Classé Bows New Reference Preamp/processor

Montréal, Québec, Canada—May 2008—Canadian high-end audio-video manufacturer Classé Audio has established an enviable reputation for producing truly reference-standard audio and A/V components. It’s SSP-300 Preamp/processor, and SSP-600 Preamp/processor have become internationally accepted benchmarks representing the current state of the art for these technologies. Now, Classé has raised the bar again with the introduction of the new SSP-800.

“In recent years the development of high definition audio and video has accelerated, rendering many relatively new home theater components incompatible or obsolete.” says David Nauber, Executive VP – Brand Development. “The early adopter’s quest for the latest technology is never cheap or without risk. But those who have sought out the highest quality components have been able to relax and enjoy them. They know that the latest technology is rarely a threat to genuine quality. “

“When a new component is released which wraps important new technologies in a package of superior quality, it is time to sit up and take notice. The introduction of the SSP-800 is just such an occasion, when enthusiasts should consider upgrading their systems.”

The SSP-800 is a ten-channel preamp/processor, offering both balanced and single-ended connections for all channels. Audio Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is handled by a Texas Instruments-based platform, which operates in 64-bit double precision. It uses floating point arithmetic for all audio signal calculations to ensure the most accurate results possible.

All bass management filters, level adjustments and parametric filters also benefit from the added precision. To ensure the SSP-800 retains its value and competitive edge, the Classé Design Team has designed the DSP onto a replaceable module to accommodate a planned future upgrade.

Superior audio performance is achieved by combining powerful DSP with balanced topologies, advanced component parts and meticulous circuit layout. A dedicated linear power supply using a low-noise toroidal transformer powers the analog audio circuits. Digital and control circuits are powered by their own dual-output, low-noise, high-current switching supply.

High quality digital-to-analog converters and output stage components are configured to ensure exceptional dynamic range and resolution. Audio circuits are isolated from video and control circuits by optocouplers and low voltage differential signal (LVDS) pathways. Digital and analog circuits and grounds are isolated from each other among and within circuit boards.

Throughout the SSP-800 there are examples of HD technology executed at the highest quality level. It is the combination of advanced technology and genuine quality sets the SSP-800 apart. And while technology and quality give the SSP-800 its intrinsic value, we measure its true worth first on the test bench and then in the sound room.

Music First
Music listening remains the most reliable method of judging sound quality. In fact, no surround processor can accurately reproduce movie sound if it fails to reproduce music properly. At Classé, our first priority is developing components that perform exceptionally well with music. We then turn our attention to processor decoding capabilities and developing features that enhance flexibility and in-room performance.

With musical performance as its benchmark, the SSP-800 was conceived as a high-performance multichannel preamplifier. For two-channel listening both balanced and single-ended analog sources may bypass all analog-to-digital, DSP and digital-to-analog stages. Alternatively, the full range of processing capabilities including bass management and parametric equalization is available for both analog and digital sources.

The SSP-800 changes the game by doing what no preamp/processor has done before: it performs as well with music as a dedicated stereo DAC and preamplifier. The secret of its breathtaking performance lies not in some new parts or special features, although it has many. What sets the SSP-800 apart is the depth of experience never before brought to bear on a multichannel design.

Analog to Digital
Modern source components are increasingly optimized for use with digital interconnections and the SSP-800 capitalizes on this trend. Older surround processors are typically equipped with a vast array of analog inputs. These have been minimized in the SSP-800 and largely replaced by digital connectors. Four HDMI 1.3a (High Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs for audio/video sources are supplemented by standard SPDIF (coax) and EIAJ (optical) digital inputs for audio.

HDMI is the connection standard adopted for high definition A/V sources. An HDMI cable may carry 1080p HD video signals and uncompressed multichannel LPCM digital audio as well as the latest HD audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio) and certain control signals. Several versions of HDMI have been introduced, each surpassing the other in bandwidth and support for additional features. While the hardware used to transmit and receive on HDMI may be labeled by its version number (the SSP-800 uses version 1.3a for all HDMI inputs and outputs), there will be differences among products’ actual capabilities.

The SSP-800 uses HDMI 1.3a primarily to support the component’s long life in an evolving market. As new sources emerge, the SSP-800 offers the potential for transferring more information into and through its circuitry. For example, the video signal path supports 36-bit Deep Color video, even though Blu-ray Discs are only 24-bit video sources. In general, the bandwidth of components and circuitry in the SSP-800 is sufficient to accommodate all current and proposed next-generation sources.

Touchscreen Control and More
Classé Delta series components were the first A/V products to offer touchscreen control. Since then, touchscreen control has become an integral benefit for other consumer electronics products. Touchscreen control is more reliable and infinitely more flexible than the older style controls using push-buttons with fixed-segment displays.

The SSP-800 is custom installation friendly. It is equipped with bi-directional RS- 232 control and status, rear panel IR, front panel IR transmitter/receiver, CAN BUS and DC triggers.

Video sources of all HDTV resolutions including 1080p are available for viewing on the touchscreen. On Screen Display (OSD) messages can be overlaid on all video signals. Older analog video sources are converted to digital and made available on the HDMI outputs. For displays lacking digital video connections, a component video output is available for analog video sources.

