May 24, 2010

  • Classe' CDP-102, Part 1

    Lite rock and a city with diverse architecture like San Francisco go hand in hand.  So when Ultimate Sound, located in Union Square, left K101 (an adult contemporary station) on, customers were in the mood.  It is too bad that the dot-com boom pushed rents sky high, forcing Ultimate Sound to cease being a brick-and-mortar store.

    In 2000, BBMak (Mark Barry, Christian Burns, Stephen McNally) had a huge hit with "Back Here."  Had this come out a few years earlier, it no doubt would have been played repeatedly at Ultimate Sound.

    In 2000, Classe' Audio components still had the traditional look, with clunky black rectangles on the front panel.  At the same time, Classe's Mike Viglas was thinking about retiring.  He found a sympathetic partner in the U.K.'s B&W [I've reviewed the B&W 805S in these pages], who later would acquire Classe' Audio.  A few years into the B&W reign, Classe' came out with the Delta series, which featured new cosmetics and operational features.

    But before I get into that, the Classe' CDP-102's box merits attention.  Instead of cardboard, it is made out of corrugated plastic.  This material does not tear or puncture as easily as cardboard.  Furthermore, the plastic is more resistant to moisture.

    Unlike a box with flaps, the CDP-102's box features a lift-off top.

    The accessories are packed neatly and comfortably at the top of the box. 

    The CDP-102 itself is wrapped in a thin white cloth.  This material is similar to that found on those little airline pillows.  More importantly, the cotton cloth keeps dust and styrofoam bits away from the CD player.