Pass XA 25 versus Parasound A21+ - anyone compare?

I know that this comparison will sound harsh, but the Parasound A21 sounds like "grains of dry sand on a flat sheet" and the Pass Labs XA-25 sounds like "a beautiful flowing stream which allows all the colors of instruments to shine through from a 3D space. The XA-25 is on a totally another level of refinement and musicality.

Reno HiFi has a generous return policy on their Pass gear.  very little to lose by trying it out.  I agree with @teajay 's characterization.

Sounds like long waiting ensues.

OP is asking about a21 "plus" not the outgoing a21. we would assume an improvement in the new model, which was recently rated Stereophile Class A. Also compared favorably to the Benchmark AHB2.
For such exclusive amps used Pass Labs are frequently available.

I’ve heard a lot of Pass and a lot of Parasound.  Neither have great bass, but while the Parasound sounds warm, Pass always sounds lean to my ears.  They both lack absolute smoothness in the mid to treble region.

I can’t listen to pass for very long without getting annoyed at it. I can listen to Parasound forever. It's faults just don't itch me the way Pass does.

There’s still a lot out there I like better, but for the money if those are your two choices, Parasound hands down.

Another two the OP should listen to is Ayre and Luxman. Between those four the OP will 100% develop a strong personal preference that will make my own meaningless.

The Xa-25 sounds like no other Pass amp, "house sound" logic does not apply.  Hearing over assumption, always.  

Reno has them now...my only guess is that you will pretty quickly know which you prefer once you try both in your system...both are very popular and well reviewed, though clearly have some that do not like them at all, never ever...

 Maybe the power difference between these amplifiers should be in consideration given the possibility of upgrading to the Pulsars.

What is room size, desired loudness levels, dynamic level demand?

If you are a rock fan go for the Parasound. If you are a classical fan go for the Pass. Parasound certainly gives you the most amp for the money.

I listen to all types of music: jazz, rock, classical.  moderate to loud volume levels though do not BLAST it often.  

Interesting responses so far, to say the least.

Per my original post no Pass dealer nearby.

BUT, my Parasound dealer just started carrying Luxman - though as seperates my guess is that the latter is pricey.

Decisions decisions ...

I have been enjoying a Parasound a21+ for two days now and it is a very nice sounding amplifier.  Driven from a tube preamp and driving Harbeth SHL5+ speakers.  
The sound is different than the original a21 which had its issues as a true audiophile amp.  
The new one is smooth, detailed, refined and seems to make everything sound excellent.   The Stereophile Class A rating is justified.   

I have the Perspective 2s.  I run them with my Pass INT-60 in my RoomPlay Reference demo room.   There are a few times that I wish I had a bit more sound level capability. 

IMO, both the Pulsars and the Perspectives are near the bottom of current loudspeaker choices in terms of efficiency.  I would not think that the XA-25 would be enough power.

Of course, their performance - in terms of sheer musical involvement - is at or near the top, well beyond more pricey competitors.  Again not stated as an irrefutable fact, but IMO & IME...

Best,

Jim Smith

@avanti1960 

Did you get rid of the Rogue Stereo 100, or swapping back in forth for a different flavor?

I would also chime in that the Rainmaker is pretty low sensitivity and your room is pretty moderately sized. The Pass does make closer to 80 watts per channel (at 1% distortion) so it should be enough power, but the only way to know is to try it.

Lucked into a used pair of Pulsars last fall. Woke up the bug again and have been replacing everything else I had. Found an Atma-Sphere pre that I've decide is a keeper. Respect to amps, have auditioned a couple ss ARC's (class a/b and d), McIntosh L275 and a Hegel H20 (just what I have available locally to try). Neither the ARC(s) nor McIntosh did much for me. Sound was fine, but little to no soundstaging. Just sounds coming straight out of boxes. The Hegel on the other hand dances pretty well with the A-S and Pulsars. Regardless of volume level, there's an openness and dimensionality to the recordings that the ARC(s) and Mc just don't offer. Not that I take it to '11' all that often, but for such a small unit the Pulsars can actually light things up. And this particular Hegel is more than one would ever need to get the most possible out of the Pulsars in this respect. Do know the Pulsars are very revealing. Good recording (i.e.: Still's 'Treetop Flyer', Patricia Barber 'Too rich for my blood') will put the biggest grin on your face as your windows rattle away. Poorly recorded stuff can become almost intolerable once you've heard how good the good stuff can sound.  

