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Hand on heart, I have to say that I was not totally knocked out by the Classé CA-200. Still, I judged it to be a very worthy performer. In the CA-200’s favor is its ability to do almost everything pretty well: drive capability, healthy maximum power, a smooth and sweetly balanced neutrality, fine stereo, strong bass, and an airy, sparkling treble. Clarity and transparency are also high on the list, together with those spacious, well-dimensioned stereo images. It will acquit itself well on quieter, more restrained systems; on my Krell/Naim/Wilson/Linn system it sounded a little too restrained to get top billing. These days, the best power amplifiers are very good indeed; competition is tough.
The CA-200 is a well-built, well-engineered, load-tolerant amplifier with a nice sound; it offers generally good sonic as well as engineering value. At its realistic price, all of this certainly qualifies it for a Class B ranking in Stereophile‘s “Recommended Components”—in context, a good result for price and specification.
Specifications
Description: Two-channel solid-state power amplifier.
Rated output power:
200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW),
400W into 4 ohms (23dBW);
wired for mono operation, 700W into 8 ohms (28.45dBW),
1200W into 4 ohms (27.8dBW).
Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, –0.1dB.
Input sensitivity: 1.3V for rated output.
Input impedance: 75k ohms.
Output impedance: 0.017 ohms.
Voltage gain: 2902dB.
S/N ratio: 135dBr (no reference level quoted).
THD+Noise: 0.004% (no reference level quoted).
Power consumption: 200W (idle).