Strength:Solid construction, exceptionally reliable, excellent sound quality, DEAD quiet in a properly wired system. Flexible in/outputs w/ XLR. Runs cool as a cucumber. Built-in phono amp for both MM and MC, and last but not least, very inexpensive on the used market. All in all a great value. Me likey.

Weakness:No remote? That’s about all I can come up with. No power switch?

This is for the gold-handled DR6 — I’m not sure which version or year it is.

I’ve been very pleased with this amp. Although solid state, it has a warm, tube-like sound, without the hassel of rolling tubes. I like the separate power supply and I really appreciate the balanced (XLR) inputs and outputs, one set of each, if I remember correctly. I run a Classe CDP1 via XLR to the preamp and a single CA400 also via XLR. The net result is extreeemly quiet equipment. I hear nothing between songs except the clock ticking on the wall.

Sounds great playing my old vinyl recordings! Phono with both MM and MC inputs is built in, so one less component to buy! I’ve read repeatedly that it’s one of the best solid state phono preamps out there. You have to determine the correct bias, however, for your particular cartridge, open it up and manually set the correct value to optimize cartridge output. Very carefully thought out!

Another thing I like about the DR6 is its rock-solid, tank-like construction. It always works perfectly, sounds great, and the pots are never noisy. Probably the best value out there for a thousand dollar preamp.

Strength:Warm tube like sound. Great imaging. Extended bottom end.

Weakness:None.

This preamp is spectacular! I Was using an Audio Research LS15 which was a bit lacking on the bottom end with certain recordings. I decided to try the Classe and I couldn’t be happier. This preamp has such a warm sound you would think your listening to tubes. Imaging is excellent. The high end is smooth and defined but not rolled off. The midrange is pure silk. The bottom end is warm, solid and extended. It just fills in where the LS15 was a bit lacking. In other words it was more forgiving on the bottom end than the LS15. I will never sell the LS15 (it’s an excellent preamp) but the one I will listen to is the Classe DR6r MKII.

Similar Products Used:

Audio Research LS3, Classe Model 30, Audio Rresearch LS15, Bedini 6677, Sumo Athena 2, Audire Diffett, Hegeman Hapi 2,

Strength:Dynamic, smooth, rhythmic, and highly resolving. Super build quality. Electrically and mechanically quiet.

Weakness:none in my system.

I”ve used the Classe” 6 with phono for more than 7 years despite numerous changes to my system. Currently, I”m running the Classe into monoblock triode amps driving K-horns. Overall, I”d describe the texture as smooth; the grain one expects to here using a SS preamp isn”t there. At the same time, the Classe provide dynamics and bass authority that many tube preamps lack. Transients are sharp and exciting – excellent at keeping the music”s rhythm. On the other end, microdynamics are quite good — for example, immediately following an orchestral climax, one clearly hears the reverb and decay within the hall. The staging is large and instrument/voice placement is precise and solid. The noise levels are low — even using the MC stage with the volume set to 12, one hears a bit of white noise but absolutely no hum. Over the years, I”ve A-B”d the Classe against +$6000 preamps (SS and tube), and haven”t felt the differences were enough to justify the extra expense. NOTE: I have modified my unit 2 years ago by replacing the bridge rectifier in the main power supply with HEXFREDs. The improvement is not subtle. The sound loses much of the “dark” quality folks often mention — the preamp takes on a lightening quickness and illumination that is startling. A very highly recommended modification. Also, using good sound-isolation feet under the unit is key. The Classe uses lots and lots of poly caps for coupling and bypassing. Unforunately, they are very microphonic. Putting the Classe on sorbethane or whatever greatly improves overall clarity.

Similar Products Used:

ARC, Spectral, BAT

Strength:dynamics, midrange, focusing, sounstage width and depth

Weakness:none so far

I had this pre-amp for about a 1.5 years and all I can say is praises. I compared this product to the likes of Krell and COnrad Johnson, again, for the money, this pre-amp is almost/or of equal to the other premaps in the more expensive price range. What I really like about it is its dynamics, sweet, tube like midrange and the airy highs. Sometimes people get confuse whether a tube pre-amp was used, only to be surpised that its a solid state pre-amp. I highly recommend this pre-amp. A good warm-up period would improve the sound alot so I usually leave the pre-amp on most of the time.

Similar Products Used:

Krell amp, Theta Digital Front End, Dunlavy Speakers, XLO speaker cables, Transparent Audio interconnects

Strength:Quiet, Dynamic, Full Featured, Remote, Reliable, Build Quality

Weakness:Not real transparent, Airy,

Reference Model. Very nice product that I purchased in 7.97 used, about a year old. Clean, dynamic sound. Very good value. Balanced outputs, phono especially nice, esp for solid state. Good Detail.

Even my kids use this.

Coupled w CA300.

Similar Products Used:

Van Alstine

This preamp has been superceded by newer Classe models but is really quite a very good value and has excellent sound. Highs are sweet and airy but a little on the dark side. The midrange is just a tad on the warm side but that’s a plus given the way recordings are made these days. Bass is very good to excellent. There is very little noise even with the volume control way up. Dynamics are first rate. It’s not the most transparent unit out there but you would notice the difference except in a direst A/B comparison with something costing a lot more.
This unit has an excellent phono stage that is very flexible in terms of gain adjustment. It can be used with very low output moving coils with excellent results.

The build quailty of all Classe products is really top notch and they’re great to just look at inside and out.

Classe service is better than outstanding. I bought my unit used from a third party. Due to something stupid I did (don’t ask) the unit required repairs. Classe fixed the unit even though I wasn’t the original owner and it wasn’t under warranty. They shipped it back to me and paid the $75 shipping. They gave me regular status updates whenever I e-mailed them (Bonjour Robert!). They really stand behind their products and are nice people to deal with.

Overall I rate this unit 4 stars by today’s standards, build quality 5+, customer service a 10. If your in the market for a used unit this model’s still a contender.

Classe Six Mk II w/Remote & MM/MC Phone Stage Opts. I’m the original owner and have regularly A-B’ed it against equal to 2.5X cost units and STILL feel I have one of the best values in high end. This is a 45 lb. two-pc. chassis with beautiful build quality, SE and BAL I/O, elegant control feel and ultra quiet, high resolution performance. It also offers a by-pass of all controls except vol. for ultra clean performance. The only pre-amp I’ve heard that clearly bests it is the Audio Research Ref 1. I have A-B’ed it to peer group models by SF, Gryphon, and ML butthere was no clear winner. I don’t hear the “dark” highs that some reviewers claim, but I drive tube amps with ribbon and planer tweeters and it synergizes beautifully. I keep thinking I need to upgrade, so I’ll borrow a demo fm a dealer, stick it in my system, listen for a week or so, and usually will end up liking some characteristics of each unit. Even when a unit is a tad overall superior – the AR LS 25 for example, it comes down to the cost difference as the tie breaker. The differences are usually very subtle and, now a days, you have to buy a separate phone stage to boot! For now, I’m very happy. If you can find a used one, BUY IT! You won’t be disapponted. Mine cost $3,800 new (w/Opts.) and is a steal at $1,500-1,800 on the used mkt. You can’t go wrong! Happy in Albuquerque.