Fresh from the success of last year’s SSP-800 launch, Canadian high-end electronics manufacturer Classe Audio is returning to CEDIA to launch a revolutionary new range of electronics — The Custom Theater (CT) series. The CT series consists of four completely new amplifiers and a surround sound preamp/processor.
“I really cannot overstate the significance of the new CT series” says David Nauber, Executive VP — Brand Development. “It means that anyone seeking the ultimate movie or music experience can find it with Classe.”
Efficiently organizing sophisticated home theater systems often involves installing all of the electronics in equipment racks or custom cabinetry. The result can be a hot and noisy environment, which degrades the performance and reliability of electronic components.
“The solution is our new Custom Theater series–the only true high-end audio components specifically designed for custom installations,” says Nauber. “They are easy to install, easy to integrate and can be trusted to perform optimally in the harsh rack environment. The CT series is unique.”
There are four new CT amplifiers, including 600W and 300W monaural models (CT-M600 and CT-M300), a 300W stereo version (CT-2300) and a 5x300W model (CT-5300). They are all new class AB designs featuring innovations such as adjustable rack rails, a detachable faceplate and a revolutionary circuit design. “But the key to long-term performance and reliability,” says Nauber, “is a unique cooling system we call the ICTunnel™ (aka the Icy Tunnel). The Intelligent Cooling Tunnel is a sensor-controlled aluminum bonded-fin heatsink cooled by a noiseless fan.”
The ICTunnel™ exploits the principle of low thermal mass, so it heats quickly but also cools just as quickly. Fins providing nearly 31 square feet of surface area are hidden inside. The key to its operation is how they are spaced–as close as possible to maximize surface area but not so close as to heat each other. CT amplifiers automatically adjust airflow through the tunnel to keep the output devices at their target temperature.
CT amplifiers are complimented by a matching surround sound preamp/processor, the CT-SSP. Having already established itself as the preeminent surround preamp/processor, the Delta series’ SSP-800 is the inspiration for its CT series counterpart. The CT-SSP uses exactly the same circuitry that has made the SSP-800 such a phenomenal success and the two models are identical in features, performance and price. In fact, they differ only in appearance and chassis design, with the CT-SSP tailored especially for professional equipment racks.
A state-of-the-art ten-channel preamp/processor, the CT-SSP is fully able to decode the latest HD bitstreams, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Music and movies come alive, revealing every breathtaking attack and nuance in your recordings. The CT-SSP features not one but two Texas Instruments DSPs, each capable of performing a whopping 2800 million instructions per second. The processors operate in 64-bit double precision mode and use floating point arithmetic for all audio signal calculations to ensure the most accurate results possible. All bass management filters, level adjustments and parametric EQ filters benefit from this incredible precision.
Classe CT series electronics are the ideal companions for Bowers & Wilkins’ CT loudspeakers. Custom Theater system packages combining Classe electronics with B&W loudspeakers range in price from around $50,000 to over $250,000.
Prices (US):
- CT-SSP $9,000
- CT-5300 $9,000
- CT-2300 $6,500
- CT-M600 $6,500
- CT-M300 $5,000
Available September 2009.
Classe is a subsidiary of UK-based loudspeaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins.
