London’s Abbey Road Studios, inseparably associated with The Beatles’ greatest recordings and the site of hundreds of more recent, highly acclaimed classical, pop, and film-score sessions, has purchased no fewer than 33 Classe CA-M400 monaural power amplifiers to drive its mixing and reference systems. After extensive listening tests and technical trials, the Abbey Road engineering staff concluded that the Canadian high-end maker’s design was the ideal tool to derive the utmost accuracy, dynamics, and transparency from the facility’s extensive arrays of B&W reference monitors.
“We’re delighted and honored that Abbey Road has chosen the CA-M400 for its amplification needs,” says Classe’s Dave Nauber, executive v.p. for brand development. “To be an integral part of a site associated with so much great music-making in all genres, at the very highest level of professionalism, is a special thing–fittingly, since the CA-M400 is a very special amplifier,” continues Nauber. “Abbey Road’s use of B&W references is long-standing; that they have now selected Classe amplifiers to maximize their performance is a gratifying confirmation of our designs’ superiority.”
Classe’s CA-M400 is a single-channel power amplifier of 400/800 watts (8-ohm/4-ohm) and weighing some 82 pounds. Fully balanced from input to output, the CA-M400 exploits the firm’s sophisticated power-supply engineering and obsessive attention to details of circuit layout and component selection to achieve unequalled sonic results under the most demanding applications and conditions.
Abbey Road’s CA-M400’s will be deployed in multi-channel layouts powering five- and seven-channel suites of B&W 800-series reference monitors in Studios 1 and 3 and elsewhere employed in mixing, mastering, and reference listening. These include 10 CA-M400s motivating the imposing quintet of bi-amplified B&W 800D’s in “The Penthouse,” Studio 3: 4 kilowatts from nearly a half-ton of amplifiers! The value of this outstanding reference system can already be appreciated through the superb sonics of early projects completed using it, including the recording and mixing of the musical scores to Star Wars, Episode III–Revenge of the Sith, and the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In common with all the Classe Delta Series components, the CA-M400 power amplifier is created entirely at Classe’s Quebec facilities, employing best-available componentry and materials throughout and finished to the exquisite standards that have established the firm’s unquestioned quality reputation around the world.
For additional information about Classe Audio visit www.classeaudio.com.
