This amp is great all around, no complaints. I don't know what retail is but I saw it for $1350. I have not personally seen anything, currently, that will beat it for sound quality and power. The remote is very heavy and solid feeling. Nice to see someone make a remote that is not a cheap piece of plastic.
Sound: 5
Power: 5
Value: 3 (I would rather pay $1100 for an Acurus DIA100, discontinued...)
build: 5

looks, construction quality

sound quality, measured as price/performance

This is a follow up of my review below. 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.

Similar Products Used:

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

efficiency, solid construction, and maybe outlook?

low price/peformance

hmmm, CAP 80 could be a nice amp, but it would be just for very expensive speakers that i couldn't try, let alone affording. in my "budget" systems, it didn't sound really good. yes, Cabasse Galiote monitors sounded very nice with it, and Rega Model 2 sounded pretty nice, also. but it didn't so nice a job for Aegis 3 (Acoustic Energy), Mission 771e.

my overall impression is that CAP 80 is very choosy for speakers in that it does a nice COLORATION to certain kinds of music at expense of the lack of (harshy) highs which i believe contribute to a realistic reproduction and provide a good sound stage. this point is clear from the fact that it sounded very nice with Galiote, pretty "harshy" speakers, and sounded aweful with Aegis 3, pretty smoothness-oriented speakers. i want to add that CAP 80 provided pretty nice mid and bass.

from my restricted experiments in "budget" configurations, i don't think CAP 80 provides so nice sound quality, at least in terms of price/performance. its imaging was clearly inferior to such budget amps as Audio Innovations Alto and Rega Elex which i was able to compare it with. actually, i sold my CAP 80 because i concluded it didn't deserve keeping with $625 spent on it.

my conclusion is that CAP 80 is a banal product overly priced. so, 3 for value and 3 for overall rating

Similar Products Used:

Audio Innovations Alto, Rega Elex

Great sounding integrated amp for the money.

Q, what's wrong with you? First off, that thump you probably heard was not related to the intergrated amp. It was most likely the CD player or something related to electrical power. It could have been defective, but I highly doubt it. Second, it is apparent from your "review" that you know nothing about high-end audio. Very few high-end preamps/integrated amps have balance controls. Third, most good preamps do have a countdown during warmup; this is a protection precaution. Fourth, I have no idea what you mean by "noisy specs." Fifth, that "ugly" remote is made of machined aluminum and probably costs more than the integrated amp you bought. Sixth, the volume control is very sensitive because it is very different from the AIWA mini-system you are currently using. Before you bash a product, it might be a good idea to know what you're talking about.

The Classe CAP-80 is a great integrated amp and easily worth its price.

I recently home-auditioned the CAP-80 against the Bryston B-60. I must admit, my hearing isn't quite up to audiophile standards, but both units sounded the same to me. I listened to Jazz, Classical, and Classic Rock for hours on both units, finally concluding there was little or no distinguishable difference. So I considered other factors:
* Bryston's 20-yr warranty
* Dealer price almost the same on both units
* The annoying 30 sec countdown each time the CAP-80 is powered up
* The annoying multi-revolution volume control on the CAP-80
* Volume-to-zero each time the CAP-80 is turned off, the on again

It was a tough decision; both units produce some beautiful music! But there's a low-profile Bryston sitting on my rack at home today.

Actually Glenn, most good Pre-amps and Integrateds DO have a balance control (No bass or treble though). The thump was definately from the amp, not a CD player (who knows about high-end audio here?). I agree with Max, the Bryston and the Cap-80 sound very similar. I chose the Bryston also. Sounds great, looks cool. (20 year warranty not bad either)
I ,however, believe the Classe' is a 5 star amp too.

And to Brad's "Value: 3 (I'm an average guy and can't justify ANY amp at $1350.00.)" statement.

Get real, I can't justify spending less than that if you can afford it.

I upgraded from all separates: NAD pre-amp and TWO NAD 214 Amplifiers run bridged mono (240 watts @ 8 ohms!) Cost $1700 (retail, only $750 used or B-stock), and not nearly as musical as a lower powered Bryston or Classe.

