new amp on the way

S

stereogeek

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Mar 15, 2018
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In the last few weeks I have been thinking about getting a new amp. I was thinking about building an Audio Note EL34 kit as the OTL monoblocks I built recently just didn't work 100% for me. They were really nice amps but didn't blow my dress up so I sold them. I was also looking at a Luxman MQ-88uC, an Ayon Spirit, First Watt F8 and a Pass XA25. Called Suncoast today and spoke with Mike for a bit and wound up ordering an XA25. It should be here in a few weeks, it will be interesting to see how it works in my system compared to my F6. My suspicion is it will have tighter/deeper bass, comparable midrange and a more extended top end. Most importantly it will be very musical, I have no doubt at all about this. It should mate very well with the Volti's and my Ayon preamp. Every review I have read on this amp is nothing short of stellar.
 
FirstWatt/PassLab low power amps, when matched with proper speakers, are amazing both in terms of sound and value.
 
Awesome; congratz on the new amp. If I recall the F6 and the XA25 have the same power but the Pass has a bit higher gain. I would be interested in how you feel they compare!
 
Randy Myers said:
Awesome; congratz on the new amp. If I recall the F6 and the XA25 have the same power but the Pass has a bit higher gain. I would be interested in how you feel they compare!
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The Pass is a bit higher gain ( 20db vs 14db ) but it also has a way higher damping factor of 500 vs 16 for the First Watt. I have always felt the bass on the F6 was a little loose, not flabby, but not quite perfect either. I will go off the subject a bit here on gain. My cd player and preamp both have a high/low gain setting which I have both set to low so I can use most of the volume control. My old preamp had such high gain I could only use the first 20% of the volume knob. This used to drive me nuts as it made it difficult to find the perfect volume level for each cd, especially when using the remote. Rant over.
 
I received a message today that my amp is in and ready to be picked up. Suncoast has put some hours on it so it will not be completely virgin when I receive it. In typical fashion I ordered the amp before reading all of the reviews and researching everything I could find. The good news is the amp should be better than I expect it to be. It is facing a tall order to better the F6 in my system, however, something tells me it will. I am planning on picking it up on Thursday around noon so I will know by Thursday early evening if it stays or goes. I never go back and forth with equipment by changing them in and out of the system. It will either sound more musical or it won't. Review coming soon.
 
Congrats on the new audio toys.

Pass is always a great choice, I’m sure it will be a tremendous addition to your system


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stereogeek said:
I received a message today that my amp is in and ready to be picked up. Suncoast has put some hours on it so it will not be completely virgin when I receive it. In typical fashion I ordered the amp before reading all of the reviews and researching everything I could find. The good news is the amp should be better than I expect it to be. It is facing a tall order to better the F6 in my system, however, something tells me it will. I am planning on picking it up on Thursday around noon so I will know by Thursday early evening if it stays or goes. I never go back and forth with equipment by changing them in and out of the system. It will either sound more musical or it won't. Review coming soon.
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We’ve sure enjoyed breaking it in for you! Thanks!! A real treat. See you soon.


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Well, the best laid plans...lol. I had planned to head down that way yesterday as Sarasota is only about 1 1/2 hours from my office in Tampa. Just when I was getting ready to leave the crap hit the fan and I got swamped with reports that had to get out by the end of the week. So here I sit slaving away on the last bit of paperwork I need to get out. I am supposed to go see the grand kids at 2:00 today. Should I risk divorce and go down and pick up the amp instead (if Mike is there) and miss seeing the kids? Crap, never mind, I'll get it next week.
 
stereogeek said:
Well, the best laid plans...lol. I had planned to head down that way yesterday as Sarasota is only about 1 1/2 hours from my office in Tampa. Just when I was getting ready to leave the crap hit the fan and I got swamped with reports that had to get out by the end of the week. So here I sit slaving away on the last bit of paperwork I need to get out. I am supposed to go see the grand kids at 2:00 today. Should I risk divorce and go down and pick up the amp instead (if Mike is there) and miss seeing the kids? Crap, never mind, I'll get it next week.
Click to expand...

See you about 3:30pm today? [emoji6]


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Not to rain on the parade, but if you want some perspective on how the first Watt and xa25 compare to the ank el34 kits, I have that perspective. I have had the stereo amp and now own the level 4 monoblocks. Previously had 2 xa25’s, sit 2 and 3, 2 j2’s, various other fw and pass’s. The reason I turned all those pass and fw’s? The ank monos. They were simply better in every way. If you can solder, these are really great amps. For perspective I also have arc ref level, Luxman 900 pre and power, and various set’s. The ank are the real deal. But the xa25 is nice, but not equal to the el34 monoblocks.
 
I am happy you love the ANK amps. I have built dozens of kits and they are on my short list for my next build. Also, it is very important to remember that each components' performance is system dependent AND listener dependent. For example, I recently built a pair of 40wpc OTL mono blocks. I really wanted to like them but they just didn't blow my dress up, so I sold them. On the other hand, there are many guys that built these same amps and absolutely love them and say it is the best amp they have ever heard. Thanks for your feedback. Cheers.
 
I picked up the amp today and put it in the system. It was great to meet Mike but he had an appointment at 1:00 so I had to grab and run. My first impression is the bass is deeper and better controlled than the F6. The highs are a bit more extended and just as smooth as the F6. Now the fly in the ointment, the midrange has a hint of roughness which is not present with the F6. However, the XA25 gives me a deeper look at the details in the music and I am hearing some things in familiar songs I haven't noticed before. I did replace the Tara interconnects with Cardas and it tamed the midrange some but that little hint of "edge" has to go. I am hoping more break in hours will bring it around. So, at this point in time I will rate the F6 at a solid 8.5 and the XA25 AT 8.0. After all, if the midrange isn't perfect I can't enjoy it.
 
I let it run all night and it was a touch better this morning. I hope it keeps getting warmer and more relaxed.
 
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