Watts are over-rated in my opinion, unless you have an extremely large room, highly inefficient speakers and like to play LOUD. Current, quality of parts, design and build quality should play a larger role in your decision process.
Pass and Plinius are both very reputable.
I believe the SA 301 is class AB... so I'd recommend the SA-102 or SA 250 which is biased for Class A and has a toggle switch to run in AB.. but I strongly preferred running the SA-102 in class A when I owned one about a decade ago.
Pass has an excellent reputation, stronger name recognition and may have better resale value. |
yes, pdreher I play my music loud, have large, hungery, somewhat inefficient speakers, in a large room, alon IV's. I thought the pass x250.8 was class ab....... |
I have owned both the SA-103 which is class A, A/B switchable and the SB-301 class A/B. I you like big dynamic sound especially with less than efficient speakers, go with the SB-301. It offers a much punchier and defined bass and overall more control in my opinion than the SA-103. I'm driving Legacy Focus 20/20's and get huge sound from the SB-301. There is an article somewhere that states, power is everything. I really believe that reserve power is important for defined transient response. I cannot speak to the Pass line.
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thanks falcon for your reponse.....and yes I do like a dynamic sound with great sonics and sound staging. what kind of preamp do you recommend with the sb 301, I have Conrad Johnson gear now. |
I would go with the Pass 350.8 great products and company. No experience with Plinius although I have heard they are a very good company. And as someone mentioned above Pass will more likely hold its value better and be easier to flip if you decide to move on. You can contact Mark at Reno Hi-FI and take advantage of an in home trial; no affiliation.
I have Pass xa100.5’s with a Pass XP-20 and they are excellent performers.
Chuck |
czbbcl, I'm familiar with neson pass gear from my adcom days. hear a lot of good things about his line. but is very expensive. am leaning to the 3
50.8, but have heard the 250.8 has better sound quality. how is it on heat and the electric bill, do you have to leave it on 24/7. |
The XA mono-blocs being Class A topology do get rather warm. I will not say hot as I have had tube amps in the past and those do kick out a lot of heat. I do not leave them on 24/7 instead turn them off when I retire for the evening. When I first got the amps I noticed the electric bill went up a bit maybe 5%. I know Pass does bias the X (AB topology) line higher into Class A than most manufacturers do so it will get warm. I have heard the same thing said about the 250 vs 350 but I have no experience with either amp so I can comment. I would talk to Mark he is a straight up person and can give you a better idea of the sonic qualities of both.
Chuck |
will look forward to your response.......... |
I used to own a Plinius SA100 and now own a Pass X350.5
What I disliked most about the Plinius was that it took forever to sound its best once switched ON. The amp did not sound its best until being left ON for well over a week. Because of that, I just left it ON all the time. That was a big waste of electricity and heat generation. If you havn't tried already, those of you with a Plinius amp should try leaving it ON for a couple of weeks, then be amazed at how much better it sounds
The Pass X350.5 is a much better sounding amp overall and will sound its best after about 6 hours. Also, Pass amps are bomb proof reliable and made in the US. If you ever have an issue, just call them. Try that with Plinius!
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Not to muddy the waters, but there are Clayton M300 monoblocks for sale on US Audio Mart that would also be worth a look. Read reviews if you haven't seen them already. Best of luck.
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I agree with poster "seasoned" that Plinius have to be left on all of the time to sound their best. Plinius SA 102 was the best ss amp I've owned, but I'm a tube guy and my exposure to ss amps is limited.
Based upon feedback from others on this chain and your preferences, it sounds like a Pass X250 or 350 series amp is the most sensible path forward for you. |
pdreher I'm beginning to agree with your straw poll....i don't want an amp that I cant turn off or runs the elec bill up.... and soix ill look into those clayton's not a mono block guy thought...... |
Question for Plinius owners who say amps need a long time to warm up: Can you leave it on in Class A/B mode and not have to wait so long to reach optimal sound in Class A? |
Soix... yes, I left my Plinius on 24/7 and toggled over to the more energy efficient class AB when not listening, then back over to class A for listening sessions. I think most ss amps and ss audio equipment in general sounds best when left on 24/7. |
soix - Same as pdreher; I left my SA100 in class AB mode during standby, then switched to class A for listening. I don't leave my X350.5 ON all the time because in standby it consumes 900W! yikes...
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So, if I'm reading right, even when leaving the Plinius amps on in A/B mode they still took a long time to sound its best in Class A? |
No, as long as you left it on 24/7 in A/B mode, the warm-up once you toggle over to class A only took 20 minutes or so. |
season, how doe that x350.5 sound, and have you heard it compared to the x350.8 |
I owned the Pass Labs X350.5 and thanks to Reno HiFI I also had in my home for about a month the Pass Labs X350.8 to do a direct comparison using my equipment, ears, etc.
To me, I thought the X350.8 sounded dull and closed in compared to the X350.5 version. So, I kept the X350.5.
However, I later sold it to buy Atma-Sphere M-60 mono blocks.
ozzy |
i tlk with someone at sig. sound and he told me the pass stuff and be a bit dry and the plinius stuff might be better to get.......
the reviews I have been reading sd the .8 was way better than the .5, it had cleaned up all the neg problems they were having with the .5 |
