Krell Evolution or Pass XA.5 series

Well I had the Pass X600.5 side by side to the Krell EVO402 in my system. In my system they sounded much alike. The new EVO line is much more musical than the old series. However the typical Krell bass is also gone with the new EVO line.

The Pass was better in the bass and also in the mids. The Krell sounded a little cleaner but also leaner. In the end the Pass was just better in my system.

But the EVO402 is a very good amp and does sound much better than the older 400CX but at about 1.5 times the price also.

My friend tried the XA series next to the EVO and the XA series have better bass than the new EVO402. Krell went away from what made them famous. In the mids the XA also won. On very demanding speakers the Krell might be a better choise but on average the Pass XA series just sound better.

Peter

Well in my previous post I had the Wilson Maxx as speakers. I now changed the speakers to Wilson Sasha. I changed the amps to Pass XA160.5. But recently I bought the Krell EVO600 mono blocks and they play much more life like on the Sasha. The bass is tight and has slam. Also the mids are very clear and open. Compared to the Pass it is much more dynamic and clear and open.

So in this case I preferred the Krell EVO set. I am now going to sell the Pass.

So what is better depends on your configuration. Pass and Krell are both excellent amps. The Krell is more expensive but can sound better in some systems. In other systems the Pass may sound better. With electrostatic speakers or very analytical speakers with ceramic drivers the Pass might just add some musicality.

So try before you buy. The matching with the speakers is the most important and of course what you want to hear.

Peter