pass aleph vs x series

To some degree. The original X series sounded lean and cold, very much like stereotipical SS amps. But the .5 series adopted the Aleph topology for the first 50 or so watts, and added some of the signature sound that the Aleph are known for. I have an Aleph Os and an X350.5. When I upgrade to a new pair of speakers which allows for biamping, I am planning on trying to use both amps and see how it sounds.

But I think the air and dynamics are better on the X .5 series. (Take a with a grain of salt as I cannot compare them side by side. The Aleph Os just doesn't have enough juice to run my Thiel 3.6s)

FrankC

I would have to agree with Rayhall with comparison between the Aleph Os and X350.5. Since my last post, I had upgraded my speakers to a pair of Verity Parsifal Encores. After consulting with Verity Audio to make sure that the Aleph Os has enough juice to drive these in my room, I hooked them up thinking that the X350.5 was probably an overkill (in terms of power) for these speakers.

The Aleph Os sounded exactly like what Rayhall had described. But my suspecion, confirmed by other Parsifal owners as well, is that these speakers required more power to make them sing then what's stated on the spec sheet. So our observation may be attributed more to the Aleph Os running out of steam than anything else. Once I hooked the X350.5 back, the speakers were singing again.

Since I have the Aleph Os out, I've meant to hook it to some smaller, more efficient speakers just to double check to make sure the amp is OK since it's more than 10 years old.

FrankC