Pass Labs XA30.5: In praise of Class A magic!

What an incredible piece of kit! I just "downsized" from my beloved Balanced Audio Technology VK500 amplifier to Nelson Pass' incredible Class A marvel, the XA30.5. I am very fortunate to have owned each of these fantastic amps. The BAT is a 250 wpc, fully-balanced Class A/B 110 lb. leviathan with incredible dynamics. The BAT's damping factor and Ampere output is truly world class for a high-current solid state amplifier. I loved my time with it, but frankly it was a bit of overkill for my modest listening room. When I introduced a pair of 93db efficient Focal Electra 1037BE loudspeakers into my system (which I absolutely love), the VK500 was just too much.

So I did my due diligence, and upon the recommendation of many I sold the BAT and purchased the Pass Labs unit. Everything the (not always so reliable) reviewers have said about this amplifier is true. The sound is simply sumptuous! I was initially wary of the XA30.5's flyweight 30 wpc power rating, but not to worry. The Pass Labs unit has plenty of grunt, and the sound is absolutely intoxicating. This amplifier simply has jaw-dropping levels of texture, detail and richness. The sound is very much like a high-end, high-power tube amp, without any mid-bass bloat and with a bit more grip on the low-end. I was once leery that amplifiers actually contributed to soundstaging and imaging, but that notion went out when I purchased the BAT. The Pass Labs unit excels in these areas even a bit more than the VK500. The XA30.5 is also exceptionally quiet. The layering and depth of soundfield is truly exceptional, and detail retrieval is simply spooky-realistic.

The XA30.5 is certainly not for everyone. If you have a very large listening room, or if you are driving demanding speakers such as electrostats or ribbons, you are obviously going to need more grunt. If that is the case, I strongly recommend the VK500 or one of BAT's more recent models. I'm sure one of the larger Pass units would be a great choice as well, but I have not actually heard one.

I have owned a lot of amplifiers, including one of Nelson's earlier works with Threshold, but I have never heard an amp as sweet and ear-popping realistic as the XA30.5. One of my best audio purchases in, well, ever. Audition one if you have the chance!

System components:

Focal Electra 1037BE loudspeakers

Rega P9 turntable with RB1000 tonearm and Apheta II MC cartridge

PS Audio PCA2 balanced preamp with PS Audio HCPS outboard power supply

Cary Audio 303/300 tube/solid state CD player

Musical Surroundings Nova II phono preamp

Cardas Golden Reference balanced interconnects and speaker cables

Custom RBH subwoofers (dual) with outboard RBH SA200 subwoofer amp

PS Audio PowerPlant Premiere power conditioner/voltage regulator