Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Class� Audio CA-2100 Amplifier (SS) by Luminator

Model:	CA-2100
Category:	Amplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$4000.00
Description:	2-channel stereo power amp
Manufacturer URL:	Class� Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by Luminator on September 03, 2010 at 13:01:07
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for the CA-2100

Complaints. I get them all the time, practically everyday. Granted, most come from the same people, and most are in good-natured fun. I guess the complaints just come with the territory.

Let me start with this quote: "You're one of the few worth reading. I don't care what you review, just do more!"

Okay, let us now turn our attention to Classe's CA-2100 power amp.

"At first I thought it weird that you ask us to click on links. I mean, how do we know where you're taking us? So I summoned the courage, and discovered your wonderful site. It's a treasure trove of information. So that's what the [fuss] is all about. No wonder you ask us to click away!"

"Only five posts?! Lummy, you're slipping!"

He was referring to my review over on Cable Asylum of the MIT Oracle v1.2pro. The Classe' CA-2100 has eight:

Tonight & The Rest Of My Life
L.P.
Other Voices
Invincible Summer
Voices
Passion & Warfare
Then & Now
First Love/Last Rites

"I hate you! You always force me to look up your music. And then I end up with songs I can't shake from my head. It's all your fault!"

Hey, whichever audiophile said it's about enjoying the music has just been proven wrong :-)

"After all these years, I finally got to meet you. I thought you'd be fat and middle-aged like me. At least, from reading your posts, that's the impression I got. Or are all audiophiles like that?"

An Orange County (CA) audiophile stopped by my house, on the way to the Dagogo show in Emeryville. I can't speak for other areas, but here in the Bay Area, audiophiles come in a variety of ages, sizes, and ethnicities. My wife and kids know more about audio than plenty of audiophiles, so if we were to include them (my wife and kids), the audiophile diversity index would go up.

"Any pitfalls of reviewing amps?"

Back in 1990, my first power amp was the Adcom GFA-535II. I initially hooked it up to some Sony ES processor. The Adcom amp performed well there. But then I whipped out a Sony D-66, grabbed a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable, and connected the D-66 directly to the GFA-535II. The sound lost resolution. I learned right then and there that the power amp comes near the end of the chain. It is completely dependent upon not just the speaker, but the upstream components and cables.

In the real world, audiophiles often acquire a power amp whose quality is far superior to everything else in her system. In this case, if you acquire a Classe' CA-2100, you may only experience minor improvement.

"What about powercords?"

First of all, the CA-2100 thankfully uses regular 15-amp IEC. So you can go hog wild in trying out different powercords. I ended up with the Pranawire Satori, which, in longer lengths, can cost more than the CA-2100 itself. The CA-2100 does not *need* expensive powercords to perform well. Just choose something which is uncolored. My old Kimber PowerKord Gold is perfectly fine. To maintain better focus and resolution, try the eminently affordable Acrolink P/C-046.

"Lummy, you have the rare writing ability to describe minor differences, shades, and subtlety. But damn it, we're audiophiles! We don't do subtlety. We want to be told in black and white!"

Over the years, I've blogged about myriad power amps. Off the top of my head, I have talked about the AudioPrism Debut II; Conrad Johnson MF-2250A, MV-55, MV-60SE; Decware Taboo; Jeff Rowland 501; Krell KAV-150, KAV-2250; Mark Levinson No. 431; NuForce 9SE; Proceed AMP-2; and Sonographe SA-250. Forget about these. In terms of getting out of the way, and letting us hear what's going on, the Classe' CA-2100 is superior.

"How does it compare to the [Simaudio] W-7?"

Though the power ratings are close, the Simaudio W-7, at matched levels, will give the music more solidity, more stability and ease within the soundstage. Think back to P.E. I once was running around the track with Mavis. Her hair was in a pony tail, so it swung back and forth, something my short hair was incapable of. But as we kept going, we maintained the same speed, but Mavis seemed to be having an easier time of it. She was huffing and puffing, but my lungs felt like they were chaffing, and I was getting tired...

So if you have a quality system, and switch nothing but the CA-2100 and W-7, play Iron Maiden's "Tailgunner." The W-7 will have an easier way with hammering out this song. If you like to play air guitar, the CA-2100 will, compared to the W-7, put some tension in your forearms.

"What about the [Jeff Rowland] 312?"

First of all, the 312's Cardas posts only accept spades. The CA-2100's WBT posts are angled, so that it is difficult, at best, to use spades. Fortunately, I have some speaker cables with interchangeable connectors.

If you have a large room, and like to listen at loud levels, the 312 never seems to run out of steam. And let's say you have a speaker or subwoofer which can do true deep bass. When I brought the 312 and CA-2100 over to a friend's house, we replaced the Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento with the Totem Wind. With the CA-2100, basslines were awesome, certainly nothing to complain about, no nits to pick. But with the 312 (and Simaudio W-7 above), the same bass seemed to have total disregard for the carpet. The bass just melted, sank, drove into the floor/ground.

