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74.108.84.71
Any one with spare change
Follow Ups:
I wonder how many have been sold or will be sold ?
To reiterate, I'll Pass.
Insanity is the only word that applies.
Absolutely
and have heard some very expensive gear. One system I heard was over $70k and I was not impressed at all.
I was just sitting there in the listening room for over an hour listening to different LP's, CD's and even a tuner. The sales guy was raving how this was a great system and all. I just kept sitting there saying to myself that for the money for this system, it was no better than the one I had at home from what I was hearing.
I think there comes a point that we come to in sound quality that you hit the wall where price to performance is about as good as it's gonna get. The rest after this point is just better nicely design exteriors of the components. Hopefully new ground breaking circuit designs inside but I haven't heard of anything really new for awhile. This goes for power, interconnects, and speaker cables also!
Now, Mr. Pass is a great Audio Engineer and has some great sounding gear. He has done a lot for Audio. I have never met Mr. Pass but I hear he is a really nice guy! I wish I could afford some of his new gear but I don't have that kind of dough. I just carefully put a system in place with some mods to the components that I am very happy with.
Years ago I was able to take home any piece of gear that I could fit in my Truck home to audition from Jeff Sound Values. It was here when I started to see and hear in my home that the more I went up in cost ladder of gear, the more I wasn't that impressed. The gear sounded good but just not the BIG leap in sound quality you would think for the Giant leap in price.
One of the best systems I have ever heard in a high End store new was the BAT VK-5i preamp, BAT VK-500 power amp, Goldmund Table (I don't remember the cartridge), BAT P10, Vandersteen 3A speakers with XLO cables. Now for the price that total system went for, it was good as I have heard and was very affordable.
Anyone paying $86K for any audio product obviously has more dough than commonsense. IMO so-called high end audio for purely SQ is a total rip-off, no envy here because there is no piece of audio that I can not afford.
Try one, you know you want to ...
:)
.
I also missed it unless you are referring to a Dunkin Donuts commercial?
Sig line.
Nuance is not high on his list , hence ... :)
Insightful comment.
You can not be serious, I would not waste a minute of my time listening to a fools object.
I beg your pardon!
?
I love my Pass gear. Nelson Pass is one of audio's real good guys. People should be able to spend their after-tax dollars on any audio gear they want.
But:
Something seems amiss when a pair of solid state amps cost more than a Corvette.
Happy listening,
Jim
"The passage of my life is measured out in shirts."
- Brian Eno
I have a cause and I need your help to attain this amplifier - And for the home and system to support it. And I need a Bentley to drive the amplifier home.
My neighbour has a Mulsanne with the "w" (too many cyls engine).. Surprisngly/ annoyingly loud too. She Loves it.
You sure it's a Mulsanne?
Bentley's entire Mulsanne range exists only to keep the traditional 6.75L V8 alive.
No I actually don't for sure, as there's No markings.. Zero.
Only that she told me that it has a W12 engine.. as explanation/excuse when I asked why it was annoyingly loud.
Must be a Continental then. Either a GT (two door) or a Flying Spur (4 door) with that motor.
I suspect a GT (the archetypical footballer's car over here) since the Spurs I've seen were rather quiet.
Yes, I do have $86.
.
My only question is; Why? Can anyone adequately answer this?
Let's do some Jethro math. Electricity costs me $.12/kWh. Conveniently, the Xs300 consumes 1 kW each so a pair costs $.24 per hour.
Extrapolate to monthly consumption and you get just under $90. The annual figure would be just over $1k.
beautiful pic!
Pass Labs is the best SS at the moment, IMO. Once you have a taste, there is no turning back.
I totally agree with you about Pass amps, fantja. I have neither need nor desire for Pass Lab's XS line, but the three Nelson Pass amplifiers I use to tri-amplify my DIY horn speaker system are absolutely splendid. I use an X-150 as a bass amp and a pair of First Watt F-3 stereo amps for mids and highs.
The F-3s replaced Cary Audio 2a3 SET monoblocks. I gave up nothing in this change except tube problems. The First Watt F-3s have all the immediacy, vividness and natural timber of the 2a3 monoblocks. Pass amps are unsurpassed ion my experience.
I'm mystified. We all know there are ultra expensive audio products. What made you pick on Pass only? If it's only the cost you should list all the super costly gear and go after them equally? These amps aren't even the top of the price pile. And besides from all I can tell Nelson Pass is one of the good guys.
.
Beatnik's stuff http://web.me.com/jnr1/Site/Beatniks_Pictures.html
I know that $6,800 isn't chump change. Nelson Pass also makes even less expensive amps through his First Watt name badge that are very, very good. He is also famous for helping the DIY crowd. If there is a market on the other end of the price range I don't mind him making amps for them as well.
