What about the XA25I can't tell from stuff online. A call to Pass would sort that out though.
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.
I have sampled so far in order of preference:
-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-
-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?
What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.
I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.
I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.
Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.
Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.
I have sampled so far in order of preference:
-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-
-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?
What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.
I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.
I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.
Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.
Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.
128 responses Add your response
I just realized I had my my speaker's treble settings were maxed to high side when I used the Cary. When I auditioned the Pass XA25 I did not change them. I think this is why the ear burn was felt. I think after reading the many well made suggestions -for which I thank each participant's contribution- I will most likely buy the XA25. Then I will buy the Supratek Chardonnay as a preamp. Not only do I like the 6SN7 tube, I also like the name Chardonnay. Further I love the appearance of this piece of art. It is likely a true fool's errand to buy something made on a continent I will likely never visit, but it seems the most musical piece $2,000 will buy. Anyone visiting Phoenix from June on that would care to hear my system, please get in touch. Best, Jeff |
Chorus, If I were you I would buy the Valvet E2 SE and the LTA Zotl10 MKII amp and the Benchmark amp (all with money back trial) and then A/B/C/D them all. Replace any fuses with Synergistic Blues before you do the test....Make sure they are all burned in. If you liked any one of the above better you can sell the Pass for what you paid, very quickly. Make yourself happy, get the best sound that you like.....not what others have said.....listen for yourself. You can then inform others who don't have the money to front for all those amps but who REALLY want to know. Help yourself, help others. |
ricevs, You have outlined my buying model. Try b4 u buy. Which is why I have tried so many. Lejonklou, Leben, Sugden, Kongku, Electrik, Cary and Pass. There is local party with a Valvet E2 SE for sale. No home trial available. I am not a Benchmark fan. They measure well but the sound is too dry for me. Engineers love them naturally. I am off LTA as some comments I read make them sound not as good as other choices but I may never know. If there is ever another Audio show LTA will be a lengthy visit. Now the Valvet does intrigue me I have to admit... I see it as likely another product much like the Lejonklou. Amazing resolution. I like the "tubey" Pass sound. His house sound works magic for me. He is good with his crayons I guess. I let my ears do the deciding. Hence the Pass XA25 is the winner so far. I have paid RT freight and restocking fees when needed but I am not of unlimited means. Sorry if I gave that impression. I can not finance more than one product at a time. I seek confirmation by inviting two friends over who have more experienced and discerning ears than I have. If I do not have my position confirmed by them I will likely not move ahead. If this sounds a bit contradictory to my earlier statement, well you may be right. But anyone who does not want his opinions supported by those with higher skill sets is a fool, right? |
Congrats on your Xa25. If you ask Mark at Reno Hifi he says best all around is Xa25 compared to Sit-3 and F7. I never heard Sit-3 but Mr. Pass says more dimensional and juicy. But I wonder if you give a up a bit of detail for the extra distortion. In my set up it's neutral and not the least bit mechanical and has all the details. Today I will sub in my Evo 200 tube amp as I don't want to over work the Pass on this summer heat. I don't have AC so I was listening naked in my underwear yesterday!🙊 |
I’ve owned three class A biased amps and will never go back to anything but class A. I had a couple of Krell KMA160’s several years ago. They were good,butIhadsomeMartinLogan Monoliths and they just didn’t have the power I needed. From there I went to a couple of Pass XA-100.5’s. They were sweet, but had some Wilson Max II’s-same problem. I purchased a couple of Krell EV 600’s and have never looked back..They supply all the current and headroom I will ever need. I have made this analogy before. Anything, but a class A amp is like a dragster sitting on the line idling. A class A amp is wide open, just waiting to drop the clutch. A class A is very quick “and I like it.” |
Edit: didn't read the thread but seems you made a good decision ! -- I’ve got a pair of the newer tannoy eatons. For low powered SS I’ve tried the XA25 (current amp) and several FW models (F7 and SIT3). The SIT3 isn’t a good match imo. I really like the XA25, I think it's a great match with Tannoys. Prior tube amps included the LTA UltraLinear (for sale) and the new PrimaLuna. While I enjoy tubes, i prefer a well made ss to tubes over the long run for the added detail, bass control etc. The LTA is no slouch but prefered the Pass head to head, although it bested both the F7 and SIT3 in my set up. 2 amps I’d like to try when funds permit are the Valvet e2se and the bakoon 13R These amps are reportedly quite similar to the pass XA25. All low powered, ss. Bakoon is class AB I believe, from what I've read I'm expecting similar sound to the Pass. Valvet is class A and single ended and have several 2nd hand reports of people enjoying it more than the Pass |
ag3- Steve Guttenberg reviewed the Cheviots a few months back. He used both his SIT3 and the XA25. The XA25 was the clear winner he said. I think these Tannoys benefit from the extra power. From what I hear the LTA is not as good. One Valvet E2SE owner said he liked his Valvet over the XA25 but was trading up to the Mono blocks. I prefer a nearby factory and US build. Reselling unknown brands often times means a haircut. Bakoon is one I look for if another show ever happens. I did try a Swedish no name integrated-Lejonklou. Now that could be a 2nd amp someday for me. 40wpc Class a/b. So black and pure and uncolored. Maybe more so than I prefer. |
@ chorus, This has been a slow evolving rabbit hole of upgrades. The current system will be a Linn Majik DSM (3) with internal amp and volume control turned off > Pass Labs XP-20 preamp > Pass Labs XA30.8 amp > Spendor D9 speakers. Analogue: Rega Planar 6 table with Ania MC coil, Neo power supply and Rega Aria phono stage... |
A report on another site with photos... https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/142232-exciting-moment/ |
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I had a Pass XA30.8 (after trying a Firstwatt F8 and Pass XA25 in my system) for awhile before swapping it for my current Luxman L-590AXII and I feel that, unless you really want whatever personality/character the Pass imparts on your chain, the Luxman seems to simply be the more transparent and performant option. |