This amp is rythmically agile and tracks musical transients with both speed and clarity. Out of the box it sounded punchy and dynamic, nevertheless, it lacked the relaxed, elegant bloom of the more expensive and powerful CAP 150. I have tried the amp with a number of speakers. The CAP 80 requires more careful matching than is the case with the CAP 150. Namely, the CAP 80 can sound bright in the mids on some speakers (B&W cdm 1SE, 805 N, for example). On other speakers, such as thiel CS.5 and the CS 1.5, the balance is, to my ears, detailed, authentic and smooth. Other speakers that worked particularly well included the B&W DM 302 (great sound on the cheap), the magnaplanar MMG and the Maggie 1.6QR. Those of you who like the B&W Nautilus series would do well to try the CAP 150 (beautiful match). I have not heard the CAP 150 on the Thiels, but the CAP 80 shines with the CS.5 and the CS 1.5. I was about to sell my CAP 80 when a gentleman on this forum recommended that I first try the CAP 80 and the Thiels. He was right, there is some kind of synergy going on here, the combination is beautifully balanced and the the CAP 80 has legitimate low end sock. I have not heard the Audio Refinement complete, but I can say that the CAP 80 has driven every speaker I've tried it with to painfully loud levels. The Thiel CS.5 sounds both detailed and bloomy on the CAP 80. On the 3 ohm CS 1.5, the unit gets hot, and sounds great in the process. The more you turn up the volumn, the more the speakers slam around. I listen mostly to jazz, nevertheless, this amp does hip-hop tunes like nothing else I've heard. My friends and family love it for that reason. When I'm not listening to Coltrane, my girlfriend is playing gospel choirs, or we are all dancing to TLC. The amp sounds good across a broad range of music (Tchaikovsky on Naxos sounds great).
My system is in use for a couple of hours a day, nearly each day of the week. The CAP 80 is well built and attractive. The turn on/off thumb is barely audible on my system, even when using the 91 db rated DM 302. The twenty second count down was annoying at first, but I soon adjusted to it (come on guys, pull out a damn cd during the wait). The volumn control, at first discomforting, soon became addictive. I love those half db steps and the visual display; moreover, subtle adjustments in volumn are easily made and repeated to good effect. The remote seems indestructable. Recently, I stepped on one to no apparent effect.

extraordinary sound and build quality for the price. Definitely not the best out there (if price is no object) but gives one a glimpse of true high end. Love that chunky aluminum remote. It's so good that I may want to add a CA-100 to bi-amp my Avalon Monitors.

I'm not an audio guru, but I recently spent a long day with this integrated amp and I must say that I was impressed. Although I ended up ordering a CAP 150, it was only because I wanted more power for my Magneplaner speakers. The 80 drove them quite well, but I may be upgrading to a bigger pair and the listening level concerned me.
With the right hardware, its hard to fault this piece. Construction quality is simply outstanding. Sound is never harsh with the CAP 80, and there is excellent "clarity". Overall, I guess I'd say it has a very refined sound. I drove both Sonus Faber Concertinos and Magneplaner MMG's with excellend results. Great bass and depth on both speakers. Clean highs and great mids. Still not sure which speakers I liked more:-) I never heard the "power on thump" as others here have described. The CAP 80 behaved well at all times. I should also mention the sweet remote.

Complaint department: Not thrilled with the "power up countdown". I'm sure that there is a good explaination, but it irritated me none the less :-)

There are, without doubt, better amps out there, but at this price point I feel it excels. $1395 is not really a lot of money to spend on quality electronics.

As always, listen for yourself. Take a look at the Plinius pices (more money but killer reviews) and the Bryston stuff. All have a slightly different sound, but they're all good. And have fun :-)

For pure performance, I'd say a 4.25 (5 being the ultimate sound)
For price performance, I'd give it a 5. We'll round to five :-)

Related Gear:

Classe CDP .3 CD Player
NAD 412 Tuner
NAD 514 CD Player
Straightwire Quartet speaker cable
Cheap, "off the roll" speaker cable
Magneplaner MMG speakers
Sonus Faber Concertino speakers