Hi Bob, I own a Classe Cap 2100. If you can stretch (I bought mine here on AG for $2800), and if you are lucky enough to actually find a Cap-2100 2nd hand on AG, then go for it! Also, it's well worth reading the review by Chris Groppi from Home Theatre Hi Fidelity mag. He is an Audio Engineer and actually knows what he is talking about. Don't believe the rubbish you may have heard about B&W disturbing the pure waters of Classe's long history of excellent amp designs. B&W provided design and technical expertise to Classe to develop the unique new chassis design & interface, but left thier engineers well alone, albeit with a bucket of cash in thier pockets for R&D. Classe actually shut down production for a whole year to develop the current line of amps, and it shows. Dallas Clarke (www.clarkeaudio.com) who is probably one of the best Audio Engineers in the world told me the Cap 2100 was the best integrated amp he's ever seen (including Burmester). Fast, extremely stable, very high current & smooth Classe house sound. It just does everything right and is never fatiguing. IMHO, I think this is the best high end ss integrated in the World under $10k, until you get to ridiculous price levels, or of course unless you prefer tubes, in which case the above comments don't matter. I also looked at the Unico, but after seeing how intelligently designed and superbly engineered the Cap-2100 was (no exageration), I changed my mind. I would expect the Unico to sound clean, warm and dynamic, but side by side, the Classe would be quieter, better resolving and more neutral (though there is enough tube-like warmth there to avoid sounding analytical). Just compare the case on the Unico vs the Classe. The Unico has a tin-can case, whereas the Classe has a huge hunk of milled aluminium with a fat cross-brace sitting on an accoustically-damped base! Do you listen to Vinyl? The Unico I believe comes standard with a phono stage, whereas the Cap does not. Personally I don't listen to vinyl, so was happy to not have superfluous circuitry in the box. Re: the Cap 150, that's still a great bang for your buck integrated 2nd hand, although go for the Cap-151 if you're considering the older models. Overall, I think a Classe Cap Integrated will suit the uncoloured nature and nice tonal balance of your Spendors & bring out there best, whereas I suspect the Unico might introduce a bit too much warmth (read: distortion) under the pump. Feel free to buzz me if you have any q's. Happy listening!
Unico integrated with level 2 mod
I will listen to the Unico this weekend. This is a 80w hybrid and has the level 2 mod by Underwood. If you have heard this, I would appreciate your thoughts. My listening taste leans towards smooth and musical and demod my Spendor S5e speakers on a Classe cap 2100 and liked it a lot. How does the Unico with the level 2 mod compare with Classe cap-150 (I will be buying used). Any other suggestions to match to the Spendors? I will try to keep this within the $1,500 range. Also, if you live in the Vancouver area and are itching to unload your Classe equipment, we should talk. Thanks in advance for any thoughts. Happy listening.