Mint condition and superlative sounding. With box, manual and remote. $3999.
The SSP-600 is the sixth-generation Classé surround sound processor--the culmination of decades of experience designing world-class audio/video components. They are made for music and movie lovers who demand both high fidelity audio and video, and the flexibility to integrate a diverse range of system components.
The Classé Design Team has successfully balanced performance, functionality and ease of use, developing processors that can confidently be described as an enthusiasts dream. But expert and novice users alike will find Classé processors ideal for their contemporary entertainment systems.
The SSP-600 utilizes the same digital audio and video processing circuits as well as single-ended analog audio paths. It is a 7.1 channel design, capable of decoding discrete surround formats from Dolby ® and DTS ® as well as numerous surround matrix modes. To accommodate multichannel audio sources such as SACD and DVD Audio, the 600 features single-ended 7.1 channel analog inputs. (See the specifications table for a complete list of inputs, outputs and modes).
But for the highest performance with music and movie sources, the advanced circuitry of the SSP-600 will deliver performance benefits that greatly exceed its additional cost.
Digital Audio and Video
Classé processors handle digital signals with particular care, maintaining clock accuracy as well as the integrity of the bit stream. The audio DSP uses Motorola® / Freescale Semiconductor® 32-bit processors to ensure that complex calculations are performed with minimal round-off error--a key contributor to high-resolution results. Eight differential 24-bit multi-bit delta-sigma DACs provide conversion from digital to analog, maintaining high resolution and excellent low level linearity. By lavishing attention on every aspect of the signal path, the Classé Design Team builds processors capable of creating the most dramatic and vivid sonic and visual experiences.
Video Transcoding
The SSP-600 feature a video switching matrix that is high quality, flexible and easy to use. SD (Standard Definition) video signals may be routed through Component, S-Video or Composite video connections where they are converted to digital using 10-bit A-to-D converters. Digital video signals are then processed into all three video formats and converted back to analog. In this way, video sources of all three formats can be routed through one type of output connection, such as the high quality component output. Similarly, the interlaced Component output of a DVD player can, for example, be routed to the Composite or S-Video connections of a VCR or camcorder, or display device lacking a Component video input.
Video transcoding reduces wiring complexity and minimizes the number of points in the system at which source selections must be made, greatly simplifying its operation.
As with audio signals, the video paths of Classé processors are designed for ease of use, without sacrificing performance. HDTV (High Definition TV) signals are given a separate bypass mode, where they can be routed through the Component video outputs without undergoing digital conversion or mixing with on-screen display (OSD) graphics.
Advanced Mechanical Platform
Audio components can suffer a loss in performance while subjected to external vibration and shock. The Classé Design Team is aware of these issues and takes measures to protect against this clarity-reducing form of distortion. As with other Classé models, the SSP chassis are made of both steel and aluminum. The front panel wrap is an aluminum extrusion with a broad radius on the front corners. The feet are specially designed with Navcom(TM) LimbSaver ® material to reduce the effects of external vibration. As a mechanical system, the chassis provides a rigid, stable, low-vibration platform for the preamplifier, processor and video circuitry.
Control
The SSP-600 can control and be controlled through a variety of means, including bi-directional RS-232, front and rear panel IR and DC trigger jacks. Discrete command sets ensure positive and simple integration with other system components and controllers.
Touchscreen
The front panel controls are implemented by way of a TFT touchscreen display, which simplifies the user interface, reduces display-related noise and allows users the convenience of customization. While a traditional user interface commits the designer to fixed or "hard" buttons, the Classé touchscreen is "soft"--it can evolve. The Classé Design Team is free to add, reorganize and remove buttons as necessary without the need for new hardware. In this way, Classé processors can be steadily improved and updated, adding to their value and longevity.
Special Features
The audio and video hardware, touchscreen interface and beautiful chassis make Classé processors quite special, but some additional features add to their exceptional value. Although some people build dedicated theater rooms with theater seating and a popcorn machine, most theaters are installed in multi-purpose rooms. Sometimes the room is used as a family room, den or office. Often there are several seating locations that are used during different activities.
To accommodate these situations, Classé processors allow up to four listening configurations to be defined. Set the speaker levels and delays for best sound in the sweet spot on the couch, in a reading chair off to the side and a desk in the back of the room. You can even associate these positions with different sources. Automatically tune the system to sound its best for you in your reading chair when you listen to the radio on the weekend, but switch to your desk when you use your ipod through the SSP in the morning and the couch when a DVD is chosen at night. For some users, defining different speaker configurations like two-channel and multichannel, or with and without subwoofer or even different crossover settings allows a customized system for every kind of listening. Seamless and powerful, a Classé SSP can optimize your experience anywhere in the room.
Operational simplicity can enhance your family's enjoyment of the system. Two profile buttons are available to give quick access to whatever commands you use most frequently. Some people call them "his and hers" buttons, since they can be named and customized for the simplest or most complex commands. One person may want a profile button with their name on it that takes them right to the TV and DVD player source selection. If that's all you use and all you want to know about, it's a simple way to organize the system to give you only what you want when you want it. For the expert user, a profile page could have direct access to frequently used modes or a subwoofer control. Up to six commands--of your choosing--may be accessed directly from the profile button, making it an ideal tool for novice and expert alike.
We could go on and on about the many features, but you will want to visit your local dealer to see, hear and play with one yourself. You can download an owner's manual for more insight into the features and flexibility of Classé SSPs.
In a market filled with me-too products, the Classé SSPs are a new and innovative approach to high end processor design. If you demand performance, reliability and ease of use, you need look no further than the contemporary design of the SSP-600.
The audio and video hardware, touchscreen interface and beautiful chassis make Classé processors quite special, but some additional features add to their exceptional value. Although some people build dedicated theater rooms with theater seating and a popcorn machine, most theaters are installed in multi-purpose rooms. Sometimes the room is used as a family room, den or office. Often there are several seating locations that are used during different activities.
To accommodate these situations, Classé processors allow up to four listening configurations to be defined. Set the speaker levels and delays for best sound in the sweet spot on the couch, in a reading chair off to the side and a desk in the back of the room. You can even associate these positions with different sources. Automatically tune the system to sound its best for you in your reading chair when you listen to the radio on the weekend, but switch to your desk when you use your ipod through the SSP in the morning and the couch when a DVD is chosen at night. For some users, defining different speaker configurations like two-channel and multichannel, or with and without subwoofer or even different crossover settings allows a customized system for every kind of listening. Seamless and powerful, a Classé SSP can optimize your experience anywhere in the room.
Operational simplicity can enhance your family's enjoyment of the system. Two profile buttons are available to give quick access to whatever commands you use most frequently. Some people call them "his and hers" buttons, since they can be named and customized for the simplest or most complex commands. One person may want a profile button with their name on it that takes them right to the TV and DVD player source selection. If that's all you use and all you want to know about, it's a simple way to organize the system to give you only what you want when you want it. For the expert user, a profile page could have direct access to frequently used modes or a subwoofer control. Up to six commands--of your choosing--may be accessed directly from the profile button, making it an ideal tool for novice and expert alike.
