2. amps-preamps
  3. 173534-16015

Amplfiers that Sound like Pass 30.8 that are not so heavy

I am moving  to a smaller house and I really need a amp that is not as heavy as the Pass 30.8. Currently it is hooked up to a pair of QLN Prestige 3's with Adrenaline Speaker cables, a SAS 11A preamp recently modified and upgraded and fed by a Pagoda DAC.  I love the sound of this amp with a the tube preamp. But....its just really to heavy for me to move around by myself. And yes I do go to the gym. Also it does put out some heat which is not the coolest thing in Florida. Any ideas on an amp that would be a good substitute for the 30.8's would really be appreciated.  My listening prefernces lean toward transparency and holographic instrument presentation. Thank all of you for your help and direction on my question. Best wishes to all for a healthy, safe and peaceful New Year.

char1

Showing 2 responses by millercarbon

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

We had 87dB speakers here in my room with 20W Raven Blackhawk they sounded wonderful and played quite loud. Not headbanger loud, but plenty pleasingly high volume. The XA25 is so conservatively rated based on both measurements and user experience it is hard to imagine not being able to get plenty of volume from it.

Another example of all watts are not equal.

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

I've just bought the XA25.

http://6moons.com/audioreviews2/passlabs3/3.html

Tonally especially in the vocal band it was slightly fruitier than the XA-30.8. Microdynamically it was clearly more expressive like a faster circuit. This was particularly evident on Mayte’s voice. It scaled more dramatically, hence felt bigger. When bass and drums kick in to suddenly light up the soundstage in its outer quadrants, their contrast ratio relative to the guitar, violin and singer which were already on was higher. With the XA-30.8 in my estimation being slightly dark, bassy and dense, the XA25 stirred in some quicksilver. The mean trick was injecting a quickening agent without diluting the tone density and chunkiness I adore in our stable mate. Typically, so-called fast amps like our 1MHz LinnenberG Allegros lighten the load. It’s as though to go so fast, they have to shed some tone mass or physicality. Decisively, the XA25’s uptick on the accelerator did not.

 
 

rather than to actual valve amps, I’ve transitioned to Pass Labs and FirstWatt. Their amps do some of the things I like about tubes without any of the things I really don’t. By now quite certain where to look, the higher orchestral background violins here and there showed just a touch more horse hairs with the XA25 as their metallic/glassy not wooden/creamy personality trait. This led to the impression of elevated image lock or being better separated out from the mix as discrete entities. Still, the overriding takeaway from this session was somehow more focused on how the amps overlapped, not where they diverged. The key word of complete agreement between XA-30.8 and XA25 was sonorous.



If we consult certain synonyms, we circle that sonorous wagon more tightly. "Vibrant, full-bodied, resounding, majestic, lofty, strong, imposing."
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