The difference in sound, control and resolution.
I owned the XA30.5, 60.5 and 100.5. I loved the 30.5
for the money. The difference between the 30.5 and 60.5 is smaller than the difference between the 60.5 and 100.5.
I had the integrated to test for 2 months. I did not found it convincing like other Pass amps to be honest. |
I have owned the XA30.5, 60.5, 100.5. Now I have the X250.5 and I want to buy this year X350.8. I have listend and tested the integrated amps. I did not like them so much. Stage was wide and deep, but withing the stage instruments were much too big in proportion. There was no intimate focus what is very important. Also the X150.5 I did not like. The XA30.5 and 60.6 are exeptional good for the money.
Sonos has nothing to do with good hifi. I sold it, I never will sell this again now I run my own business. Even for the money you can get superior stuff. They use very cheap components.
Which speaker do you use now.....
Pass Labs can give a wide and deep stage, but when you use a brand like Sonus which is a 2 dimensional brand in the kind of image it gives. So you will loose the depth and wide which a Pass Labs can give. It is the same as you buy a Ferrari without the engine. And you put in a Ford engine. It doens't make sense at all!! |
When you have a 93 db speaker, and you don't want to spend much money. The XA30.5 will be more than ehough. I loved the amp for the money. I never heard this level for this price. |
The difference in control, drive, resolution between the XA60.5 and 100.5 were big. That is why my personal favorites are the XA30.5 and 100.5. |
There is a tread about the .8 series here at Audiogon.
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1393354920&openmine&zzBo1972&4&5#Bo1972
I asked Pass Labs about reviews of the .8 series about 5 weeks ago. They said; not in short time. |
First I owned the XA100.5. I sold them because I needed the money. After this I bought the XA60.5. I wanted to review and test them. I already had a client for them. I also bought a XA30.5 because I could get it for a very low price. I loved this amp for the price you have to pay for it. I was surprised about the sound quality for the money. But also the control and drive was surprisingly good.
Less than one and a half year year ago I bought the X250.5. I was just curious what the X.5 series does compared to the XA series. I thought I would much prefer the XA series.
But..... I was surprised after I received the Purist Audio Limited edition powercable that I prefer the X.5 series. This has to do with timing, I love the extra speed. It is different in the high freq. as well. It is more on the edge in the high freq. Like there is more resolution.
How I use it, the X series work better than the XA series. I have the plans to buy a X350.8 amp. For a few reasons, I only need one powercable. I also have the plans to buy one 25th Ann Purist Audio powercable. I Always focus on the end options and results it gives. The X350.8 has 72 caps just like all best amps Pass Labs has. I want speed and control. It has enough class A for me. Even with the XA250.5 I play for over 95% in class A.
I prefer the extra speed and better timing and the extra resolution over a more musical mid freq of the XA series. But on the other hand I could life with the XA series without hesitation! |
I love Pass because it gives me the wide and deep stage I want. On the other hand I love the focus it can give on the sound of an instrument. Realism in sound is everything for me. I also love the speed and drive.
I have done a few email about asking questions about the new .8 series. I think they will give me the extra parts I am looking for. |
You need to test and listen it in your own system.
MIT is not a good match with Pass Labs. I can easilly explain why. I sold and owned MIT cables.
Pass Labs give a wide and deep stage but.....within this stage instruments and voices are not small and realistic in proportion. I call it intimate sound.
MIT also give a deep and wide stage. But not a sharp realistic individual focus of instruments and voices.
I have proven in one year of time that Audioquest is superior to MIT in every single aspect you Judge a cable for. It get's you a lot closer to the music. Instruments and voices become a lot more palpable and intimate. Many of my clients sold there MIT cables.
I owned the Meridian 800 for 12 years of time. I also owned the latest and most expensive 800DAX V4 for 7 years of time. There are many sources which are superior to these.
After I used the Purist Audio Limited powercable, the X250.5 went to a much higher level. The speed and resolution I did not achieve with the XA-30.5, 60.5 and 100.5.
Amps will work differently in different situations. So you have to find out yourself what will work best!! |
I found the X150.5 dissapointing. The XA-30.5 is really stunning for the money.
