KEF 205/2 with Pass XA series amps??


Checking for a friend; does anyone have any experience with Pass XA amps and KEF speakers? A friend of mine has a pair of the KEF 205/2's and is interested in Pass amps(XA-60.5 or XA-100.5) so I am checking around for him to try and get some of your opinions and if it's a good combo. Any help is much appreciated.
johngp

Showing 1 response by bondmanp

I have heard a combo of 205/2 and some model of Pass amp at a local dealer. IIRC, it was a 100 watt/channel, current model. The room was pretty large. Unless the combo was pushed to a volume level that I found unnaturally loud, and somewhat painful, it was actually a very musical combo. So musical, in fact, that I actually preferred it to the Levinson-amped KEF The Blade statement loudspeakers in an adjacent room. Although I am not a metal-dome tweeter fan, the KEF Reference series is one of the most musical speakers I've heard with metal tweeters. Only occassionally did the highs get rough or edgy sounding. Most of the time, these speakers sound fantastic, IMO, smooth, detailed, natural and with a wonderful soundstage. Therefore, I would think you are smart to go with an amp that won't push the KEF tweeter over the edge of neutral. In SS land, Pass, Odyssey, Asthetix, and McIntosh come to mind as such amplifiers. There are probably others as well.