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

But I will still pay up for Bryston and SimAudio. I have Anthem and Sonic Frontiers components and also a pair of Axiom floor-standers, all Canadian made ...

 

And the Classe Delta series I mentioned were made in Canada, so whats your point? Sounds like now maybe they will utilize a Japanese factory, which is also reportedly high quality.

 

BTW, where do you think nearly all of the electrical components are made that are going into these components, even McIntosh? Yes they make their own transformers, and chassis. But do you think they make their own capacitors, resistors etc? And I love Mcintosh, not a knock at all.

 

I am primarily concerned with the final product, which is the value-added product. Most of my Japanese made audio components are still working well after thirty years ...

 

I'm so glad to hear that Classè will still be doing their thing! I kept my trusty old CAV-75 (6x75) amp because I just couldn't bring myself to selling it. It's been collecting dust for about 5-6 years. Just need the motivation to build a new surround setup in my bedroom or office.

 

This is good news for existing Classe owners and also for Sound United. as they gain a high end brand . Nice to see Classe continue on, and optimism in the air.

 

They get their circuit boards made here too and it's all assembled here. That's a lot of American jobs.

 

Wow I didn't know that .. Interesting .. Well now he will have plenty of time to make the company even better ! Keep churning out good sounding pieces Darrell!

 

That’s great. I’m not knocking Mc. The point is, it’s a global economy, even “American made” still means in part “made somewhere else”. So, the more important factors are, what is the companies reputation and commitment to their customers? In the case of ClassÈ and Mcintosh it has been pretty damn good.

 

Sorry, but just because I buy pepperoni from Italy doesn't mean the pizza I'm making for dinner tonight is any less American made.

 

Not sure where to begin with this analogy. The point some people seem to continuously need to make is a fixation in what is written on the back of the component re: where it’s made. I fully support Mcintosh and other American companies. I own their gear and make a point of supporting companies that I respect. Bob’s SUT that I just recently acquired is another great example of fantastic American made products. Great products are coming from all over the place, as well as ****ty ones.

 

I was looking for a piece of gear and always thought Classe was a good brand but the more and more I read the worse and worse the brand sounded in terms of reliability and CS.

Let them RIP

 

Japan, of course, is where quality control was first taken seriously. Ironic, in that its theory was developed in America but largely ignored. Its most famous proponent, Edwards Deming, is often given much of the credit for the rise of the Japanese economy after WW2. Still, I remember the time in the US when Japanese cars, new to the market, were looked at skeptically and were rumored to be made from recycled soup cans. I also remember the time when "Made in Japan" was an indicator of mediocre quality. Not today, and not for a long time.

Concerning North American quality: As a child and young man, I bought and tried to assemble various inexpensive prefab metal products made in the USA -- shelving, barbecues, and such. I bitterly remember the stripped threads, missing or mismatched hardware, holes that didn't line up, and unstable product when finished. Was that poor quality representative of McIntosh Labs gear, also made in the USA? Of course not! Different products, with different quality levels and different pricing pressures in the market.

I think it's wrong to assume that everything made in China lacks quality control. It depends on the criteria established by the customer. I can say that the CP-800 in my equipment rack is beautifully constructed and has worked flawlessly since I bought it. In fit, finish, and function, it's in no way inferior to other high-end electronics I've bought (and better than many). The Auralic Aries has never failed me, either.

I've got gear made in China, the USA, Canada, Germany, and England. It's all wonderful. A company's standards and reputation are important to me, not where the gear is made.

 

Horse pucky Mike. My DR6 and SEVENTY have never required anything other than a terminal cleaning in the last 20 years and the 10 years prior to my ownership.

 

With regards to McIntosh mentioned earlier, while they are still made in the U.S.A., they now label their gear as having imported parts.



That’s the way it is fellas. Choose your poison, assembled in the U.S. with some imported parts, or assembled elsewhere with those same parts. It’s unavoidable. You’re not getting anything built 100% in-house anymore.

 

Glad to hear this news! A Classé CA-100 was the first new "audiophile" amplifier I purchased...and I enjoyed it for quite some time before getting the bug to explore other designs from other companies.

Since we're talking a lot about where parts are sourced and where products are assembled, let's not forget our friends at Schiit Audio (from their site):

"And—it bears mentioning—we believe that close-coupled, local control of all of the aspects of production delivers better products. That's why we design and produce our stuff here in the USA, with the vast majority of parts cost going to US-based companies manufacturing in the US. We need all of that clarification in there because some people have played games with what "Made in USA" means. When we say it, it means that our chassis guys are right over the hill in the San Fernando Valley, our transformers are made here in California, our boards come from the east coast (of the USA), and we design, assemble, and test everything here in Valencia, California."

I look forward to seeing what products Classé rolls out in 2018 and beyond!

 

I am fine with some foreign-sourced parts but still prefer my audio components to be North American made ...

 

I forgot to include my Marsh Sound Design A400s amplifier, designed in Corte Madera, California, but assembled in Thailand.

 

All the negative stuff about Classe is frustrating. Assertions that they were average products are absurd. The MA-600 was the sonic equal of the several pure class-A MOSFET power amps, from Accuphase, Luxman, and Pass, I've owned over the years. I just didn't like the fans even though they weren't intrusive in use, and the thermal stability they provided was a good engineering feature.

I've owned multiple amps and processors over the years: CT-SSP, SSP-300, MA-600, and still own the MA-5100. They were all reliable and very well made. The MA-600 units were made in China, but didn't seem any different from my Canadian made pieces. I'm glad to hear they are still available.

 

So according to the article below, Classe is actually owned by an American company, which bought out B&W and is the owner of Classe ...

Bowers & Wilkins sold to Silicon Valley start-up for undisclosed sum

 

Your link is 2 years and few months old!

 

But is it fake news by now?

 

I read updated news in this thread, like Classe Audio Revived! (Classe NOT closing it's doors on October 6 . See Post #38)*
I don't know what happened in the last six months, though.

 

I hear you. If B&W has owned Classe over two years ago, how did Classe go bankrupt after that? Was it so far gone that B&W allowed it to file for bankruptcy just to reorganize. Not clear!