At comparable price points, I agree it's purely personal preference. Despite what's often written, Class A is not preferred by all listeners, as Petrushka points out, and the XA amps are more powerful than their ratings suggest.
Difference between Pass Labs XA160.5 an X600.5?
Hi all,
I currently own a set of Parasound JC-1's to drive Dynaudio Confidence C4's. Although they match very well, I currently look for ´the next step`. Based on several reviews I read, Pass Labs seems to be a very good substitute for the JC-1's. I doubt however if the XA160.5 are powerfull enough. Why? Today I integrated my Velodyne DD-18 with the C4's and I heard the soundstage changing when I but my Velodyne DD-18 subwoofer on/off (at a crossover frequency of 50Hz). Apparently my 800W RMS JC-1 (into 4 Ohm) can't drive the C4's full range?!? The price difference between the XA160.5/XA200.5 and X600.5/X1000.5 is however significantly (i.e the price of a XP-20 I intend to buy). X600.5 is class A upto 80W (so seems are safer alternative than the XA160.5).
I will try to listen to both amplifiers on short time notice here in the Netherlands, but has anyone already heard both these amps and if so, what are the difference?
Thanks!
I currently own a set of Parasound JC-1's to drive Dynaudio Confidence C4's. Although they match very well, I currently look for ´the next step`. Based on several reviews I read, Pass Labs seems to be a very good substitute for the JC-1's. I doubt however if the XA160.5 are powerfull enough. Why? Today I integrated my Velodyne DD-18 with the C4's and I heard the soundstage changing when I but my Velodyne DD-18 subwoofer on/off (at a crossover frequency of 50Hz). Apparently my 800W RMS JC-1 (into 4 Ohm) can't drive the C4's full range?!? The price difference between the XA160.5/XA200.5 and X600.5/X1000.5 is however significantly (i.e the price of a XP-20 I intend to buy). X600.5 is class A upto 80W (so seems are safer alternative than the XA160.5).
I will try to listen to both amplifiers on short time notice here in the Netherlands, but has anyone already heard both these amps and if so, what are the difference?
Thanks!