Beatnik's stuff http://web.me.com/jnr1/Site/Beatniks_Pictures.html
The new VAC amps are $120,000.
a
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I just had a mere bag of shells just today. They were 12 gauge 000 if I remember
Get 4 and Bi amp ....:)
Appropriately named the "excess" line. (Edit: Said tongue-in-cheek.)One has to wonder how much of the price for this mono amp is for sonics and how much for the "cool" factor and comestics.
:)
Edits: 04/14/16
...it's about $86,000 for the sonics.
Every Pass design I've heard is between outstanding and phenomenal. I've never heard anything he designed that was even close to average-sounding.
From what I read and have been told, I'd be inclined to agree about the sound quality. Nelson Pass's reputation for creating top shelf designs is well-known.E-stat commented that the $86,000 price is for two Xs 300s. Somehow that bit of important information has been missed in this thread (including by me, and by the OP). I googled for "price", and found Tony Cordesman's review in TAS stating that.
$43,000 for one amp is not unreasonable for this level of quality and attention to details.
But also, with high quality, great styling and great marketing, comes a "bling" factor which bumps the price up. This is true in many product and service areas, and high end audio is no exception. Cars, watches, fashion, wine, restaurants, photographers, caterers, etc. Heck, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on shaping just the right words and images to sell laundry soap! My musing with regard to the bling factor of the Xs 300 was when we were led to believe that the $86,000 price was for ONE amp - $172,000 for two, which turned out to be incorrect.
On a tangent... I admire people who push the design envelope. Take a product or concept that already works great, and find every way to improve it, no holds barred, squeezing out every last bit of performance. This is part of what appeals to me in NASCAR and Formula 1 racing. Besides the refinement of the cars, even the pit equipment and operations are at a level where they can refuel and change four tires in eleven freakin' seconds!
:)
Edits: 04/14/16
I'm sorry, NASCAR is the Soap Box Derby of motorsports. Expensive, to be sure, but it holds no value or attraction for me. It is so specialized and esoteric that it bears NO resemblence to reality. When's the last time you made a trip ANYWHERE and only made LEFT turns?
Now, when it was STOCK CAR RACING, you had something. Eveybody LOVED the constructive cheaing of a Smokey Yunick or a Fireball Roberts.
How could you make stuff like this up? If NASCAR had a couple characters like Smokey, and ran cars I could identify with, I might start watching.
Too much is never enough
Utter rediconculous Pictureguy , You do know NASCAR run on road courses and the last time i looked they made both left and right turns on them.BTW,
I cant recall ever seeing an F1 car on the street, so i guess they look like nothing one would drive or could relate to..
:)
Edits: 04/15/16
NASCAR? Road course? LOTS of 'ovals', but I don't see any road course stuff on TV.
And ALL the Ovals are 'Left Turn' only, Clyde!
Link is to an article ADVOCATING a road race as part of the points series or however the final 'winner' is decided upon.
I've seen F1 on a public street. Well, not exactly PUBLIC, but they DID have F1 GP racing in LONG BEACH many years ago. An amazing sound. This was late '70s. Later became CART racing.
So, while it WAS on a public street, it was closed to regular traffic.
I believe MONACO still has the race on public streets.
NASCAR is no closer to what you or I drive than F1. Have another beer.
Too much is never enough
This is real road racing, not that pussy-footing around their own over-priced homes by some over-paid tax dodgers that is the Monaco F1 GP these days.
I haven't heard about or know anything about F1 in decades.
In the USA, more persons probably watch CART, which also an open wheel 'format'.
But the TT? a thing apart. From a proper vantage point, I'd love to go to the Isle of Mann and see it in person.
Can you confirm what I heard about ELECTRIC bikes? They were FAST, but wouldn't go the full 5-laps of a regular race.
Too much is never enough
Formula 1. Here ya go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LeDKOU_5JA
https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/races/2016/Monaco.html
https://www.monaco-grand-prix.com/en/2542-monaco-f1/
Don't miss it!
:)
That wasn't the TT, that was the Southern 100 which also takes place on the Isle of Man.
The difference is that the TT is run in a time trial format with riders racing against the clock on the Mountain Circuit.
The Southern 100 is a proper mass-start road race with riders racing against each other on the shorter Billown Circuit.
At the TT the electric bikes are faster than 250 but slower than 650s but yeah they only run one lap.
A MASS START event? Man, that's GOTTA be about as dangerous a motorcycle race as possible.
ESPECIALLY at those (potential) speeds.
So, does TT stand for Time Trial or as I heard years ago, 'Tourist Trophy'. ????
Weren't there several TT many years ago, kind of a series or season?
