Athens 2013: B&W, Classe
In order to achieve 1200 watts/ 4 Ohms Classe’ implements an active, microprocessor controlled cooling system which keeps the optimal temperature constant no matter what the load is. A bit of an overkill if you ask me, these amps could easily handle the way bigger 800 D’s or just about any other speaker existing.
Sound wise, I think that the B&W group is actually very close (if not there) in providing one of the easiest solutions to pure Hi-End nirvana. You simply cannot go wrong with a speaker-amp combo like this. Listening to “Dark Eyes” (with Yamamoto on the piano, Kagawa on the bass and Osumi playing the drums) through the internal USB DAC I was forcing myself to find some sort of a slight imperfection with no success. This could be your ticket for guaranteed sonic pleasure.