Not fully committed to the Hegel just yet. Will be giving the Parasound a21 a listen. Would love to hear the XA25 as well, but fear that will be a harder find. Would like also to know what the First Watt SIT-3 and Atma-Sphere S-30 do, but again, availability? If you plan on spending any time at all occasional annoying your neighbors (volume up), your likely going to want at the very least 100w/channel for the Pulsars. Efficiency is not their thing. If however, like me, you're willing to sacrifice the ability to rattle windows in favor of the best possible low volume presentation, the Pulsars can that game well, too.

Hi bobbydd

I agree with teajay completely. I have the Pass Labs xa30.8 and it’s basically the same as the xa25 only with balanced inputs and outputs. I also had the Parasound a21 in the past and trust me, there’s no comparison. The xa25 will be so much more musical it’s not even funny. Parasound is good but the Pass amps are, in my opinion, great. That xa25 punches so far above it’s weight class it’s not even a fair fight. I found the Parasound amp to be very boring and just ok. There are some people and some reviewers out there that feel that the xa25’s midrange sounds even better than the xa30.8! I find the xa30.8 to be magical. For under $5000.00 I don’t think You could find a more musical amp. The drive capability of the Pass amps is just insane. My speakers are 83 dB efficient and the xa30.8 doesn’t even break a sweat driving them. Most importantly it always remains so musical. Nelson Pass is a genius IMO. Reliability is off the charts as well. Good luck. 

Scot

@shahram

i did sell the steteo 100 . excellent amp but there were times i wanted a little more volume. the a21+ does that very well without losing much.
the stereo100 would have been perfect with higher efficiency speakers than my 86db harbeths.  

Just received a pass XA25 and have it running for a solid 24 hrs.
I will be comparing to my Parasound a21+ that has matured well in my system for several months.
So far the XA25 sounds grainy and edgy in the upper midrange and lower treble.
The a21+ is nothing but smooth.
I will give the XA25 a few weeks, it does have its moments but compared to the buzz on this amp it is a big disappointment early on.

@avanti1960 Is the Pass brand new or did you acquire it used with hours on it? I ask because Pass recommends running in their brand new amps for about 5 days straight 24/7 as an initial break-in measure. It did make a difference back when I had a brand new XA30.8. After initial break-in they only take 30 minutes to warm up in my experience.

thanks, yes it is new.  being patient is key at the moment i guess.  

I experienced the grainy/edgy sonics when I was recently running in another Class A SS amp - my Sugden A21SE.  It smoothed out remarkably after about 2 weeks of normal use (perhaps 30-40 hrs total).  I didn't try running it 24/7 for 5 days.  

Get the amp with the most rms watts. 
  Headroom you will need 
the effortless sound you will notice. 

So far the XA25 sounds grainy and edgy in the upper midrange and lower treble.
The a21+ is nothing but smooth.

Yeah, that was my experience as well. The best experience I had with Pass was still too lean. From what I’ve read of listeners who I felt had good critical listening skills and weren’t just total Pass fanboys, they may perform at theri best with big cabinet speakers like Tannoys and Klipsch or big JBLs.

@avanti1960

Very interested in the results of your comparison after the XA25 has a chance to settle in.  

If you haven't done so reach out to Taylor at GoldPrint Audio in North Carolina.  He carries Joseph Audio and I believe Parasound and beyond being a get dealer takes in JA trades frequently as pass past customers move up the JA line.  I have no relationship to Taylor except being a very happy customer for a number of years.  

erik_squires
”From what I’ve read of listeners who I felt had good critical listening skills and weren’t just total Pass fanboys, they may perform at theri best with big cabinet speakers like Tannoys and Klipsch or big JBLs.”
Strange. I have seen a lot of Magnepan owners using (bigger) Pass amps. I’ve often seen them described as being warm and full, not lean and sterile??? 🤔
Hopefully I will find out soon.

