Understood! (you did say ultimate 
). I upgraded from Elation! and Ithink they are the value point. You also see used Elation...
Pass XA25 for my system
I have been a long-time lurker here, but never posted until now. I have learned a lot from reading other posts and I thought it would be nice to share details on my current system. Also wondering if anyone has thoughts on switching from Hegel to a Pass XA25 amp.
Current system:
- Room: 14x19 living room with medium(ish) damping - couch, rug, bookshelves, plants etc.; however, no dedicated room treatments.
- Sonicorbiter i9 optical Roon server upsampling to DSD128
- Fiber to Sonore Opicalmodule Deluxe 2 (Sonore LPS with Mundorf Silver/Gold DC cable)
- Sablon Ethernet 2020
- Bricasti M3 DAC and Roon endpoint running exclusively via NDSD conversion (3x Isoacoustics Orea)
- Audioquest Fire XLR cables
- Linear Tube Audio Microzotl Level 2 preamp with Lundahl balanced transformer input, Ray Reserve and Gold Lion tubes.
- Iconoclast Series 2 OCC RCA cables
- Hegel H390 Integrated (using as amp with HT bypass)
- Audioquest Robin Hood speaker cables
- Dynaudio Heritage Special (Dynaudio Stand 6 with Isoacoustics Gaia feet)
- Power: AQ Niagara 1200, AQ tornado and Cardas power cables.
My system is relatively modest, but was carefully assembled and it sounds pretty great to me. After adding the Microzotl preamp and seeing the improvement, I am thinking of replacing the Hegel (I am not using the preamp or DAC functionality) and trying a new amp. Thinking of the Pass XA25 after reading great reviews and seeing other people matching it with both my speakers and preamp. To be clear, the Hegel has been great and is a good match for my speakers. Dynamics are great, clarity, detail and a very relaxed feel to the sound. It was maybe just a touch too “clean/thin” before the LTA preamp. That move added a little more body, better imaging and soundstaging so curious to see what the Class A XA25 might do to further improve on these areas. The LTA Microzotl also helped with lower level/volume listening allowing more detail and dynamics to come through. With the Hegel volume control, I had to turn things up quite a bit to get things sounding their best. I also tried the Bricasti as a preamp and that was slightly less preferable than using either the Hegel or LTA for volume control.
I am still slightly nervous moving away from the Class A/B sound I am familiar with. Maybe it will soften things a little too much and be a step backwards? I was also considering a slightly used Class A/B Audionet Amp. I have no doubt they make excellent amps but I also couldn’t find many people using that brand and even fewer using it with my preamp and speakers. Any thoughts on whether the Pass XA25 will soften dynamics and transients significantly relative to my Hegel? I found some info. at 6Moons comparing the XA25 to Kinki Class A/B monoblocks and the comments seemed positive albeit a little mixed and unclear.
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Seems like a lot of good recommendations and feedback here - Coda, Plinius, Pass. I may have to try the Pass at some point just to see why so many people and reviewers think they make great amps for a variety of systems. I also hear they have great customer service. I just worry that it might lack a little bite and power with my specific setup. I have decided to go with the open box Audionet Amp 1 V2 that was listed here. zlone and fastfreight, thanks for the feedback on Audionet. Given that I generally like the Hegel, I think Audionet would be a step up, but maybe a similar signature to what I have with Hegel - Class AB, high wattage and damping factor. Probably won't get it for a bit given the holiday timing, but I will report back on how it works in my setup. Thanks again to all who commented as it did help me make a decision. Happy Holidays! |
Pass Labs amps and preamps are up there with the best. |
@sfpeloton - I think that’s an awesome decision. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Audionet. So much of this is about synergy of components. Knowing your speakers very well, I think avoiding a lower power amp is wise. And to @audphile1 ’s suggestion, the higher powered Pass Labs would be a better match with those Heritage Speakers. |
Awesome @sfpeloton ! Can't wait to hear your impressions. |
- 34 posts total