Agreed that the F6 is a different model than the XA30 but I disagree about the relevance of who builds it. When the important parts and design are identical I would expect the resulting performance to be too.
Pass Then vs. Pass Now
Hi 'Goners.
Long time lurker, first time poster hoping to receive some wisdom from the community. Thinking about an upgrade (aren't we all?) Currently powering Devore Gibbon 3xl with a Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 and am inclined to try out some class A solid state amplification. I was a long time happy owner of a little Adcom GFA535. (I bought it in college in '88 and just let go of it two years ago!) That got me interested in trying out another Pass design. I have been weighing a Threshold400A vs. an XA30.8
Anyone have experience with Devore Gibbons and either of those amps, or thoughts on whether the newer PASS is worth triple the going price of the vintage piece?
Open to any other suggestions on where to go from here with the system as well. For discussion, I live in an apartment and use it almost exclusively for vinyl. I am a musical omnivore. The front end is a Clearaudio Performance DC with Tracer tonearm and Hana SL running through a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2. If I upgrade the amp I plan to continue to use the tube pre in the Rogue Audio integrated, for now.
Thank you in advance for your input. Your time is much appreciated.
Shawn
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i have had the fw f5 and f6 as well as the pass models i mentioned earlier (currently have the int150, xa30.5 and a modded f5 in my collection of amps) nelson pass has been interviewed many times, these vids are on youtube, he speaks at length to steve guttenberg and others about how each gen of pass amps, different generations of them, and different fw amps are all his playing with available components (especially various transistors, some no longer available) in various ’less is more’ circuits to produce amps of different capability levels and with varying sonic traits... he is very articulate about how different types of distortion leads us to hear certain attributes in the music there is also a terrific thread on one of the other forums where he directly participates, and he speaks about his take on how various first watt amps sound different within their respective power envelopes... these interviews are worth watching, easily found on youtube with a basic search, as is that excellent discussion thread where you hear the sound of various of his described by the man himself |
@4krowme I see I got my point across now. Enjoy! |
I've owned the 30.8 amp and it is a terrific powerful amplifier, despite its 30wpc/8-ohm rating. I also own a First-Watt SIT-2 and F8, both of which are terrific amps and with the right efficient speakers have taken my listening another level higher in terms of micro-detail and sound stage. My speakers presently are Living-Voice OBX-RW's (94-db 6.-ohms nominal) and all of the above amplifiers drive them well. The 30.8 was plenty of power for my L-V speakers as even with high levels of listening, it never seemed strained or to run out of power. And for moderate to loud listening, the First-Watt amps above also work well. With your 90-db Gibbons, I suggest that if you like to listen moderately to loudly, you consider the 30.8 over the First-Watt amps. You should consider headroom and crest factor in your listening and based on your speaker efficiency, choose an amp that will not be taxed at louder volumes. Remember that at your listening position, your SPL may be down ~7-db, and you definitely want ~6db or more for headroom on peak music. In my experience with my L-V speakers, the 30.8 came really close to both the First-Watt SIT-2 and F8 in terms of micro-detail other areas important to my listening, however I sold the 30.8 since I really didn't need it with my soon to have new 106-db 16-ohm single-driver speakers. Good luck in your quest for a new amplifier to power your Gibbons ! |
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