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What set the CAP-100 apart from these other amplifiers was its authority, control, power, and dynamics. I always had the feeling that the…

Description: Integrated amplifier with remote volume control. Inputs: 3 unbalanced line, 1 balanced line, 1 phono (phono input optional; 4 line inputs are available without phono option), 1 tape loop. Power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW), 150Wpc into 4 ohms (18.75dBW). Frequency response: –0.4dB at 20kHz. Input impedance: 33k ohms (unbalanced line), 12k ohms (balanced line), 50 ohms (MC phono), 47k ohms (MM phono). Output impedance: 0.17 ohms. Remote control: Volume up/down, Mute.
Dimensions: 19" W by 5" H by 17" D. Weight: 34 lbs (net).
Serial number…

I ended up with the CAP-100 in my system quite by chance. In January, I was in Classé's room at CES getting the story on their $1995 CDP-.5 CD player for my CES report, when Classé's Mike Viglas started to tell me about their new CAP-100. It struck me that the CAP-100 might be a good amplifier to use with the $3990 Diapason Adamantes II loudspeakers I was about to audition for a Follow-Up report (see the June 1997 Stereophile). The only other amplifiers on hand were lower-powered British integrateds, which might not have realized the potential of the Adamantes…

As much as I liked the CAP-100, I'll still recommend the Rotel, Linn, and Audio Note integrated amplifiers...but for different systems. If your budget prevents you from spending $2000 on an integrated amplifier, the Linn Majik ($1095, $1195 with phono, reviewed in December 1996, Vol.19 No.12) is a top choice. The Majik proved itself musical and involving over the long term. Just be sure to match the Majik with loudspeakers that aren't too demanding (Linn's $799 Tukan is a good choice). I spent a lot of enjoyable hours…

The CAP-100 ran cool not only while playing in my listening room, but also when run at 1/3 rated power into 8 ohms. I could easily keep my hand on the chassis top.

The line input impedance measured 33k ohms (unbalanced) and 12k ohms (balanced), exactly as specified. The phono input measured 160 ohms in the moving-coil position, more than triple the 50 ohm specification. The CAP-100 doesn't invert polarity from its line inputs to loudspeaker outputs. DC offset at the loudspeaker terminals measured 2.4mV (left channel) and 10.2mV (right). Volume-control…

It saddens me to announce that this issue, containing his review of the Classé CAP-100 integrated amplifier, is the last to which Robert Harley, one of Stereophile's two Consulting Technical Editors, will contribute. Bob joined us in May 1989—he had previously worked at a CD mastering house—and rapidly established himself as one of the leading reviewers of digital equipment in the US. His essay on why double-blind listening tests are not necessarily the best way to uncover subjectively important differences between components ("The Listeners' Manifesto," January…

I was talking with John Atkinson on the phone about surround-sound audio formats, and he was telling me about a Manhattan presentation run in parallel with Home Entertainment 2001 in May. In remixing the Van Morrison catalog for DVD-Audio release, veteran producer Elliot Scheiner had demonstrated how in some songs, such as "It Stoned Me," he placed the drum tracks in the rear channels. Unfortunately, this little example of revisionist mixing might become the multichannel norm if record labels don't get a grip on how and why music was…

One problem…

Description: Air-bearing, linear-tracking tonearm. VTA continuously adjustable during play. Optimal cartridge weight: <9gm.
Dimensions: Effective length: 184mm. Effective arm mass: 13gm vertical. Weight: 4.5 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: Not noted.
Price: $8000. Approximate number of dealers: 15.
Manufacturer: Kuzma Ltd., Hotemaze 17/a, SI-4205 Preddvor, Slovenia. Tel: (386) 4-253-54-50. Fax: (386) 4-253-54-54. US distributor: TheMusic.com, 1027 N. Orange Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038. Tel: (323) 466-9694, x22. Fax: (323) 466-1437. Web: www.…