Avantone Pro CLA-400 Studio Reference Amplifier

[audiogeek]

360 wpc class A B amplifier with vu meters at an affordable price. Sounds to good to be true. Available on Amazon for under IK

Avantone Pro CLA-400 Studio Reference Amplifier

Stereo Studio Reference Amplifier with 360W/Channel (8 ohms) and Convection-cooled Chassis

www.sweetwater.com

Amazon.com

Anyone have this amp and if so what are your thoughts on its performance. If not I could buy one and ship it to Amir for testing (if he would accept the offer).

 

[Hifi725]

Hello,

I have it. Nice big heavy amp. With the right preamp it is pretty quiet. Sound has the clean class AB warm sound to it. I do like it. With that there are some things I do not like. They used 0.775V for the input setting. Very easy to overload the input circuit. Why they did that I do not know. Because who is going to run this amp directly from their tape deck? An amp at this price point should have a switch to go between .775V to 1.4V and maybe even higher. There is no option for this. I e-mailed Avantone directly. I asked if there was any way to change it to 1.4V. The response was "Unfortunately this is not possible. I would suggest sending less output signal from your source device to avoid overloading the amplifiers input circuit." I have yet to try some inline attenuators. Maybe there will be a switch option in the future. The large meters don't really move. They move when it is very very loud. The amp does not have fans. It is in a rack and I have yet to feel it even remotely warm. The large torroid transformer has some hum noise to it. I have read that torroids hum when there is dirty AC. I'm running a Furman PS-Pro series II. Some filtering there, but it is known more for the power sequence feature. I do like it. I think it sounds good at low levels. I keep checking here to see if it has been reviewed yet. Yes, you should get one and send it to Amir for testing. I would love to see the results.

Equipment I am using this with.

Parasound P5 preamp (using XLR outs)
Dual CS-5000 Turntable with Ortophon Blue cart.
Cambridge Audio Azure 640V2 (the one with the software issue where the front buttons don't work. Have to have the remote!)
JBL M552 active xover.
JBL 4648-8a's
JBL 2451J's on 2384 horns.

 

[Hifi725]

 

[audiogeek]

Hello,

I have it. Nice big heavy amp. With the right preamp it is pretty quiet. Sound has the clean class AB warm sound to it. I do like it. With that there are some things I do not like. They used 0.775V for the input setting. Very easy to overload the input circuit. Why they did that I do not know. Because who is going to run this amp directly from their tape deck? An amp at this price point should have a switch to go between .775V to 1.4V and maybe even higher. There is no option for this. I e-mailed Avantone directly. I asked if there was any way to change it to 1.4V. The response was "Unfortunately this is not possible. I would suggest sending less output signal from your source device to avoid overloading the amplifiers input circuit." I have yet to try some inline attenuators. Maybe there will be a switch option in the future. The large meters don't really move. They move when it is very very loud. The amp does not have fans. It is in a rack and I have yet to feel it even remotely warm. The large torroid transformer has some hum noise to it. I have read that torroids hum when there is dirty AC. I'm running a Furman PS-Pro series II. Some filtering there, but it is known more for the power sequence feature. I do like it. I think it sounds good at low levels. I keep checking here to see if it has been reviewed yet. Yes, you should get one and send it to Amir for testing. I would love to see the results.

Equipment I am using this with.

Parasound P5 preamp (using XLR outs)
Dual CS-5000 Turntable with Ortophon Blue cart.
Cambridge Audio Azure 640V2 (the one with the software issue where the front buttons don't work. Have to have the remote!)
JBL M552 active xover.
JBL 4648-8a's
JBL 2451J's on 2384 horns.

Thanks for posting this. I will be in the market for a new amp soon as my 12 years old Emotiva XPA2 is, well, getting old and may just die on me soon. So far it has given me an excellent 12 years of class AB amp sound for my front mains. It weighs 85 pound unlike Emotiva's new line of amps which are 30% lighter (Emotiva says technology has improved so they weigh less).

Never know though, I could get many more years still....

 

[voodooless]

Why would you want to spend that kind of money on a 60 SINAD amp, with sub-par crosstalk an IMD as well? There are much, much better options for the money. If you want meters:

Douk VU3 VU Meter Review (Updated Version)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Updated Douk Audio (Little Bear) VU3 VU meter and amplifier/speaker selector. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $139. Both the case and the VU meters are top class. The metal box is heavy as to help keep it in place and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[MaxBuck]

"Class AB sound."

LOL.

 

[audiogeek]

"Class AB sound."

LOL.

Could you elaborate...

LOL.

 

[Hifi725]

I would describe it as a warmer sound. Not tube warmth, little more lively. Class D sounds cold and sterile.

 

[Hifi725]

Best way to describe it for me would be I had a Pioneer A27 integrated. Class A for the first 3 watts, then class AB. I had Yamaha NS1000M's. They sounded good with tube amps and the A27. Not harsh, not sibilant. Any solid state amp other than the A27 sounded very harsh, way too bright and not pleasant at all. For some reason they were smoother, more relaxed with the A27. "Class AB sound" if you will.

 

[audiogeek]

There are only three types of amplifiers:
1) Reproduces the signal accurately, no more and no less.
2) Reproduces more than the signal. This addition is usually in the form of distortion, but it can also be uneven frequency response.
3) Reproduces less than the signal. Rolled-off treble, rolled-off bass. Some people like this ..... but it's not an accurate reproduction of the original signal.

If you're accustomed to #3, your impression of #1 might be "cold", "harsh" or "sterile".

So far, no one has been able to identify different amplifiers that are designed correctly and operated within their limitations (type #1), using a blind test. This is regardless of the class of bias.
So maybe you can make history!

Jim

So type 1 would have to be 100% transparent/neutral and then regardless of class of amp or cost, could not be identified in said blind test?

 

[EJasonC]

I have an Avantone Pro CLA-400 driving a pair of Dali Euphonia MS5’s; system components can be seen here:

My System Gallery

Interconnects are all balanced Mogami; speaker cables are tri-wired Mogami. I have the gain setting usually around 50% or less; depending on the kind of music I’m listening to. I’m experiencing excellent dynamics and soundstage width and depth; no complaints in any of the important areas that matter to me.

I listen to the likes of Tortoise, Rush, Massive Attack, Led Zep, Patricia Barber, Diana Krall, . . . And while the last two listed probably provide for some of the best available recordings, the others still excel even though they may not be as well recorded comparatively speaking.

I had tried class D in the past and was never satisfied; was always trying to improve. With this amp, I am just listening to music probably more than I have ever done so in the past; it’s just very enjoyable!

As mentioned in a previous post, the meters may not move much unless played at reference levels. I listen frequently at levels equivalent to live music and I do see the meters pumping away; how accurate I have no idea. But it doesn’t matter to me; the amp drives my speakers effortlessly and the music sounds fantastic whether it be at very low/soft levels or very high/dynamic.

One of the latest soundtrack releases that astonished me is the Oppenheimer Soundtrack album by Ludwig Göransson; playing the track entitled ‘Fusion’ just blew me away. I have never heard bass dynamics this good on any system!

One feature lacking for me is the inability to dim or turn off the meters; at least I am unaware of being able to. Other than that, there’s very little if anything I consider negative.

 

[MaxBuck]

Class D sounds cold and sterile.

LOL