pass labs xa30 to valve amplifier.

Thanks. Thats very interesting. The amount of sound it produces, it certainly sounds far more powerful than 30 watts.

I'm no tech-head by any means, but the published sensitivity should take into account the power eaten up by the crossover, BUT the x-over can produce those impedance dips and large phase angles that make a speaker "difficult to drive" as Magfan wrote. Applying this to the OP's question, does anyone have a link to an impedance and phase angle vs frequency curve for the Zingalis?

Hi everyone. From some of the responses here, it seems the pass xa30.5 has greater power output than 30 watts. i am still looking at valve amplifiers am aware now that a move to valve amplification may be, at best, a sideways move. Im hoping to hear a few products to judge. Am i right in thinking a 30 watt valve amplifier would not have the same volume output as the xa30.5, even though both are rated at 30 watts ( the pass very conservatativly, it seems). i am considering low powered tiode amps ( i understand they sound better) How are low powered valve amps with regard to slam and attack with clarity?
When a valve blows, can speakers be damaged? Sorry for all the questions, but i rather get some further background into valve amplification. i have picked up some very useful pointers here and thank everyone for their input.

I've used XA30.5 before. It was one of the best SS amp I've used before. I've moved on to tubes, or valves, and now I own ARC VSi60. It's one of the best amp I've heard.

Normally tube amps with the same watts seem to play louder than their SS counterparts because they handle clipping very smoothly. I don't know the percentage of the tube advantage on perceived power, but tube watts always seem more powerful, considerably so, driving a speaker - unless the speaker's impedances are so uneven as to really need SS to operate properly.

Slam and attack with clarity? Tube amps can do that in spades. A lot of that has to do with the relationship between the amp and the speaker:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php

Tube failure should not be a cause for speaker damage. In fact a transistor failure is far more likely to damage a speaker, which is why most transistor amps have speaker protection circuits, something not really needed in a tube amp.

Hi James, I am in the UK and have been using a TVC control with the Atmasphere S30Mk3 with Avantgarde Duo's for about 4 years. I have had a (Chineese) tube fail - there was a loud pop but the amp and speaker were not damaged. I would now have absolutely no concern over the reliability of the Atmasphere amps. Also the tubes seem to last well - current set approx 30 months.

I have tried various SS and tube in this system and I will not return to SS. The Atmasphere is the best I have tried and I have no inclination to change after 4 years usage. In face the only reason I might change would be if a lower powered version of the Atmasphere amp was produced. With my speakers (107dB/W) I only ever see the meter showing about 1W and it is really loud!

The soundstage and bloom really draws you into the music. The main thing however is that efficient speakers like yours (and mine) seem to sound 'alive' and dynamic with the Atmasphere amp even at low levels. I think this is really important and a good indicator that a system is well matched.

Anyway, I am sure you will have fun choosing which way you want to go.

Hello James,
Low power tube amps SET or PP can provide excellent impact,dynamics and clarity/transparency without a doubt. The key is selecting a well built and high quality tube amp(transformers,parts and stout power supply). Equally important is the right speaker match, one that`s efficient and has an easy drive load impedance. With the really good tube amplifiers you get realism,natural bloom and wonderful tone(acoustic instruments and vocals) that`s very difficult to achieve in many other types of amps IMO.Best of luck with your progression.

Thank you. with the help of forum users here i have shortlisted : Atmasphere, ear, almarro, opera consonance ( some may view this as odd choice, but the droplet cd player i have sounds very good indeed and has proven to be reliable over past few years). The thing about the pass xa30.5 is that it is very revealing. it will make a poor recording sound very bad ( though high qulaity ones very good.) perhaps a valve amp would smooth things out when required.

James,
The Opera Consonance tube amps are very good(built quality and sound). The very good tube amps are quite transparent and revealing also james. There`s no 'masking' of information, they just are`nt as analytical or dry sounding as 'some' SS amps tend to be.Good tube amps will preserve the 'natural' bloom and body tone that`s less clinical in nature and more organic.You`ll certainly hear the differences in your recordings however.

You Zingalis have the efficiency for not needing many watts (tube or ss) but if they have any severe dips in impedance and even worse, a bad phase angle in the lower ranges, a tube amp may not be the best choice. Most tube amps do not like dishing out a bunch of current at a moments notice, the Pass couldn't care less.

A tube preamp would be a step in the right direction. A tube amp may be a bigger step toward your goal.

Thank you for reply. ive also been considering a tube preamplifier as a next step. that would also enable to keep the pass. do you or anyone else have sugesstions as to which ones would be in a similar league to the pass. cd player and pass have balanced connections so i would like to keep the balanced chord anthem, if possible. how would an old arc preamplifier fare? ive seen pre used ones that sell for around 1000 uk pounds. however, i think these are many years old. an sp8 sold recently on an auction site for 900 uk pounds. Any idea how much i should spend? i am very grateful for assistance given. thank you.

James123, a preamp that supports the balanced standard is my suggestion. The ARC is one that does not. The balanced standard (what created balanced line operation) is supposed to make the system immune to the quality/length of the cable. If the preamp does not support the standard, you will find that the cables still make a difference.

Ideally to do this the preamp will ignore the ground connection of the cable.

If I'm not mistaken, the ARC may have troubles driving the input impedance of the Pass. That has been discussed in other threads.

As a general rule of thumb, its a good idea to allocate about the same funds for the preamp as you do the amp, but individual circumstances often create wide variations :)

i have tried the Audio research Ref 5 preamp with my XA30.5. i used balanced input from my Wadia and balanced output. i found no impedance mismatch.
i suggest you try the Audio research REF 3. you might like it.

Thank you. ill look into the ref three. I read the reviews for ref 5 and it suggests sound of a very high calibre.
Im also considering atma spher mp3. Would anyone know if this preamp would work with the pass? i have leant from here that impedence would need matching. So would only as pass pre amp work correctly? What data should i be checking? if i know this, ill research the stats for myself. Sorry for all the questions. Thank you kindly.

THe MP-3 will drive the XA30.5 with ease from an impedance perspective, I think output impedance is 250 ohm which is very, very low, especially for a tube preamp. It also uses 6sn7 tubes which always seem to be in my favorite tube line stages - oh, an really balanced.

Hi does atma-sphere mp3 have home theater by-pass?

No, you just pick the right position on the volume control and it works fine. The MP-3 has a custom-built stepped volume control composed of 96 resistors. It sounds as good as a bypass.