Pass Labs XA 30.8 Pure Class A Stereo Power Amp

The XA 30.8 is a superb amp and bult far better than the asking price.
It also sounds more powerful than the rated output suggests.

Once upon a time I used XA30.8 to drive Focal Electra 1038Be to very satisfying results. Pre was Ayre KXR. Focal has a reputation of being bright, but not this combo to my ears. I’m sensitive to high frequency sibilance and it never really bothered me. Although I moved on eventually, I wouldn’t mind to own both again for a second system. At the used price, not only XA30.8, but 1038Be are a bargain for very good full range sound.

Audio 1 said:

The XA 30.8 is a superb amp and bult far better than the asking price.
It also sounds more powerful than the rated output suggests.

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Yeah, Pass Class A amps have a habit of doing that.

Funny how that works.

My experience with Pass amps is that virtually all of them can drive virtually any speaker. It really comes down to different sonic profiles. Pass offers a number of options so that you can match the amp up properly with the needs of the rest of the system. I have owned the XA30.8 and it drove 88db, 4 ohm speakers without breaking a sweat. The needle (indicating when the amp is leaving class A) barely ever moved.