Pass Labs XA-25 vs XA-30.8 amplifier


Has anyone listened to the Pass Labs XA-25 and XA-30.8 amplifiers? Can you share what you heard, as well as what the differences are besides rated power and cost? I’m thinking of using one of these amps with my Audiovector R1 Arrete speakers and REL T/9x subwoofer (source is Weiss 501 DAC/digital preamp).

klarinet

From amp designers I know, the XA25 has some of the finesse and sweetness of the First Watt line Pass makes, but no other Pass amp does this (except in the SIT series).

Here’s something relevant:

"Based on actual comparisons, it’s thus fair to say that the XA25 packs virtual Nagra-type small-bottle sonics in the areas of tonal bloom and the ability to track recorded decays. If now we return to Nelson Pass’s 2017 design notes, these results would seem less due to the ‘single-ended’ use of his unusually potent Ixys output devices but what their use eliminated – typical degenerative feedback. It’s how the XA25 differs from our XA-30.8; and apparently how it manages to eclipse it on subjective speed and suchness without sacrificing the usual markers of class A Pass tuning. We’re told that scaling up this recipe to power ratings well beyond the XA25 won’t be easy. In fact, I don’t think it’s happened yet. In that regard, buyers pursuing the smallest amp in the current Pass Labs catalogue actually get something the bigger ones don’t have. It’s bragging rights of a different sort. Here it’s not the guy with the heaviest costliest amp who wins but she who bought smarter speakers which don’t require excess power so can exploit a smaller more sophisticated or purist gain circuit to drive them. In case you’re still reading between the lines: had I discovered the XA25 before I purchased the XA-30.8 as my resident class A example, I’d have saved myself both money and handling fits. I like the sound of the smaller amp even better; and my back much prefers it, too."

https://darko.audio/2023/02/pass-labs-xa25-review/

Also: https://www.stereophile.com/content/pass-laboratories-xa25-power-amplifier-page-2

I’ll start by saying I am not familiar with your speakers and I never heard XA-25. 
I owned XA-30.8 and upgraded to X260.8 mono amps. 
I used XA-30.8 with Martin Logan Montis and Wilson Sabrina speakers. Preamps were XP-12 and XP-22. 
I can characterize the XA-30.8 sound as warm, big, luscious, with rounded edges, big but wooly and somewhat loose bass. I found that Pass Labs XA30.8 and even X260.8 but to a lesser degree than the 30 tend to homogenize the recordings you’re listening to. There’s an upside to this as it will make pretty much everything sound great and let you enjoy the music. But it’s not the last word in transparency. The XA30.8 is a great amp overall that packs enough juice to scale up to some demanding speakers. I can highly recommend it if the sound I described is what you’re looking for. 
If you want Class A but faster and more transparent sound I highly recommend Coda. Great amplifier and I ended up preferring a Coda CSIB integrated amp overall. The CSIB is basically Coda 8 with built in preamp. Look into it. 

It seems like the XA-25 is generally regarded as “transparent”. Maybe the big selling point for the  XA-30.8 is the balanced inputs? One thing that makes me hesitant about the Pass amps is the 3 year warranty, 5 years is pretty standard. Has anyone had reliability problems with their Pass amps?

Pass stuff is super reliable. They also have exemplary customer service.
I wouldn’t worry about warranty. 

Super reliable, and great customer service - have had 5 Pass amps over past 21 years