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Model: | XA 30.5 |
Category: | Amplifier (SS) |
Suggested Retail Price: | $3000 refurb from Reno Hi-Fi |
Description: | 30 w/ch class A solid state stereo amp |
Manufacturer URL: | Pass Laboratories |
Model Picture: | View |
Review by reuben on July 12, 2014 at 18:09:16 IP Address: 32.216.94.45 | Add Your Review for the XA 30.5 |
Stone cold, this amp sounds rolled off on top, bloated on the bottom, perhaps a little blurry, but definitely euphonic.
After about 5 minutes warm up, the sound gels into a delightful sum of parts - smooth and detailed, articulate and controlled. Some of the 'cold amp' artifacts might still be there but they are are far less intrusive. Low level information that may have gone unnoticed for years has now become obvious. The amp sounds great. You may now enter 'that blissful state' as suggested in the owners manual.
The change that comes in the first hour is so gradual and subtle that you might not know how or when it happened. If you're like me, you suddenly realize that the sound has taken a back seat and you find yourself connected to the music like never before. Taken by this, you deliberately check out the sound and it is fantastic. Things that are supposed to jump out at you do so without any disturbance of the spell that has been cast by the musicians. Subtle details are not obscured by the picture, they enhance it. Slipping back into the music is as easy as letting go.
Obviously, the above level of connection doesn't happen all the time. However, a good recording and the XA-30.5 will provide you with the means.
Thank you Mr. Pass
Product Weakness: | None |
Product Strengths: | Transcends sound and connects you to the music |
Amplifier: | Pass |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Carver modded |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Denon / SOTA |
Speakers: | Infinity modded |
Cables/Interconnects: | Home made |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Various |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Excellent review!
Nice review. Thanks for sharing.
I had this amp with the X2.5 preamp. Although the amp did a lot of things right, in the end, found it lacking just a bit with mid-range clarity compared to my DIY tube amp/preamp setup. The connection was just not there in my system with too many recordings.
I had all but given up on solid state. Then, I stumbled across Electrocompaniet gear, and lo and behold, the attributes you attribute to the Pass in your system were there with the Electrocompaniet gear. Picked up a ECC-1 CD player, an leftover NOS EC 4.7 preamp, and a as-new A2-120 120 watt Class A balanced power amp. Incredible sounding combination for SS gear.
One difference in impressions may be the speakers. I have ATC SCM-19's with a SVS SB13 Ultra subwoofer. IMHO, the SCM-19's are among the very best monitors out there. They can play loudly and clean. They are brutally accurate. No audiophile euphoric sound from these babies. That is why they are used in so many music studios across the world. The Electrocompaniet gears just sounds more natural with the speakers, especially the low level detail, along with the high treble. No zzzz, just a nice natural ring.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Question: why evaluate a 30 watt class A stereo amplifier on speakers with a claimed 85 dB sensitivity rating (the speaker manufacturer recommends 75 to 300 watts of amplification) and then compare that to either 100 watt tube mono blocks or a 120 watt class A amp?
I believe the 30 watt rating is the class A rating. The amp is capable of much higher wattage but it won't do that in class A.
Fair Question: The answer is several fold.
1) The XA-30.5 has 6db of headroom, so it can easily get to 180 watts before distortion becomes a real problem.
2) Most music is listened to at only a couple of watts normally, so 30 clean watts with 6db of headroom is within the range of reasonableness.
3) I also auditioned a Pass Labs INT-150, which is very close to the same amp, with higher voltage rails, and lower current drive. Very little real difference sonically at normal listening volumes.
4) The SCM-19's, while a bit power hungry, are not a difficult load to drive. The XA30.5 actually drove them quite nicely.
My impressions were subjective, based on my preferences. Someone else may easily come to a different set of conclusions. I tend to hone in on low noise, low level detail presentation, mid-range clarity, and HF that is not overly hot (as most SS amps are).
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
What are the specs on your speakers? Are they monitors or floor standers? And what's your listening room like? Dimensions?
The reason for all the questions is, I often see these amps up for sale used on Audiogon more often than some other Pass models. I suspect that even though the amp supposedly puts out a hefty 30wpc and doubles that a couple times as impedance drops, I bet it's just not powerful enough for many systems.
Thanks for the review. I usually like Pass Labs gear. The one piece I didn't like very much was the INT-150. Oh, an ALL of their previous generation linestages with the goofy left/right up/down convoluted remote control navigation. Reminds me of the older BMW iDrive controller. Push, yank, twist, turn, jerk. Pass has since 'fixed' their remote control weirdness.
