Pass Then vs. Pass Now

XA 25 is a very pleasant sound with good bass control. Xa30.8 is double the weight of the XA25! It’s very rare to hear someone say they they don’t like the sound. Tastes do vary.

I think the first watt stuff will lack reserve power.  If you don't listen very loud probably OK with excellent sound.

I saw a completely rebuilt Threshold a while back.  $2500.  Demo pass units will start around 4000.

i have had the xa25 along with an int150 (x150.5 with pre front end) and also xa30.5 - have bought the xa25, sold it, bought it back, sold it again through speaker evolutions...

all three are truly excellent but of course, they sound different, do different things well

xa30.5 sweetest of the three in the treble and upper mids, most tube like, if you will -- with excellent tonal density and very good bass control, and ever so slightly softened transients

xa25 is less sweet, more ’straight wire with gain’ in the treble, but still tonally dense, and slightly better bass control, sounds faster more like an x series, than xa

int150/x150.5 similar to the xa25 in treble extension, tonally a bit less dense/saturated, tremendous bass impact and control, mids slightly leaner (just slightly), and of course, a notch greater headroom

i think the differences above capture the essence between the xa25 (which i consider a middle ground between x and xa amps for reasons enumerated above), and what would be consider typical xa vs x series amp’s sound

basis for my commentary is driving the following -- spendor sp100 r2, harbeth mon 40.3/40.2, magnepan 1.7i/3.7i and most recently, laufer technik notes

@jjss49 

Which of the Pass amps you tried could handle the Maggie 3.7’s?

@swede58

in my 17x20 room, maggies 4+ ft into the room, 10-11 ft listening triangle, all three amps drove the 3.7i’s just fine, never felt strained

but i don’t listen at headbanging levels, mid 80 db transients

know that the xa25 and xa30.5 have been tested to deliver 130 wpc and 190 wpc into 4 ohms respectively without clipping... the maggies are a purely resistive 4 ohm load, as such they draw current, but phase angles are completely benign, no stress on the amp in that respect unlike cone/box speakers with reactive phase angles and severe box resonances amps must often contend with

@jjss49 

Thanks, I’m hesitating between a Pass XP22/X260.8 or X350.8 combo or the Gryphon Diablo 300.