Classe Audio Revived! (Classe NOT closing it's doors on October 6 . See Post #38)*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Threshold, Sep 28, 2017.

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  1. Threshold

    Threshold Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Manchester NH
    According to the article on Strata-gee.com Classe will be closing October 6. The parent company has pulled the plug on operations. All warranties will be handled by B&W New England for North American consumers.
     
  2. Bubbamike

    Bubbamike Forum Resident

  3. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

  4. timind

    timind phorum rezident

  5. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    No shocker. Classe has been dead for the last few years.
     
  6. Threshold

    Threshold Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Manchester NH
    They are taking a bath on the inventory of parts. If they can't send them back they'll have to destroy almost a million dollars worth of inventory.
     
  7. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Nobody destroys inventory anymore. A liquidator will shop the finished product inventory around to various other electronics companies (in the UK and in China, among other places), after B&W cherry-picks what it needs for service and warranty replacements and parts from the manufacturing and service inventory for repairs. The balance of the finished product inventory will find its way to jobbers and auction houses after the remains of the dealer network purchase whatever they want at pennies on the dollar. There'll shortly be some great deals on the Classe products.
     
  8. heyMo

    heyMo Forum Resident

    Location:
    LKN west, NC
    Always thought they made a good product. Hate to see them go.
     
    Litejazz53 and chacha like this.
  9. Clay B

    Clay B Forum Resident

    Not a surprise at all. Average product with very un-average prices and then they moved some production to China but kept the agressive pricing. Not the sharpest tools in the shed.
     
    SandAndGlass, AaronW, ls35a and 3 others like this.
  10. Clay B

    Clay B Forum Resident

    You're absolutely correct about making a good product at one time. Just not recently.
     
  11. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    B&W group was acquired by a Silicon Valley company about a year ago. This is part of the fallout. I wonder what happens to Rotel and B&W now.
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  12. B&W is doing great and Just released a new line of mid level speakers redesigned with improvements from their higher lines. .
     
    heyMo likes this.
  13. SquishySounds

    SquishySounds Yo mama so fat Thanos had to snap twice.

    Location:
    New York
    Holy Poop. I remember when Classé was seen as the Rolls-Royce of audio and everyone who’s anyone in Hollywood had their Classé amps hooked to their Runco projectors in their Laserdisc “screening room”
     
  14. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I believe the beginning of the end for Classe was this move from 6 years ago - Classe might be moving production to China

    Before the move, they also increased prices significantly. That did not sit well with many. The once very active Classe section on the HTGuide forum became a ghost town after that. It literally died. That used to be a place where even Dave Nauber, the President of Classe was active and would interact with Classe owners. I saw barely used Classe gear unable to move on Audiogon for over 50% of retail. My local dealer couldn't sell them. No one was buying.
     
  15. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    This is sad to hear. They made some really nice sounding SS amps in years past. My little Classe 70 has been my backup as well as my hot-weather amp for nearly 20 years.
     
    Dave likes this.
  16. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    +1
     
    btf1980 likes this.
  17. Threshold

    Threshold Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Manchester NH
    Rotel by the way is completely unaffected. They only have an agreement w/B&W to distribute through their network. Rotel is owned separately.
     
    heyMo, timind and btf1980 like this.
  18. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    It is always a bit of sad news to hear about a company closing up. They made decent products, stuff that is better than some other companies that still exist and appear to do so by living off hype and undeserved reputation. I wish it were the case that companies that die are making room for something new, but, with high end audio gear, it is more likely that the market is just shrinking as audiophiles die of old age.
     
  19. Cliff

    Cliff Magic Carpet Man

    Location:
    Northern CA
    Sad news. I had a pair of Classe amps about 15 years ago. Always loved their sound signature.
     
    Dave likes this.
  20. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Sorry to hear. I had a pre amp of theirs around 20 years ago. Was a great piece of gear.
     
    Dave likes this.
  21. Ski Bum

    Ski Bum Happy Audiophile

    Location:
    Vail, CO
    I had an expensive Classe surround sound processor/multi-channel pre-amp. It was not reliable -- and it was built shortly before the transfer of manufacturing to China.
     
  22. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    By the time Classe' got around to offering multi-channel their quality was already in decline by the mid-90's. You have to step back from before these and CDP's were made by them to get the legendary understanding. Like @TarnishedEars mentions the Seventy. It was one of the last good SS amps by Classe' in the 90's.

    My DR-6 will have to be pried out of my dead hands.
     
    SandAndGlass and TarnishedEars like this.
  23. Ski Bum

    Ski Bum Happy Audiophile

    Location:
    Vail, CO
    I respectfully decline the invitation :)
     
    TarnishedEars and Dave like this.
  24. Catcher10

    Catcher10 I like records, and Prog...duh

    Self cleaning of the industry
     
    AmericanHIFI, Blair G. and Art K like this.
  25. dirtymac

    dirtymac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Exile, MN
    its
     
    Balthazar likes this.
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