FW probably won’t,unless you’re running 95db or higher speakers, get you to ear bleed volume. However, owning a couple FW amps with some relatively easy to drive speakers,they are spectacular at what they do. I have an F5,and when I decided to get a second FW amp,I was considering the F6,F7,or J2. I ended up purchasing a lightly used J2. I absolutely love it. I do still wonder what the F6,or F7 would have sounded in my systems,but no regrets. Think about what your needs are as far as volume. I listen at mid to low levels,and FW never disappoints.
Fist Watt F6 vs Pass Labs XA 25
I’m thinking about an upgrade regarding my power amp which is a First Watt F6 dual mono (source: LAB 12 Dac 1 Reference, "speakers": Abyss 1266 PHI TC, preamp: Dave Slagle Autoformer).
I can’t say I wouldn’t be satisfied with this configuration but I’d like to try something even more engaging.
For the moment I’m intrigued by the XA 25 but never had the chance to give it a try in my system.
Most of the reviews just compare the F7 to the XA 25 but I would be happy to hear experiences from users who had F6 and XA 25 side by side.
Is it worth an upgrade and which exact differences could I expect sonically?