Too much is never enough
TT is Tourist Trophy but the IoM TT has always been run in a time trial format.
There is also the Assen TT which is a normal race on a circuit. Assen TT is the only MotoGP race that has been in every season since 1948.
Until the 60s the IoM TT was also part of the GP season but at some time was deemed too dangerous.
There is an entire road race series of which the Southern 100 is one of the few which is not in Ireland. The fastest is the North West 200 on a 9 mile triangular road circuit with a top speed of 208mph but they still reach 190 in the rain!
And yes people die all the time. Doesn't seem to put anybody off though: The Dunlop brothers are keen road racers even though the sport killed their father and uncle.
Well people still drive cars even thou thousands are killed in them yearly ... I havent followed the Isle of man TT much since the passing of Joey Dunlop..
@disbeliever ,I can confidently say the Pass is significantly better than the Rotel, yes , confidently ...
Edits: 04/17/16
Confidence is a very expensive commodity. LOL.
If you live in a HOT place, plan on additional AC.
If you live in a COLD place, your heater thanks you.
Too much is never enough
In either place, your power company will thank you as well.
It draws less than eight and a half amps, of course you'd need two. When you compare that to other high consumption items in a house like a heat pump or a fridge it's not that much.
From the Pass site it says power consumption is 1000 Watts, it does not say what the idle current is, higher by a lot with class A.
ET
My probably flawed understanding of 'A' amps tells me they draw a LOT at idle.
My fridge is lots less than 8 amps.
BTW, 8amps is roughly 1kw. Depending on Power Factor, it might actually be 1200VA or worse.
In any event, I have ONLY a 100 amp service to the house. During the summer with a PAIR of those amps, (stereo, right?) when the AC kicked on, the meter would spin off its bearings. If it wasn't an all electronic meter.
The show where I saw them demo'd wasn't using them when I showed up. The room was 95f and the amps were nearly too hot to touch. IMO, a pair of such amps demands a dedicated 20 amp circuit. If not one-each.
Too much is never enough
Yes they are listed as drawing 1K which is about 8.5A. I assume that's max and I'd guess they don't list idle current because it's 3A or more.
Time for a new mains panel for you. My house was built in 82 in WV and I have underground wires from pole to house and 200 A service.
ET
If they're class A idle current and full load current and everywhere in between is the same. Class A amps (true class A amps) draw constant power and run coolest when output is maximum.
Well, not quite. That's true if it's single ended class A, but push-pull class A (the most common ss type of class A) can deliver twice the idle current. There's also a "square law" class A that can deliver 4x the idle current but I don't think there are any commercial examples of that.
_
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I think I'll Pass...;-)
Class A amps draw max power at all times and run hottest at idle.
The lower the listening volume the more of the power is dissipated as heat rather than being fed to the speakers.
Word ......
My 'aspirational' amp would be a QUAD of XA60.5 to biamp my panels. That and a 2x8 MiniDSP would set me up.
I have no need to undergo the expense of additional circuits and a NEW panel (200 amp service) as well as upgrades to my AC for the summer. I'd need to make sure insulation was up-to-snuff AND upgrade ALL windows in the house to double glazed. After being Given a set of the XS amps, I'd spend an additional 5000$ on making them work!
At that point, it'd probably be well worthwhile to install Solar, as well. Only an additional 15 large.
Too much is never enough
You've done a great job of convincing yourself that you don't need these amps. ;)
While I have no doubt that they sound excellent, plunking down that kind of money for amps raises the obvious question: Can Magico build enough Q7 $158,000/pair speakers that will be needed to go with each Xs 300 pair of amps?
:)
Simple matter of $and cents.
If I had a DEDICATED space of my design or at least close to it? It'd just make what I have now sound that much better.
If I had 60 large waiting to go? I'd be TEMPTED to build a room addition and get some additional work done. See above.
I suspect that Maggie 20.7s would also pretty much get the job done.
Not that this would EVER happen to Pass equipment, but I was at an in-home audition of some 7000$ a pair speakers. A nice price point and they were NICE. But the amps the demo-guys brought with 'em? A 54,0000$ pair of Constellation Monos. One of which simply didn't work.
Too much is never enough
you get a pair of them for that. All 700 lbs worth. :)
then it costs about $17200 to build this beast. The remainder is overhead,
markup, dealer profit, etc. If dealer profit is between 40% and 50%,
which is normal, that's $34400 to $51600. Personally, I would not pay
more than about $50k.
Yeah right!
However I wouldn't mind just hearing them for fun.
Must be nice to have that much money. Should have gone into "finance" aka stealing peoples retirement savings.
Sorry to hear about your loss, my financier has set my retirement so I wont have to work past 55 and my sons schools are pd for...
and I'm no 1%
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