The X150.5 and The integrated X version were the only two Pass amps which did not convince enough. |
If you go back in my answers you wil find my thoughts about it.
The Purist Audio Limited Edition 2013 version had a very big positive influence on the X250.5.
I owned the XA30.5, 60.5 and 100.5 and thought I would prefer the XA series over the X series.
But......how I use it the X.5 series has some advantages over the XA series. This is faster response, more drive and more spatial in the high freq. You need a high quality cable to maintain the involment in the mid freq and the authority in the high freq. A cheaper powercable will give you a clear disadvantage in the mid freq. and high freq. This is why many people prefer the XA series over the X series. I had the same thoughts. But by testing my thoughts changed. I had these discussions with Pass Labs.
The Purist brings new parts which are not there compared to a basic power cable.
I will go this year for the X350.8 instead the XA100.8.
By using the Purist it is like you double the quality in endresult. You have to try it to believe it.
Powercables have a huge influence on poweramps and sources as well. |
Pass Labs works a lot better in the XLR mode. I did not expect to be so positive about the X250.5.
But I need to be honest that without the Purist Limited Edition 2013 version I would have had other thoughts.
I started testing powercables in 2002. Mannn they can make a huge improvement. I did many blind tests.
What I said many times: It is a lot easier to get a higher endresult with a poweramp of 4000 dollar with a powercable like purist of 4000 dollar compared to a poweramp of 8000 dollar with a powercable of 100 dollar.
People believed it after a blind rest. That is why hearing is believing. Audio is about proof. So this is the way I sell audio.
You need to understand another important part about the properties Pass Labs owns.
The biggest mistake ( I hate this a lot, at shows when I hear it you are all mine. And I will explain why it is wrong) is using cables which are not able to give a small and intimate individual focus.
The X.5 and XA.5 series give a wide and deep stage.
But......their limitation is that the stage within the wide and deep stage is not sharp and small enough as it should be.
I had many discussions about this with Pass Labs. When there is a demo with Pass Labs with cables like MIT and Shunyata ( properties of these cables are; a wide and deep stage but not a sharp and realistic proportion of instruments and voices)
What you get is even with a recoding of just a voice and 1 or 2 instruments it will be out of proportion. At shows I asked the people ( I would suggest to go listen to acoustic instrumensts in real) if the people who are singing have a water head. Sometimes the singer has a head of over 3 metres. Then I am so f..... irritated that I have the drive to correct these stuppid people.
These kind of people I would love to get out of this business. Because they are also responsible for the low level at shows.
So you need cables which give a small and realistic proportion of instruments.
I give you a few who do this as it should be:
- Audioquest
- Kimber
- Taralabs
- Transparent
- Purist Audio |
I owned the XA100.5 and used it with the Purist Audio Aqueous powercables. Now it comes.....with the X250.5 and Purist Audio Limited 2013 powercable I had superior articulation compared to the XA100.5 with the Aqueous.
Also in the high freq. I had more resolution. Cheap powercables are not able to get all the quality out of your amp. Same thing about interconnects.
When you use a source with the dynamics of 132 db you get a much higher endresult out of your amp. Audio is all about getting the max out of all the different tools you own. That is why you need to understand an be aware of all the different properties. These properties togheter create the stage, sound, drive, resolution, blacks, timbre and focus of the overwhole sound. When you use them correctly you can get all parts which need to be there for the absolute sound. Or what I call Total sound.
The art of sound can give you a stunning sound or average or even bad sound. You need to know what you are doing! |
The int-150 is the most worse Pass Labs product the produce. The X150.5 is second worse.
which pre amp you use? |
I owned the XP-20 for 2 years. It is a very good pre amp, but not a stunning one. In my opinion Pass Labs make better poweramps than pre amps. |
The XP-10 is a good pre amp, it is not bad. But....to achieve a stunning level you need more sonic qualities.
Audio becomes more understandable by testing. Because tets give you information. This information can bring you to a higher level.
When you do not know the properties of your power and pre amp, you don't know which cables you have to buy.
Because cables will work totally different with the same amps. They have their own properties as well. You need to know these properties as well. You will listen to all these properties togheter including the acoustics. |
