Krell Evolution or Pass XA.5 series

I would love to see more comments on this post. I am considering an Evolution 302 or 402 (not the "e" version $$). I own a Pass amp and have owned others in the past. I think the Pass amps do best when in Class A mode and suffer when they move out of A and into A/B. So it is my belief that if going with a Pass amp that is not pure class A, one must keep in mind how much power they really need for their primary listening habits and then buy the Pass amp that delivers in Class A to the power range they need. Under this scenario, Pass amps are great. Forcing them into A/B mode for much of ones listening may likely result in a lower level of satisfaction. I am sure there will be Pass fans who disagree with this assessment, but it is based on what I have experienced.

Pete, I do not own the XA.5 series. I owned the 150.5 (and prior to that a straight 150 for a short time) and an Aleph 5 (which I bought specifically for my Gemme speakers but also have listened to it with W/Ps). I have heard the XA.5 series and I do think they are excellent amps. I like Pass amps, but I like them best in class A and find that when they go from class A to A/B they do not perform in the same manner as when they are operating in class A. I can highly recommend Pass amps and my suggestion or caveat is that one buys them on the basis of how much power they need and will be better off knowing that that power can be delivered in class A as much as possible (with the Pass amps). Since I am currently in the market for another amp, the Pass XA series has been on my list, but in the end I doubt I will go that route.

Krellfan said: "with ceramic drivers the Pass might just add some musicality."

I think this is in general a good statement. Overall, I too prefer the Krell based on past and present ownership of the two brands. Those 160.5's are great amps and deliver a lot of power in Class A mode. Personally, I like the FPB-C Series best for the Krells. I did have good experience with the 300-C and Thiel, but in the end I prefered the Levinson with the Thiels as the Krell could become a bit strident with them (as referenced above by Krellfan).

The key to getting the best bass is going to come more from the room characteristics than the amp (between these two) in my opinion.

Either the Pass or Krell will beat the other when one is in a well treated room and the other is not. If you don't already have this addressed, you may want to look into this first as no amp can have great bass in a bad sounding room!