Recommend Class a Amp

If you value bass quality, ignore what Tjassoc wrote above regarding the low wattage Pass full class A amps. While I haven't owned the xa30.5 I do own the older Aleph 5 which is a 60wpc full class A model. AND I also own the newer x250.5 which is the 250wpc class A/B behemoth. So I do direct comparisons frequently. While the full class A Aleph delivers absolutely delicious mids and high frequencies, the bass quality isn't great.

The x250.5 provides a more balanced sound in my opinion and will drive any speaker you are likely to come across. It's the better choice for most people -- unless you are one who only listens to small scale classical or acoustic music.

Class A sound can be addictive however and many fans are okay with the tradeoffs. But the beauty of the Pass AB models like the x250.5 and x350.5 are that they deliver 90% of the sound you will be listening to at most sound levels in class A but can supply the extra grunt when you really need it.

Almarg, yes I know you are right when you said we should not lump the Aleph and XA.5 designs together. For that reason, I almost didn't comment at all on the post about the xa30.5. But I have heard too many commentaries from xa30.5 owners that sounded similar to my own experience with the A5 to ignore a conclusion. Even Pass factory folks themselves are aware of the pros and cons of both A and AB designs (hence the reason they offer 2 separate designs of course) and they are always interested in 2 things when you probe for recommendations, especially regarding their class A amps: what kind of music you will be listening to, and what speakers you will be driving.

I own B&W speakers that are not inefficient but which respond well to the grunt that the AB designs deliver. They specifically recommend the AB designs in my specific application over the class A models.

I own B&W speakers that are not inefficient but which respond well to the grunt that the AB designs deliver.

isn't this a contradictory statement (it sure looks like one to me)?

Hi Bombaywalla: not really the same thing. When I mentioned "not inefficient" I meant simply the Sensitivity rating of 90 spl is not considered low (or inefficient). It is fairly average (if there is such a thing). But this doesn't mean that the speakers don't work better with amps that can grip them and drive them the way the loudspeaker designers intended. It's not all about the Sensitivity and nominal impedance ratings. There is also something referred to Qts that plays a big part. I don't pretend to understand it myself; I am just pointing out that even the amplifier manufacturers recognize that the amp-loudspeaker relationship is complex and even they have some challenge explaining.

Good info. Thanks for the detailed analysis Bombaywalla.

Dave, no I would not call the JC1 nor any $4000 amp mass market or even close to "semi-mass market." To do so would be to not understand the big picture of the market. Personally, I would call Sony mass market. And Marantz, Yamaha, Peachtree as semi-mass market (they try to cater to the masses who want something better than average, but yet they still distribute their products via mass market big-box retail channels). In the big picture Parasound (and especially their Halo line) are 'high end' or boutique or whatever you wanna call it.