One of the requests from the members was to take a look at any new offerings from Classé, specifically in their Delta Series. We saw a couple of new products in the line including a pre-amp (the CP-700), a five channel amplifier (the CA-1500) and a remarkable DVD Player (the CDP-300).
Much more information can be seen here.
Classé is a class act (no pun intended). Their units are not only visual masterpieces but the form and function of these units is top notch (at prices to match.) I was particularly intrigued by their new DVD Player, the CDP-300. It is a handsome piece of equipment with no visible controls on the front except for two inobtrusive buttons labelled "Menu" and "Eject." The disc player uses a slot-loader mechanism which also contributes to the very clean lines of the device. The only other item on the front of the panel is a very clear video display, as can be seen on the pages linked above.
So how does one operate this unit? A press of the "Menu" button unleashes all the controls on the CDP-300. Suddenly the video display changes from video preview to a touch screen with full function menus for the many control choices available. Very nicely implemented. The video display not only serves as a preview for menus when listening to DVD-A and SACD audio discs without having to deal with the ambient noise of a projector or other display device, but as a control center. And the CDP-300 also contains internal scaling all the way up to 1080p via HDMI output. In summation, this unit is the first on the market to offer
Components and specifications are top rate throughout the unit and, as expected, so is the MSRP. At $6500 this is not a everyday DVD player, but it is certainly one of the best. If I had a large amount of discretionary income it would be on my very short list.
There are two other units planned on based on the CDP-300 chassis. The CDP-300V will add analog video inputs for component and S-video sources. The idea is to route all video sources through the video processor within the CDP-300 for format conversion and scaling all the way up to 1080p HDMI output. A CDT-300 will be a digital disc transport with all analog audio and video removed, leaving only digital audio and video outputs with not scaling for those who require a high quality transport player alone. Pricing on these two items was not available.
If you want to learn more about the Classé Delta Series visit their site (link above). I was very, very impressed with what I saw.
Much more information can be seen here.
Classé is a class act (no pun intended). Their units are not only visual masterpieces but the form and function of these units is top notch (at prices to match.) I was particularly intrigued by their new DVD Player, the CDP-300. It is a handsome piece of equipment with no visible controls on the front except for two inobtrusive buttons labelled "Menu" and "Eject." The disc player uses a slot-loader mechanism which also contributes to the very clean lines of the device. The only other item on the front of the panel is a very clear video display, as can be seen on the pages linked above.
So how does one operate this unit? A press of the "Menu" button unleashes all the controls on the CDP-300. Suddenly the video display changes from video preview to a touch screen with full function menus for the many control choices available. Very nicely implemented. The video display not only serves as a preview for menus when listening to DVD-A and SACD audio discs without having to deal with the ambient noise of a projector or other display device, but as a control center. And the CDP-300 also contains internal scaling all the way up to 1080p via HDMI output. In summation, this unit is the first on the market to offer
- 1080p video output
- touchscreen control
- video preview
Components and specifications are top rate throughout the unit and, as expected, so is the MSRP. At $6500 this is not a everyday DVD player, but it is certainly one of the best. If I had a large amount of discretionary income it would be on my very short list.
There are two other units planned on based on the CDP-300 chassis. The CDP-300V will add analog video inputs for component and S-video sources. The idea is to route all video sources through the video processor within the CDP-300 for format conversion and scaling all the way up to 1080p HDMI output. A CDT-300 will be a digital disc transport with all analog audio and video removed, leaving only digital audio and video outputs with not scaling for those who require a high quality transport player alone. Pricing on these two items was not available.
If you want to learn more about the Classé Delta Series visit their site (link above). I was very, very impressed with what I saw.