I kind of feel the same as Abe. While this amp is by all accounts a world beater, I can't help but think they could make a more powerful single box stereo model for just a little more money. Instead, in the full class A lineup, they make you double the price to step up to the mono block pair xa60.5 (or .8).
In the Aleph era, they offered a second stereo model called the Aleph 5 at 60wpc. I wish Pass still offered a corresponding model in the current XA series but they seem to be more interested in the upper end models that evidently butter their financial bread. I once asked the company why they don't offer a more powerful stereo model in full class A, and received a vague answer that Nelson simply prefers mono blocks. Not sure I buy that as the complete story...
just curious...what didn't you like about the INT-150?
just curious...what didn't you like about the INT-150?
It wasn't nearly as dynamic as my Pass X150.5 / X2.5 combo that it replaced. The INT-150 sounded a bit too relaxed, polite, cool, etc. It didn't have the 'punch' that the separates had.
I suspect this was because the INT-150 is essentially the X150.5 but with a passive buffered linestage section. In any case, it didn't sound bad but after owning the separates and hoping to consolidate into a space saving integrated, I was disappointed.
Massive power is required to cope with massively unfriendly speaker loads.
It's a horse and cart problem.
I understand that the amp doubles power into 4 Ohms, and has even more to offer....... but if all anyone ever needed was a 30wpc amp, why would Pass make these in 60wpc, 100wpc, 160wpc, and 200wpc models? What if one doesn't like the sound of friendly speakers. ;-)
It's just that some of the more popular multi-way speakers need more than the 60-120W watts that this amp can deliver at 2 ohms! Flagship transistor amps are pushing 500+W these days to handle some of these unruly speakers.
The average audio-enthusiast is caught between a rock and a hard place with his wallet well underwater.
Then again, these combos weren't meant for average people.
I'd like to try a used transistor amp one of these days and my three sets of speakers are friendly loads. I'm pretty sure this one would work.
I have one friendly speaker and the other one is a bully! They fight all the time.
Seriously though, I know what you're saying. I have to choose my amp more carefully when using the power hungry Thiel CS2.4. They sound very nice with a powerful tube amp. The smallest one that I've used successfully is the 100+ wpc Rogue integrated with KT120 tubes. Some more powerful solid-state amps didn't quite cut it. Might have something to do with tube watts vs solid-state watts. ;-)
The Tannoys are much easier to deal with and since my new setup is in a small home office, I am using the friendly Tannoys these days.
Could have to do with the SS amps used had little to No current capacity.
Only the better designed ones do :-)
Note that price point isn't the sole determinant of Current capability .. only design quality.
My speakers are Reference Fours, nominal 90 dB and 6 ohms. They are small towers and I have them up off the floor and as far from the corners as possible while still producing adequate bass. An active sub takes over at ~ 60 Hz.The room is about 2150 cubic feet, and rather funnel shaped with the speakers at the smaller and dead end.
I listen at reasonable levels and the needle on the amp which would indicate additional current draw has never budged.
Best regards,
-reub
keep in mind that the meter on Pass amps indicates bias current. With the needle NOT moving, you are still in class 'a'.
For an experiment, crank it until the meter starts to deflect and THAT is the 'ab' transition point.
An excerpt from a Pass manual in the Audiogon thread referenced below:
'As the current to the speaker exceeds the bias level,
you will see the meter bounce upward from the idle reading.'
reub
Abe, the Stereophile measured data may help you here.
The amp has nearly 6db headroom from the RATED 'a' limit to 1% distortion at which time it is clearly in a/b.
So, the 30 goes well over 100 and nearly 200 watts at 4 ohms.
Enough power that I briefly considered a PAIR to biamp my Maggies.
I don't know that my air conditioner could have taken the stress.
If you want, I'll find and post the link for 'ya!
I have the sweet little Pass on my Gunnies. A honey of an amp. And enough power for the music I listen to on them. Yes, I do on occasion move the needle to the right. If I can shake my current Dinan fixation I may get another one and see what they can bring to the big rig.
I use one of these amps to power my 4-ohm MMG's in a multichannel system. They play very loud (though not earbleed loud—MMG's can't do earbleed anyway). I have never seen the needle go past twelve o'clock (i.e. into clipping) nor have I heard any distortion. They are some of the best amps I've owned (if not the best) in over forty years of enjoying audio.
You may misunderstand the meter. If it doesn't move you are STILL fully in class 'a'.
The meter indicates bias level.
I read about the meter's function when I first bought the amp four years ago. In my haste to post, I conflated bias with power. In any case, the amp appears to have more than sufficient power for my MMG's.
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