Real World Applications
In addition to quality and technology, the SSP-800 has flexibility built in. Its tenchannel design creates the possibility of configuring two channels for additional subwoofers or as mirrors of the front left and right channels for bi-amplifying the front left and right speakers. Alternatively, these two channels may be devoted to delivering audio to a separate room or system, with source selection shared with the main theater and either fixed or variable output.

Five-band parametric equalization is provided for each of the ten channels to help tune the system to its environment. Classé has elected to offer the system EQ as a manual feature. While several automated systems are available on the market, the complexity of room acoustics guarantees that no automatic system can achieve consistent, optimum results. Our experience is that the best results are obtained by combining measurements with human judgment. The filters used in the EQ are rendered accurately by our processor, which uses floating point arithmetic operating in 64-bit double-precision.

The wealth of knowledge applied to the SSP-800 design and the inspiration for its execution do not come from a textbook—they come from the passion and dedication of those who have spent their lives in the pursuit of higher performance. Classé offers the SSP-800—the definitive preamp/processor—for those who share our singular passion for performance.

Available May 2008.
MSRP - $8,000.00

Classé Unveils New Reference Disc Player

Montréal, Québec, Canada—January 2007—Canadian high-end audio-video manufacturer Classé Audio has established an enviable reputation for producing truly reference-standard audio and A/V components. Its CDP-202 Compact Disc Player, and CDP-300 DVD Player are internationally accepted benchmarks representing the current state of the art for these technologies. Now Classé has combined the two concepts into a single “reference” disc-player, the CDP-502.

“Classé customers are among the most demanding and discerning in the world,” says David Nauber, Classé’s Executive VP, Brand Development. “And while they might be able to afford both a CDP-300 and a CDP-202, they’d prefer the best of both in a single component.  That, in a nutshell, characterizes the new CDP-502 Reference Disc Player: state-of-the-technology performance for both DVD and CD playback, with all the benefits associated with Classé design.”

A truly flexible source component, the CDP-502 accepts audio CDs, DVD-Video discs, DVD-Audio high-resolution audio recordings, and numerous optical-disc variants including DualDisc, MP3, WMA and AAC audio-encoded discs, as well as Video-CD, S-VCD and JPEG discs. The latest Classé player derives its audio sections from the acclaimed CDP-202, Classé’s current CD reference model, and its video sections from the CDP-300 DVD player, the world’s first high-end player to output all HD-compatible resolutions including 1080p. The result—the CDP-502, arguably the most sophisticated DVD/CD player ever created—speaks for itself with unmatched video and audio fidelity, depth, and definition.

The CDP-502 utilizes the highly non-resonant, steel/aluminum hybrid chassis, and multiple, superbly engineered power supplies for which Classé designs are justly famous. The slot-loading TEAC^® DVD-ROM mechanism — also used in the CDP-300 and CDP-202 — provides superior disc-handling characteristics, reliability and control flexibility. Of course, the new model employs Classé’s well-known digital-decoding technology, deploying a dedicated CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) and sample-rate conversion to re-construct data as 24-bit/192 kHz signals with rock-steady time-domain performance. Also present is Classé’s proven dual-differential digital-to-analog conversion topology, where both channels are transformed to differential mode in the digital domain, and then converted by a dedicated device for each signal “half.” The resultant signal remains in the balanced mode through reference-grade audio circuits, and passes to balanced-audio output on two XLR jacks; both channels are of course also available as single-ended signals on RCA jacks, which benefit from a completely differential and independent signal path.

On the video side the CDP-502’s designers could not reasonably expect to improve upon the acclaimed CDP-300, and so wisely retained its layout. Consequently, the CDP-502 incorporates the same powerful digital video processing, able to scale output to all HDTV formats up to and including 1080p via its HDMI digital-video output (including 1080i, 720p, and 480/576p). In addition to deinterlacing and scaling functions, the CDP-502’s video DSP also incorporates extensive digital processing to reduce the troublesome “mosquito noise” otherwise so prevalent on HD screens, to adaptively control color and contrast ratios, and to improve chroma transient performance. In short, staggeringly powerful and complex mathematic operations are constantly working to deliver a sharper, clearer, more compelling image than has been heretofore available from any DVD source.

The CDP-502 carries over Classé’s elegantly curved, aluminum industrial design and intuitive control layout common to its antecedents, including the front-panel color touchscreen. Far more than mere “sizzle,” this delivers perfectly, self-prompting operation, convenient previewing of DVD recordings for setup and cueing right at the loading site, and an easy way to manage audiophile-mode “video-off” playback for serious-listening CD and DVD-A sessions. The CDP-502 is supplied with a backlit wireless remote controller, and includes CAN-bus ports for inter-Classé-component communications, RS-232 interfacing for integration into media and whole-house control systems, and IR-remote and DC-trigger interfacing.

Classé’s CDP-502 universal reference DVD/CD player will be available February 2007, at a manufacturer’s suggested price of $8,500 US.

Classé Debuts “Best in Class” Delta Series Surround Processor

New SSP-900 Combines Touch-Screen Control, Separate Preview

Screen, Full Differential Audio Circuits, Broadcast Grade 1080p

Video Processing/Scaling, and Multi-Zone Operation.

Montréal, Québec, Canada—January 2007—Classé Audio, noted for its leading position in high performance audio and audio/video components, introduced its much-anticipated SSP-900 Surround Sound Processor.