound pretty good!

Pcar928fan said:

I think the 1090's were different from the 1080's (other than power of course...something design-wise I mean). That said, I have a 1080 powering my MBL 101's...yea, I know, they CERTAINLY need something of higher class to go with them...but it was all I could afford at the time and I must say I think they sound pretty good!

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I was trying to save money - I guess as well. I bought the Rotel along with the Copland valve preamp as a step up from my Primare which just couldn't drive the 'Logans!

I tried to save some money with the Rotel, but unfortunately listened to the Classé on the same day. When I got it home, I still had vivid auditory memories of the Classé and returned the Rotel the next as an exchange on the CA-101.

The rest was history.

To qualify though - I've not heard the 1090.

Yea, I'm not trying to bash the Rotel 1090. I've seen great reviews on that piece and even Stereophile liked it and compared it favorably to the Parasound HCA 3500 which is a very high current amp. My decision was based partially by price as well. knowing this may not be permanent, the Rotel was the cheapest...but the Classe was only 100 more. I couldn't pass that up. The ML was about 700 more than the Rotel, but it's the lowes watt/current amp of the three and current is king with our MLs, At least with SS. The amp will be paired with the Parasound 2100S 2 ch Pre, the Denon 3930CI as transport, and the TriVIsta 21 doing DAC duty. Signal Cable all around. Hopefully a good synergy. Bring on the weekend!:music:

amey01 said:

Binding posts are a pain in the bu11.......but so are the ML ones without holes in the middle!!

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I really like the ML binding posts. I am always amazed at how tight I can do them up by hand. They are even better than the WBT binding posts I installed on my old power amp.

Bernard said:

I really like the ML binding posts. I am always amazed at how tight I can do them up by hand. They are even better than the WBT binding posts I installed on my old power amp.

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Oh yes, the wing nuts are lovely (that you can do up by hand) - it's just that they don't have a hole in the middle!

Darn it...now I have to change my Banana connectors to Spades on the Amp end. There's always something else to buy...
Actually, I don't think they make spades that can accept 6 awg speaker cable. Maybe I'm stuck with bare wire on the amp end?

Adamo said:

Actually, I don't think they make spades that can accept 6 awg speaker cable. Maybe I'm stuck with bare wire on the amp end?

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The diameter of 6 AWG is 0.16 inches. Cardas makes spades with 0.25 inch holes.

Thanks Bernard. I would prefer to find something I don't have to Solder on, but I would if need be. Just need to buy some silver solder.

Adamo said:

Thanks Bernard. I would prefer to find something I don't have to Solder on, but I would if need be. Just need to buy some silver solder.

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Then try WBT. They make a spade you crimp/screw.

Thanks Bernard. I went ahead and bought the WBT Spades from Parts Express. I believe these can actually slip over the Banana connectors as well.
Excellent Recommendation. Thanks,
Adam

Bad news...The amp arrived DOA. But it's very strange. It powers on just fine and the light blinks orange while going through turning on it's channels individually, then stays solid orange as if there are no internal issues (supposed to blink green if there are fuses blown..etc). I get NO output to the logans unless I crank the volume on the processor to extreme levels and then it's just a fuzzy rendition of the music that is very faint and cracking and only from the right speaker. I quickly turned it back down recognizing that something is seriously wrong. I am going to replace the AC fuse today, but barring that, what else could be wrong? I need some help on this. I've never bought a second hand amp before and this is a bad first experience. The seller is being cooperative, but feels perplexed and angry that the amp was working fine two days ago.

Edit: I haven't tried Spade connections to the amp. I've tried bare wire and banana, which are inserted from the underside of the binding posts, not the back. I don't think it matters, but do you think the spades would make the difference?
Thanks,
Adam

Adam, this may sound silly, but recheck all connections.

Adamo said:

and then it's just a fuzzy rendition of the music that is very faint and cracking and only from the right speaker.

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It sounds like what you are getting is crosstalk. Pardon the question (not meant to insult), but do you have the correct input selected on your processor?

The spades would not make the difference.

Sounds like a connection issue to me, too. But who knows? It is hard to diagnose without being there.