Best Class A amp with SLAM

I have to say that with Audyssey pro I can play so much louder than without would be possible. It is a way of freedom what is priceless.

Hahahahaha.....funny guy Atmashere!!

I owned many Pass Labs poweramps. If you choose for the XA or X series ( Always .5 ofcourse)you both cannot go wrong. The XA are a little more musical and the stage is maybe more 3D. But the drive and speed of the X series is better. Also the high's sound more open at higher volumes. My next will be X600.5 or maybe the XA160.5. Pass Labs gives a deep and wide stage. And is one of the best in focussing on the real sound of instruments. But you need the right cables to get the very small and direct individual focus instruments and voices give in real. Many make the same fault in this part. Do not use MIT or Shunyata cables with Pass. because you will not get the intimate sound you need. When you compare Audioquest with these two brands on Pass Labs you understand why the other two make the proportion of instruments and voice too big. You Always need to understand the properties of an amp before you choose the cables. Because they have there own properties as well.

Should listen to the X600.5 and X1000.5. Most of the time you will drive in pure Class A. But you will have more weight also when you play less loud. The thing I love is the focus it gives on the sound of instruments. You can hear the timbre of instruments. Stage is very wide and deep. People need to learn that instruments and voices are very small in dimension. This part in individual focus puts you so much closer to the music. The intimate sound it creates is an essential part for the absolute sound. I hate the demos when voices and instruments are played too big. I Always ask those people; how big you think the singer his head is?

It is a nice amp, even delivers a lot of Class A watts. Even when you play loud it still will be class A. You nedd to play at very high levels to get into the Class B mode.

I think I would go for the X.5 series. I also owned the XA100.5. I also prefer the extra slamm and weight of the X.5 series. The high's are also different compared to the XA.5 series. There are a few Krell amps I also like. But the focus on the timbre of instruments and voices Pass does a better job.

The XA100.5 sounded great on the Wilson puppy 7. But for the Maxx I understand why you miss the slamm. I would try the X600.5. And yess you need the warm sound of an amp like the Pass. The Maxx can sound harsh. I heard them more often bad than good to be honnest.

Where are you talking about P?

I sold and owned powercables of MIT for over 6 years of time. In the last months I had a few clients with MIT and I did comparison with AQ cables. Next weekend I will have a client with MIT as well. We will compare his MIT interconnects and powercables with AQ interconnects and Purist Audio powercables. I will inform you about the outcome. A few months ago I was at a presentation with AQ cables. The shop also sells MIT most expensive Oracle cables. All the demos I heard overhere in the last 15 years I never liked the individual focus of instruments and voices. This time with AQ for the first time I could hear the intimate sound like in real. There words; Audioquest is a big step further now compared to MIT.

My experience are different. At my friends home I learned how small instruments and voices are in real during classical concerts played in front of 60 people with a small group of musicians. Voices and instruments are very small in proportion. The difference between MIT and AQ is also in the level of blacks. Instruments stand a lot more loose from eachother compared to MIT.

I had discussions about imaging a few times with the people from Pass Labs. They understand what I meant. Since I do this way of testing and comparing I did not have any person who prefered the bigger proportion of instruments. There is also a big difference in drive and control. The AQ give more weight and control. There is more air and detail in the high freq. as well. The best silver cables give superior detail and air compared to all full copper cables. MIT only uses copper in there cables. In the past I owned the most expensive powercables from MIT. When the Valhalla came out I sold them. These days I use Purist Audio powercables. Because they are more complete and defeat MIT cables also quite easily.

I think you understand it as I meant it. I can create an extreme touchable image these days. Every single part of a recording is very easy to locate. But not only in one line, but also in depth. With MIT I never heard a very direct voice or instrument. Wenn I play a big orchestra, the stage is wide and deep but within this big stage instruments are very sharp focussed. When I go back to MIT, you do not know where it is exactly. The exitement you feel when the image becomes touchabele is stunning. It it the big smile on your face when you hear it. When I hear it with MIT we Always look at eachother and we all say; nooooo ( we use our heads) it is not good. But also in speed, control resolution the MIT cables loose too much in quality. That is why I love comparing with cables so much. It is a very easy way to let people hear how to get a much higher level in sound quality.