Pass XA100.8's

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
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Location
Sarasota, FL
A good friend of mine lugged his Pass XA100.8's over to my place today for a little bit of a shootout.

These Pass XA100.8's are superb. Absolutely no hint of grain. Sweet as can be too. They certainly won me over.

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That's great Mike!

I love my XA60.5's and wonder how the XA60.8's would compare. Hmmmmmm.
 
I didn't want him to take them back!


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Bill - the XA100.8's are completely devoid of any grain. They have an intoxicating sound, that can only be described as musical. In listening to specific things like brushes on a snare drum, the Pass amps were so clean and clear, with body and weight. Bass was well controlled, but the Hegel was slightly better. I found that compared to the uber 3D Hegel, the Pass didn't have the depth of soundstage. But overall, the synergy with the Strads was undeniable.




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Sounds like there were some inevitable tradeoffs, with each amp excelling in different areas. I find that this is often the case in high end audio once you get up to a certain class of equipment. Thanks for detailing your thoughts on the comparison.
 
XA-100.8 vs. XA-100.5

I owned the XA-100.5 monoblocks for a year before I replaced them three months ago with the XA-100.8 monoblocks. Here's a mini review I put together that compares and contrasts the two amps. Both are terrific amplifiers but sound somewhat different.

XA-100.8:
1. Sounds more clear and transparent to the recording.
2. Wider and deeper soundstage with more holographic imaging.
3. More ease and effortless sound (Can listen at higher volume levels).
4. More bass with greater control that seems to reach deeper.
5. Lower noise floor.
6. Reaches peak performance in a shorter period of time.

XA-100.5:
1. More of a buttery warmth in sound.
2. Smaller more intimate soundstage.
3. More precise but less holographic imaging.
4. More laid back and less noticeable bass presentation.

I have fallen in love with the sound of the XA-100.8's. But I could see some listeners preferring the more intimate presentation and buttery warmth of the XA-100.5's. Best to listen for yourself to see your preference. YMMV.

Best,
Ken
 
That's great, George. The XA-100.5 are terrific amps. Nelson really hit a home run when he designed that model, the sweet spot of the line in my opinion. I enjoyed them for a year and was very sad the day they left my house.

Ken
 
Thanks Ken, I suppose it all comes down to synergy with the rest of your system. Both are great amps. Nelson is the man !
 
I am also an owner of the 100.8s. I don't have much experience with the .5 line, but I have demoed the 30.8, 100.8 and the 160.8. IMHO, the 100.8 is the sweet spot. They don't generate the heat of the larger models. They also appear to have sufficient headroom to properly drive most moderately efficient speakers. I originally purchased these for a second system that ended up in another direction (Avantgarde Zeros), so my 100.8s have been surplus for most of the time I've had them. Yet I can't bring myself to let them find a new home. They really are outstanding amps and this is coming from a hardcore tube guy. So here's the 45k question, what more do you get from XS?
 
Hi annapolis raider,

I just realized you have the GAT/ART combo too. How do you like them? Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
joeinid said:
Hi annapolis raider,

I just realized you have the GAT/ART combo too. How do you like them? Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The CJ combo has stood the test of time. It is probably more entrenched in my system than ever. It took me months to get the system dialed in. I'm VERY happy with it, and have little desire to "tinker". I have the ARC 10/75 on loan from a dealer friend. Its excellent, but its going back. Of what I've heard, if a Viola Bravo or Gryphon Mephisto came my way, maybe the CJ goes, maybe not can't imagine changing for anything else........
 
Thank you for your opinion. I agree 100%. The CJ gear is amazing.

annapolis Raider said:
The CJ combo has stood the test of time. It is probably more entrenched in my system than ever. It took me months to get the system dialed in. I'm VERY happy with it, and have little desire to "tinker". I have the ARC 10/75 on loan from a dealer friend. Its excellent, but its going back. Of what I've heard, if a Viola Bravo or Gryphon Mephisto came my way, maybe the CJ goes, maybe not can't imagine changing for anything else........
Click to expand...
 
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