FYI the overall tone of the XA25 is neutral, not lean.  Bass is excellent.  My issue is that it does not sound as refined in the upper midrange lower trebpe as i think it should, or as the a21+ does.
this is with my 86db 6 ohm Harbeths.  
If it smoothes out  as it burns in it will be a winner.  

After starting this thread last year I ended up buying the XA 25.  Running it with Joseph Audio Pulsar 2's.

Very happy with the sound.  Neutral tonal balance, liquid and dimensional with good staging.  Bass is very good, tuneful, with good output down to about 40 hertz in my moderate sized room.  I can play to loud levels with no sense of strain from the amp, though I do not listen at VERY loud levels.  Some may need more headroom with such a modest sensitivity speaker in a large room.

Overall very pleased with the Pass.

Just my experience.

@bobbydd Excellent  info, thanks.  
I thought it appropriate that I continue the thread as I have lived with an a21+ for the better part of a year and now have the Pass Labs XA25 to compare.  
So far the a21+ sounds much better in my system but the XA25 has only 20 hrs or so on it- however it has a lot of work to do to stay.  

Did you have similar slight edginess when yours was new?  

@avanti1960 
My Int-25 had some edgy treble to begin with but smoothed out considerably after a week of constant playing. Also running Harbeths.

@voodoochillin    thanks, i am hopeful the same will happen or back it goes and i keep the parasound.  

Honestly, I hear no edge or grain with the XA 25.  This is with the Pulsar's, which have quite a revealing but very low distortion tweeter.

I am not very familiar with the Harbeth's, but I doubt there would be any adverse interaction between those components.

Best.

 The best experience I had with Pass was still too lean.

At least with the dot 8 series I've owned (X250.8 and now XA30.8), my experiences with Pass are the opposite to this finding.  I actually would have guessed folks who don't like the Pass sound would find them too warm, thick, lacking in resolution, slow, etc...

The 'meat on the bones' sound I hear from those two Pass amps plus the wicked 3D soundstage are the two areas that make them my favorites so far over other amps I've owned recently (Modwright, Simaudio, Bryston, Benchmark; with speakers Magico S1s and now Spendor D9s).   I owned a Parasound A23 years ago so can't really compare it...

I've never heard the XA25 though, but would love to try one with my D9s if it only provided a balanced input :)

I have the xa25 with Salk exotica monitors w/RAAL tweeters and the pass xp10 preamp. Absolutely no edginess at all.  Very smooth.  I love it.

@ddafoe 

i use my balanced cables from my preamp and use a nuutrik xlr to rca adaptor at the amp rca jacks.  works well.  

the xA25 is definitely starting to sound better after 3 days of running...

sounding even better after 8 days....

So is it an improvement over the a21+? I have the Jc5 and like it, but I’m tempted to get a pass labs int-60 as I’m curious if the pass will bring a larger soundstage and richer mid bass. I have Dynaudio heritage specials btw, only an 11x11x8 primary listening room, but Kef r11 in the living room which is 20x60x8. Upgrade-itis is calling. 

@gmdodd

KEF R11 would sound the best with McIntosh amplification. I have suggested this to others who had bad synergy with a variety of other amps including Parasound and they were quite pleased with the Mac.

The pass XA25 sounds different than their up range amps which tend to extend the treble more despite being class A.  To my ears the new KEF R series require an amplifier with ultra smooth top end.  The JC5 is probably better in that regard than the up range Pass.  

I switched from a JC5 to a pair of XA60.8s. I found the Pass amps to sound a bit richer with a nice improvement in sound stage. A touch less sparkle in the high end though. 

Avanti +1, The x25 is superb but matching is the key .A better amp is the one that will match.