"You single handedly brought out the voyeur in all of us. But you(r) latest reviews omitted the sex and nudity. Please bring it (sic) back!"

I use the sex and nudity where appropriate, where they are useful in conveying a point.

In late 1990, I was a college sophomore, living in the dorms. One Saturday morning, I was brushing my teeth next to a guy who was also at the sinks. The dark-haired girl, Emily, walks into the restroom behind me and the other guy. She says good morning, then proceeds to the showers. She starts singing a medley of the era's songs, including Erasure's "Blue Savannah," Winger's "Easy Come Easy Go," Depeche Mode's "Policy Of Truth," and Pet Shop Boys' "Being Boring." Dripping wet, Emily comes out of the shower, twacks me and the guy, walks over to the cubby holes behind us, grabs shampoo, and saunters back to the shower. As she washes her hair, she starts belting out Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight."

The Wright Sound WPA3.5 monoblocks have hard-wired powercords, and only have RCA inputs. Using the Simaudio Andromeda as source, my audio buddy and I tapped the Wireworld Platinum Eclipse cables, and compared the CA-2100 to the WPA3.5. The CA-2100 obviously has more usable control and bandwidth. But the WPA3.5 has an intoxicating ability to preserve the midrange's living, breathing quality.

With the CA-2100, I have an easy time recalling a wet, naked, and smiling Emily. The CA-2100 certainly can belt out "I'm Your Baby Tonight." No, the WPA3.5 can't belt it out like that, but it has a sniffy, organic breath, which makes the music seem less plasticized, and closer to flesh and blood real. The WPA3.5 reminds me of the humid restroom, and of me and the other guy joining Emily in singing "I'm Your Baby Tonight!"

"Doesn't B&W own Classe?"

Sorry, I haven't had the B&W 805S in a couple years. It would have been interesting to see how it partners with my Classe' CDP-102, CP-500, and CA-2100.

Because the CA-2100 is neutral, quiet, competent, and resolving, it does not seem overly biased, in driving the various speakers I have on hand. From the little Gallo A'Diva Ti to the full-range Totem Wind to the exquisite Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento, the CA-2100 just sits humbly, and does its job of transferring signal from preamp to speaker.

"What about the other Classe pieces?"

As I said in my posts, the CA-2100 has proven to be neutral and unbiased. I do not find any special "magic" or "synergy" with the matching CP-500 preamp. Just go out and find a preamp which shares the CA-2100's neutral, self-effacing character. When you make changes to your source components, the CA-2100 will allow you to judge those changes. And of the CDP-102, CP-500, and CA-2100, it is the latter which has found most favor with yours truly. The CDP-102 operates too slowly. There are preamps even more transparent (though usually at a price) than the CP-500. But the CA-2100 is so accomplished at its price point, that I don't feel that itchy urge to bring back my more expensive Jeff Rowland 312 and Simaudio W-7. That is not to say that the CA-2100 is the equal of the 312 and W-7; it is not. But it comes close enough, at a price far less, that I don't lose any sleep over it.

"You're a sick puppy, Lummy. I tried writing a review like yours. It took hours, and it still didn't amount to much. How do you do it?"

Experience. 20 years ago, I was the one with the electric typewriter, cranking out my feelings about audio, and the expense of my homework :-) When you take the time to live with a variety of equipment, you get it. The challenge is that, unlike the stereotype of the fat, middle-aged audiophile, the audience is quite diverse. You're never going to satisfy everyone. Hell, I don't think I satisfy anyone. Each day, I receive e-mails [and some of you are guilty] complaining about something I did, something I didn't do; something I overlooked; something I spent too much time on; something too simple, something too complicated; something too old, something too recent; something I didn't address; something I approached from the wrong angle; something I slighted; something I "unjustly" praised; something I don't have enough experience with; something I have too much experience with; something I photographed; something I didn't take a picture of.

From the time I started writing this review this morning, I have received two e-mails from audiophiles. One is quite good:

"I live in New York. Stop showing pics of sf and hi. Your (sic) making me wanna come out, when i can't."

And the other I get rather frequently:

"John, you and I have been communicating for years. How come you never quote me?"

There, I just did. :-)

Okay, keep those complaints coming. Maybe I'll address some of them in my next review, whenever that may be.

-Lummy The Loch Monster

Product Weakness:	Not much clearance for spades
Product Strengths:	No heat or noise issues; not cable sensitive

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: numerous
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Classe' CP-500, Jeff Rowland Criterion
Sources (CDP/Turntable): numerous
Speakers: numerous
Cables/Interconnects: numerous
Music Used (Genre/Selections): rock, pop, metal, R&B, Hawaiian, dance, rap
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	numerous
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Classe' CP-500, Jeff Rowland Criterion
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	numerous
Speakers:	numerous
Cables/Interconnects:	numerous
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	rock, pop, metal, R&B, Hawaiian, dance, rap
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner