Mr. K strikes again!! I must stop him! How can this nut post his Neg. CAP-80 review in the reviews for A totally Diff. Product. The CAP-101 is not the CAP-80 MR. K. It''s a step up the ladder! I suggest you listen 1st . What a nut!

Dynamics and detail, Bass, Overall tone, build quality

Cannot seperate amp from pre-amp.

After having owned a used Cap 150 for a while I was afraid that the Cap 101 would be a major step down in terms of dynamics and detail. Quite honestly, in my system it isn''t at all. In fact with my standmount JMLabs female voices sound even sweeter in some ways. In my quest for an integrated under $2000.00 Canadian dollars I listened to the Rega Mira, MF A3, Audio Analogue Puccini, Audio Refinement, Atoll, Creek 5350SE, Linn Majik, Bryston B-60, Nad and Arcam Diva and FMJ series. Of all the integrateds that I listened to only the Mira and the Creek made me doubt my decision to go with the Cap 101. The Mira finally lost out due to power and dynamics and the Creek just didn''t have the overall tonal richness, pace and low end presence of the Cap 101. I felt they were both fabulous integrateds though and would have settled on either one if I did not get such a good deal on the Classe. I have had experience with Classe service (a very long story) and can testify to their patience and professionalism. The build quality by the way is excellent. As a relatively low cost high end system I am very satisfied. This amp makes long listening a true pleasure. In fact it''s hard to appreciate silence anymore.a

Soundstage, overall tone, pace and power, build and service

Can''t seperate amp and pre-amp sections.

Excellent integrated amp. Having owned the Cap 150 for a short time I thought this amp might be a big step down in terms of power and sound quality. It isn''t at all. The amp has almost the exact same audio signature as the Cap 150 and in many ways sounds much sweeter with smaller ensembles and female voices. I have found no audible sound degredation due to the full remote functions and the amp is perfectly silent. This seems to be an iffy point as I have heard some Classe amps that made quite a bit of noise on start up and when the volume is raised to maximum. This model is fabulously silent. In my search for an integrated I listened to Rega Mira, MF A3, Creek 5350SE, Bryston B-60, Arcam Diva and FMJ series. In my subjective opinion, the Classe supplies a richness and sense of subtlety and power that most of the others lack. It is not overly analytical nor does it wash all sounds into a solid soundscape. It is very easy to follow all orchestra sections or individual instruments. Very easy to listen to for a long time. After having read others who criticize this model I was a little wary of it. Right now I have no idea what the critics are talking about. This is a great and fairly affordable integrated amp. The price mentioned above is in canadian dollars. Sony transport MSB LINK DAC III JMLab Megane Carat Classe Cap 101 Siltech interconnects VDH C122 speaker wiree

Incredible sound, well built.

None.

I have been in the market for a reasonably priced two channel system for my living room for some time now and I have concluded that the best approach is with an integrated amp. I looked at a number of units and did some direct comparisons. I listened to Krell, Rotel, Arcam and Classe. On their own they all sounded good but when I did direct A-B comparisons there were some obvious differences. The Classe CAP-101 was far better sounding than the Arcam (A85) and sounded a little nicer in the mids than the Rotel. The Classe''s mid range is incredible and it has a high end that is not overly harsh (my only criticism of the Krell). I have had the system for 2 months now and I just love the sound. I am using the B&W 605 S2 speakers and this combination performs very well. The vocals are especially sweet. This seems to be a very well built piece of equipment and I have no problems recommending it. By the way, the posted price is in Canadian dollars which means it would be around $1000.00 U.S.

Similar Products Used:

Harmon Kardon recievers, Marantz recievers, Rotel pre/pro with Rotel power amps.

Snap, speed, control, musicality, transparency

Could lack body with some speakers

I don't own CAP-101 (yet), so my experience is based on
three days of home audition. I am slowly assembling
a small office system that is a dedicated two-channel
(as a programmer, I work long hours with the computer).
I have Dennon AVR3300 in my home theater system (in the
living room), so this second one is purely for
music pleasure, in a small 12'x9'x8' room.

I started with some old junk (Arcam Alpha 3 integrated, Micromega Junior CD, Denon TU-380RD tuner) thinking
that it can do the job. To complete it, I first bought
B&W 601 S2 speakers and some complementing stands.

Although the sound was respectable (certanly better
than some receiver/changer combination), I desired more.
When my 3-year old son made dimples in both tweeters
(oddly enough, 601 S2 do not have any wire mash to
protect the tweeters), I used is as an excuse to
trade them in for B&W CDM1 SE. For the first couple
of days, I enjoyed the improvement in sound, but soon
I started to realise that the amp is not doing
the speakers justice - the bass was not well defined,
it was slow, the highs were a bit edgy, the sound
could become harsh etc.

Over the period of several months, I borrowed
several good-quality amplifiers for home audition.
Linn Majik was apparently better - the bass had
more solidity, the hardness and edge disappeared etc.
However, it was a bit cold, I was missing some
warmth, some musicality. It was also a bit laid-back,
and it seemed as though it didn't control the
speaker with ease and speed.

The next amp was Audio Analogue Pucinni (standard edition).
It had a lot of warmth and harmonic richness, but
lacked transparency and light. Its bass was also
a bit slow, a bit round and not very well defined.
Again, it was way better than my old Arcam, but
it still was not 'it'.

Bryston B60 took much more control of the CDM1 SE.
It was a good combination, but something was still
missing. It looks like B60 favors midbass. CDM1 also
has a little bump in mid/upper bass (the usual trick
of mini-monitors to make them look bigger than they
really are). Add some mid-bass mode in my small
room, and the result was too much of a good thing.
Bryston was also a bit laid back and lacked
richness (similar to Linn Majik, although with
more power and authority - probably good for
rock music, but I wanted an all-rounder).

Finally, Classe CAP-101. Initially, I was not hopefull.
It was a brand-new amp, so out of the box it sounded
light, with no body and authority. However, as
the amp was breaking in, I realised that it is
very, very fast and has firm control of the
speakers. No more slow bass, no more mid-bass
bump. It was lighter on its feet than B60 or Linn Majik,
but it was not as cold and 'white'. It has
the combination I was looking for: a musical and
warm amplifier that does not sound rolled-off
or slow as a trade-off. For example, Diana Krall's
'All or nothing at all' opening bass had
great speed, snap and no overhang. Santana 'Supernatural'
was a treat - British mag's "rhytm & pace" - nothing
to slow you down.

I stopped borrowing amps - now I am saving for
the Classe. I didn't try CAP-151 - I assume it
would be even better, but for my small room 2x100W is
more than needed. I am actually never coming near
its limits (I normally listen to music as I work,
and I measered it at 65-70dB),
but it looks like extra power reserve in CAP-101
contributes to transient speed, bass snap and
absolute woofer control even at low levels.

In Canada, CAP-101 is a particularly good value
(could be found for $1800-1900 CND).

Similar Products Used:

Bryston B60, Audio Analogue Pucinni, Linn Majik

looks, construction quality, reputation

sound quality (in terms of price/peformance), overrated reputation

I'm writing this review assuming that CAP 101 is the same as CAP 80 except their difference in face plate (Thanks a customer service person at Classe Audio for this infomation). Sorry if I am mistaken, but even so, I think I am still telling you a good news (or bad news) either way. The following is a reprint of my recent review for CAP 80 here at www.audioreview.com.

[After selling CAP 80,] I recently got Alesis RA 100 reference amp (2x50w into 8 ohm) for about $170 and Nikko Alpha II (2x100w into 8 ohm) for about $120. CAP 80 is obviously inferior to both in all respects except its brand name. Given that you can get a nice preamp such PS Audio 4.0~6.0 for under $200, I strongly wonder why you still want to get this amp unless you just want to give it a try. I recommend that you think again and do more research if you want this if you want to buy wise.

I will never say I'm an audiophile, but I'm such an audio nuts who own or has owned the following gear, usually spending most of his spare time checking a heck a lot of variety of configurations to see what effect will come about. Also, I'm omnivorous musically.

AMP: Audio Innovations Alto (very impressive), Creek 4040s2 (nice), Harman/Kardon PM625 (mediocre), NAD 310 (more than average), Rega Elex (worked for just a minutes, but sounded impressive)

PREAMP: PS Audio IV (or IV h) (has active and passive modes), 4.6 (has active and passive modes), Yamaha Master Volume Selector MVS-1 (passive only)

CD PLAYER: Roksan Kandy KC-1 (nice), Rotel RCD 955AX (nice), Yamaha CDX 550 (okay)

INTERCONNECT: Ixos Broze, MIT Terminator 6.

SPEAKER: Mission 771 (or 771e) (more than average), 773e (fabulous), Rega Model 2 (less known, but sound awesome), Cabasse Galite (very distinctive), Dahlquist PDQ 200 (mediocre), BIC America DV 52si with Ed Frias's modification on cross-overs (outstanding, you should give a listen if you think yourself an audiophile).

SPEAKER CABLE: Audioquest Type 2+, MIT Terminator 5, QED Silver Anniversary (impressive), Monster Cable, Radio Shack Mega Cables (12, 14, 16 gauge).

SPEAKER STAND: 24" wooden, 24" metal, 30" metal, 38" metal.

Similar Products Used:

Alesis RA 100 (and maybe RA 150, 300), Nikko Alpha II (and maybe, III, 230)

Good, clean power, RCA and balanced input. A push of a button makes this a preamp. Elegant yet sturdy design.

Cheap RCA input plugs on rear. They pop off as easy as if it were some crappy Aiwa rig.

I purchased this unit slightly used after several months of research. I wanted a power unit to drive my new B&W Nautilus 804s, but especially wanted a quality power unit. The CAP 101 provides 100 continuous watts per channel, yet its brushed aluminum good looks allow it a spot in the living room. It's not a hulking monster. The 101 drives my Nautilus speakers with ease and power to spare. The 804s are often criticized for weak bass, but the bass I'm hearing with the Classe is tremendous. The soundstage is wide, the highs are clear. When I turn up the volume, music doesn't distort, it just gets louder. I thought about purchasing a CAP 151, but figured if I want more power at some point, I can plug in a 200WPC amp and use the 101 as a preamp, which is a nice option to have. This unit lists for $1,500 US new. Would I pay that much for an integrated amp? No. But in the $900 or $1,000 range, the CAP-101 is quite a value, and my rating reflects that.

Associated equipment
Nautilus 804s
DH Labs Q-10 biwired
California Audio Labs Icon Mk II

Similar Products Used:

None

fast,dynamic,smooth,warm,built realy well

none at this price point

first off this integrated amp is excelent.
very smooth and realy dynamic and an absolute
joy to listen to.the highs are crisp but not
overly bright.the mids so smooth and the vocals
just seem to pour out with sutch emotion.
and the bass is tight and honest not overly exagerated
and bloated.
the build quality is excelent and the remote
is aadded bonus and built as good as the rest of the amp.

if you love jazz and classical and well recorded rock
you will love this integrated amp.

Similar Products Used:

audio analog puccini se,nad,anthem,musical fidelity.

powerfull but soft, esthetic, user friendly

I recently changed from a Cyrus 3(+PSX-R power supply) to a Classé CAP-101 because I also changed from Mission 753 speaker to Martin Logan SL3 witch needs more power and deserve much more power and better bass.

I must admit the sound is, in my opinion, better than anything I hoped. Even better than what I heard with a Krell kav300i (but the better side with the Krell is linked to my taste: I really love voices with real presence and not too much violence).

The best surprise was with the bass: precise, full, really good.
The second one was the medium (even if I anticipated it because of Classé reputation): perfect (certainly linked with the speakers).
The stereo imaging is perfect (still certainly linked with the speakers), wide but realistic, deep but the size of the room.

There are just two small weaknesses: the eye for the remote control cannot be touched when you are more than 45° left (because of the black panel) and the machine can't stand to be moved when operating (the controls stop working, the fuses blow or things like that if you move it too violently). To be honest, normal people usually listen in front of the amp. an don't move it as listening...

I rated it 4* for value only because in France, it's a bit overpriced ("Currency Exchange Rate !").

system:
Teac VRDS-25 CD player
Classé CAP-101 integrated amplifier
Martin Logan SL3 speakers
Monster interlink junior interconnects
Supra speaker cable