Pass XA30.8 vs Luxman m600-a vs Hegel H20


Hi! 

I would like to know if anyone has any insights on how those may compare. Any help would be welcome :)

Thanks in advance,
Joao
vermeer

Showing 6 responses by vermeer

Thanks a lot :) Speakers are the Goldenear Triton One. At 92 dB and with the active bass section they are not a difficult load (the room is not big as well). The Hegel would be my choice taking into account:
1) Price (the least expensive, at least in Europe)
2) Versatility, like you mentioned (if and when I change the speakers)
Having said this, it's more about the absolute sound quality that I'm more concerned about. In a perfect world I woul be able to compare them ... in the real world I can't. I had a very revelatory experience with a Pass Aleph 0 many years ago ... but didn't manage to listen to the .8 series ...
Thank you! :)
btw,  skoczylas, have you auditioned the Luxman? In which way is it below the level of Pass and Hegel?
Thanks, Al.
Thats a relevant point and I will contact Goldenear to have a better insight into this situation. Nevetheless, I'm running them with a Mark Levinson (balanced design) and also listened to them with Gryphon (balanced as well). In either situations without problems.
One thing I noticed when I got the speakers is not only the power cords don't use the ground but that the speakers DO NOT have a ground contact (meaning that even if I use an aftermarket powercord they will not be grounded). 
Al,

I got feedback from Goldenear and I have nothing to fear from using a balanced amplifier. Actually they use Pass Labs amplifiers to demo the speakers very often (as was the case on the CES 2016 edition)

cheers,
João

All the amps you mentioned (with the exception of the Hegel, which I haven't heard) is world-class, IMO. I've been particularly impressed with the upper-end Luxman gear, but the Pass 30.8 (with the right speaker load, which you have) is top-notch as well. I don't think you can lose either way. The Luxman MIGHT be a hair richer-sounding than the Pass, but the 30.8 MIGHT have the edge in ultimate resolution. This is just based on my very informal listening experiences with the two of them, so take my opinion with a hardy grain of salt..

lynott, thank you for your insightful answer :)
Luxman will be distributed by the same distributor os goldenear (first units should arrive in a couple of weeks). Definitely I will wait to listen to those. I hope I will be able to A/B compare the Hegel and the Luxman (Pass will be more difficult).
You're very welcome, Vermeer. As I understand it, Reno Hi-Fi is good about letting people audition Pass gear. Maybe give them a call?
Thanks, lynott ... the thing is that I live in Lisbon, Portugal ;)