Not at all familiar with the Classe except for a review I've read or two. You can get good prices on used MC-1's right now, with better prices undoubtedly coming when the new MC-12's come out and the trade-in program starts.
No question in my mind that the MC-1 is equal to the best when it comes to movie watching, so if that's your emphasis, you'll love it. It also has two-zone capability - I use it to feed some speakers in my office. I don't know how extensive the Classe's multi-zone capability is, but the MC-1 has Zone1, Zone2 and Record output feeds. - Kirk