Kuoppis
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- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
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- #1
Today I spent the afternoon auditioning the T+A A3000 HV with a separate PS3000 HV power supply and the Pass Labs X250.8.
First of all a general observation: I do have a hard time understanding how dealers expect to sell gear worth €12-25 grand if they don’t put in the effort to make their systems sound right. Due to the semi-optimized setups I could only guess what the amps are really capable of.
The first setup was a very large room with a Golmund pre, a Vpi Prime and a pair of Marten Tenor 2’s driven by the T+A grown-up version of the PA3100 integrated with Audioquest Niagara 7000 power management.
Overall the power amp with a 1 amps transformer + separate power supply with 1.2 amps transformer with 120.000 μF and respectively 240.000 μF power capacity delivered a much more controlled presentation compared to the integrated. This might actually be a nice combo to drive the S3 mk2s, have to let the impression settle a little bit.
What I heard was very nice detail, great dynamics and resolution and pretty good grip on the low end. Turning up Roger Waters’ ‘Amused To Death’ really made the room shake when power was applied a bit, while Diana Krall’s female voice characteristics and the nuances of her Steinway were delivered in a convincing manner as well. It was just a pity that the speaker setup was a bit suboptimal so that imaging and soundstaging were a bit off. And while the Martens are ok, I guess, I definitely prefer the more controlled Magico presentation at home. And my room setup is definitely better.
The second setup was a more like a living room setting with the system positioned diagonally in the room, so that speaker placement to the front wall was not equidistant and with a corner behind one of the speakers. Logically imaging was skewed and center image became more like a one third right side image.
The system was a Pass XP10 pre with the X250.8, an Aurender N10 and an Electrocompaniet SACD, plus a Meitner MA-1 driving Magico S5 mk1s and with some power management I was not previously familiar with.
The Pass X250.8 portrayed the typical Pass strengths in imaging and soundstaging with a nice and airy top end and good grip on the Magicos on the bottom end. Vivaldi, Ben Webster, Holly Waits, Rickie Lee Jones and Eva Cassidy were delivered with plenty of detail, timbre and punch. Unfortunately it was also very obvious that the smallest Pass pre is not up for the task to get the best out of the X250.8. Nevertheless I think this power amp could definitely also be a candidate for my setup. I am just a bit spoiled by the much better coherence of the S3 mk2s at home vs. the S5 mk1s and the REL S5 SHO enhancing the midrange in a pretty nice way.
Long story short, I won’t know before hearing the amps at home. The dealer setups were both a bit flawed, but good impressions of two great alternatives anyway.
PS: Sitting now at home listening to Eva Cassidy’s “Nightbird” I must say I do have quite good sounding system now and maybe should not touch it. But that’s just maybe [emoji3].
First of all a general observation: I do have a hard time understanding how dealers expect to sell gear worth €12-25 grand if they don’t put in the effort to make their systems sound right. Due to the semi-optimized setups I could only guess what the amps are really capable of.
The first setup was a very large room with a Golmund pre, a Vpi Prime and a pair of Marten Tenor 2’s driven by the T+A grown-up version of the PA3100 integrated with Audioquest Niagara 7000 power management.
Overall the power amp with a 1 amps transformer + separate power supply with 1.2 amps transformer with 120.000 μF and respectively 240.000 μF power capacity delivered a much more controlled presentation compared to the integrated. This might actually be a nice combo to drive the S3 mk2s, have to let the impression settle a little bit.
What I heard was very nice detail, great dynamics and resolution and pretty good grip on the low end. Turning up Roger Waters’ ‘Amused To Death’ really made the room shake when power was applied a bit, while Diana Krall’s female voice characteristics and the nuances of her Steinway were delivered in a convincing manner as well. It was just a pity that the speaker setup was a bit suboptimal so that imaging and soundstaging were a bit off. And while the Martens are ok, I guess, I definitely prefer the more controlled Magico presentation at home. And my room setup is definitely better.
The second setup was a more like a living room setting with the system positioned diagonally in the room, so that speaker placement to the front wall was not equidistant and with a corner behind one of the speakers. Logically imaging was skewed and center image became more like a one third right side image.
The system was a Pass XP10 pre with the X250.8, an Aurender N10 and an Electrocompaniet SACD, plus a Meitner MA-1 driving Magico S5 mk1s and with some power management I was not previously familiar with.
The Pass X250.8 portrayed the typical Pass strengths in imaging and soundstaging with a nice and airy top end and good grip on the Magicos on the bottom end. Vivaldi, Ben Webster, Holly Waits, Rickie Lee Jones and Eva Cassidy were delivered with plenty of detail, timbre and punch. Unfortunately it was also very obvious that the smallest Pass pre is not up for the task to get the best out of the X250.8. Nevertheless I think this power amp could definitely also be a candidate for my setup. I am just a bit spoiled by the much better coherence of the S3 mk2s at home vs. the S5 mk1s and the REL S5 SHO enhancing the midrange in a pretty nice way.
Long story short, I won’t know before hearing the amps at home. The dealer setups were both a bit flawed, but good impressions of two great alternatives anyway.
PS: Sitting now at home listening to Eva Cassidy’s “Nightbird” I must say I do have quite good sounding system now and maybe should not touch it. But that’s just maybe [emoji3].
