Have opportunity to buy BHK 300's or Pass Labs 250.8 for my Thiel 3.7's- thoughts??


I think I will take the plunge on one of two as they are within my budget.
pgastone

Showing 5 responses by unsound

Keep in mind that the Thiel 3.7's don't just dip into sub 4 Ohm loads, they live there over most of their operating conditions. That's why I caution those to be wary of amps that merely claim to be "Stable for musical transients". Thiel's recommended power was 100-600 Watts per channel, but that was for a standard 8 ohm load with the understanding that the amp would double down as needed into the actual load. Into a nice, safe  rounded 2 Ohms that would be closer to 400-2400 Watts. Keep in mind that as the impedance drops so does the sensitivity. So that 400 Watts minimum might seem like an awful lot, but, for adjusted sensitivity; it's about the same as 100 Watts into 8 Ohms. Some of the amps you previously mentioned are indeed robust, sturdy amps with most speakers and then some, just perhaps not ideal into your particular Thiel 3.7's.

I couldn't find more recent independent measurements of Pass Labs current offerings. While I suspect the more recent ones might be better in this regard, I also suspect that these older ones are not irrelevant. As much as I like some of their gear, their independent measurements have been somewhat disappointing of late.

I tried to include this before but for some reason it wouldn't take.:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/pass-labs-int-150-integrated-amplifier-measurements


^It’s not always about ultimate volume but rather about operating in the realm of the load of the particular speaker.