CLASSÉ TO RELAUNCH AT MUNICH HIGH END SHOW

Posted on 2nd April, 2019
CLASSÉ TO RELAUNCH AT MUNICH HIGH END SHOW

Classé, the Canadian audio company founded in 1980 and lauded by enthusiasts for decades found itself orphaned and without ownership when Silicon Valley's EVA Automation acquired parent company B&W Group in 2017.

Announcing its imminent closure in July 2017, and despite reported interest but an unsuccessful acquisition of the brand from other companies, CE powerhouse Sound United eventually emerged as the lifeline.

Following the buyout of D+M Group earlier in 2017, Sound United also owns brands including Denon, HEOS, Marantz, Boston Acoustics, as well as Definitive Technology and Polk Audio. 

The good news is that Classé has regrouped, and will launch three new products at High End show in Munich, Germany in May this year.

The new Delta series includes the Delta MONO, Delta STEREO and Delta PRE, all manufactured in Sound United's Shirakawa Audio Works factory in Japan.

Delta PRE

Classe Delta PRE

Classé Delta PRE is a one-box stereo pre-amplifier/DAC featuring USB A/B inputs, Ethernet, AES/EBU, Coax, Optical, Balanced and Single-ended analog, plus a built-in MM/MC Phono stage. 

It also features subwoofer output(s) w/gain and phase control, a 5-band parametric EQ per channel, and Tone Controls with Tilt and adj. Freq.

There's also a 4 x 1 HDMI switching module available to accommodate systems with AV sources.

The Delta PRE uses touchscreen control that enables a high degree of customisation which according to the company, remains simple and intuitive for everyday use. Control apps for iOS and Android devices and IP control also provide ease and flexibility of operation from the listening chair.

Delta STEREO

Classe Delta STEREO

Classé Delta STEREO, as the name suggests is a 2-channel power amplifier offering 250 watts per channel (Class A/B) and 12 watts per channel (Class A).

Delta MONO

Classé Delta MONO takes amplification to the next level offering 300 watts into one channel (Class A/B) and 30 watts into one channel (Class A).

Both amplifiers feature a new linear supply and audio circuitry using Lateral MOSFET outputs, and according to the company "are designed to take control of even the most difficult loudspeaker, effortlessly making it sound exactly as it should."

A company spokesperson added:

Amplifiers don’t make small signals grow large, they make large copies of small signals. Carefully handling the delicate input signal and using it to control successive amplification stages, Delta series amplifiers preserve the subtle nuance of a recording without adding their own character to the sound. If you want to know how it sounds, you could say it sounds like music.

Both amplifiers feature Furutech Rhodium-plated RCA and Torque Guard speaker binding posts, and thanks to Navcom isolation feet, "absorb vibration while supporting this amplifier’s weight".

Optional rack mount kits are available for pro and commercial applications.

Looks matter according to Classé and we agree. The Delta series has been a facelift and sports an 'Architectural Grey' and black finish, large air intake and front panel VU meters. The look is stealth yet bold and stylish.

If this new release is just a preview of what's to come from a reinvigorated Japanese built Classé, then we're just as keen to see what else is on the brand's roadmap.

Classé will exhibit in Atrium 4.1, Room F112 at this year’s High End Show, Germany, and course StereoNET will be on hand for a closer look.

Pricing and availability in Australia and New Zealand have not yet been announced.

For more information visit Classé Audio.

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Marc Rushton's avatar
Marc Rushton

StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.

Posted in: Hi-Fi

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