pass labs xa30 to valve amplifier.

Thank you for the replies. im in the uk and to listen to one or two ill have to travel half a day, and that will be most likely from the same manufacturer at one location. hi end audio dealers have been in decline for years here. my pass labs 30.5 sounds extremely good and there is no complaint in the sound department. perhaps its over detailed but i like the sound that way. i want to experience a tube amplifier that is in the same calibre as the pass,or even better. to date, ive never heard a single note from a tube amplifier. anyone point me to manufacturers that make good ones? thank you kindly.

Thnk you Pubul57 for the reply and recommendation of valve amplifier. yes 30 watts drive the Zingali to very high levels with superb clarity. im told the zingali are very sensitive so 35 watts would easily be enough. ill investigate music reference. anyone with other suggestions? i would like to hear them. many thanks again.

thank you for the reply. its exactly the - bloom thing spatially - im looking for for. thank you for the atma sphere recommendation. ill check on the net for further information. both sound they might be hard to find in the uk, but ill look into it. yes , its really surprising what 30 w can do into Zingalis. the dealer i purchased the 30.5 promised they would deliver loud levels without distortion and he was right. initially i was not sure as i had a monster x350 ( 350 w ) pass that i sadly trashed by connecting a subwoofer incorrectly. pass are really good but that caution should be explicit, in red , in the manual as incorrect connection will damage the unit! thanks again.

i think that ear is not that expensive( relatively speaking) but its a matter of finding these various gems in the uk. i have heard of the brand. i dont mind travelling though to get something i really like. thanks for the response, very much appreciated.

hi, i did consider a tube preamp. would that change the sound? im not saying the sound from the pass is not good, it is very good indeed and even over 4 yrs listening to it, it still pleases me hugely, but as mentioned before i want to experience the tube sound for the first time to see what all the fuss is about. are they really that good? if i went for tube amp or preamp, if worthwhile, i guess the chord anthem 2 xlr would be unusable? any good preamps? thank you.

defride. thank you for the pointer. ill check that for sure. from their website, they sell the xa30.5 so a comparison could possible made there. im not too far from there too. if anything, i might be able to hear a quality tube amp to get an idea of what all the rave is about them. the droplet, incidently has valves, and sounds really good. perhaps partnering with a valve power amp might be of some benefit. any thoughts, anyone. thanks.

Thanks you all for the information. Im looking into them all. Anyone got any other they would endorse, id like to know. Thanks.

hi, ive been investigating some of the products mentioned by posters here, and others. ive listed ear, atmasphere, vac, almarra, melody. i have the pass xa30.5. i want to make a purchase that is worthwile and not a step down which would be very disappointing. a dealer here has suggested atmasphere s30, though it retails considerably less than the pass. can this be an upgrade? not too keen on the connections at front though, but ultimately i could live with that as its sound quality im after. he also is of the opinion a pre is better than direct connection. anyone mind giving me some further pointers? would a older valve amp be in the league of modern designs? i would also consider preowned one. my zingalis are 92? efficient and zingali say the minimum is 10 watts. 30 in my pass goes really loud, so would this be a true third drop in power? im after really clean bass. any further pointers would be very much appreciated. Thank you all.

Pupul, thank you for the reply. i appreciate the response. the atmosphere s30 is appox 1500 less than the pass xa30.5. that got me thinking. the mono bloc power amps in their range get pricier and i dont really need that much power.
its such a shame they put the connections to the front! it spoils a little what would have been a really good looking retro styled piece of kit.

do you, or anyone else have experience with cd direct as opposed to using pre? the droplet player i have is connected direct. i did try with a pre from one of my first serious hi fi purchses, a musical fidelity a3 cr, but it didnt do anything to the sound. the xlr from cd to pass sounded better.

thank you kindly

hi, thanks for the information.

i do like the pass xa30.5 very much. i have used it for nearly five years. one of the first imported to the uk, so i was told. the pass still gives me great pleasure and it has performed flawlessly.

ive never heard a valve/tube amp. i read alot on the net about the sound being different- more spacial, 3d etc. so having had my pass for nearly 5 yrs, i thought i give them a go and see for myselff. if i never hear, i will never know. for me its all about the music. its never been a case of owning this or that for the badge. sometimes i feel dealers are a bit stuck up because they have lavish premises in upmarket locations and expensive kit. they seem to forget , its only about music
.
the pass is a fantastic piece of kit that will be probably demoted to ps3 duties for my son. mad overkill for sure, but id never sell that amp as its given me so much musical enjoyment.

if it turns out valves arnt my thing, i can always get it back.

Thanks for the reply. The picture on the site for the s30 shows connections at front. i will clear this with the uk dealer. id want the latest version. i have a chord anthem 2 xlr 1.5 metre that will just make it, i think. i guess if if they are in front you run cables under the amp? if its too short, ill have some work adjusting heavy duty wood shelves in a chimney alcove..

yes, cables at the back would have looked tidier. if the amp is not too deep, it shouldnt be an issue for me.

hi, thank for the information. how would you decribe the sound? im going to arrange a demo loan of s30, but would be interested to know your view on the sound. the vac is something i was considering too,( based on advise here from people good enough to spare some time- never heard the name before) but the dealers very far and it would be a purchase without listening unless he agrees to send a demo amp on deposit. of the two, which would you prefer?

thank you

thank you for the response. im pretty sure my zingalis will be able to be driven by the s30. i will double check with the dealer. with 30 watts from the pass it can go really loud.

yes, lots of people have moved over to them in the uk too , it seems. i dont know anyone personally though, so its really good to get advise and pointers here. dealers , of course, only carry a very limited number of products so of course they would not recommend other products they do not deal in.

thanks

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate your honest views. Thats been in the back of my mind too- going downwards or sideways. something i want to avoid, of course. in fact a dealer who i contacted regarding an almarro 318b, hinted the same, so am considering options carefully. it would be great if one dealer carried a range of likely candidtates, but this is not the case so comparisons are difficult to make. i was considering a valve/tube preamp too to add to me pass. if anyone has suggestions and views, id really like to know.

and thank you to everyone with their contributions. it has given me a good start in a subject i did not know much about.

my zingalis go really loud. they are 92 db and 8 ohm. i really cant imagine anyone playing louder, unless they have a very large room. i play all kinds of music from soft female vocals, electronic,jazz instrumental,pop, quality hard rock ( queens early hard rock years still one of my favourites, not to say their later stuff was not good, just different) to european dance and alot inbetween. surprisingly , the zingalis replay dance music incredibly well with the pass.

hi. isnt the pass xa30.5 pure class a? i thought it was.

Thanks. Thats very interesting. The amount of sound it produces, it certainly sounds far more powerful than 30 watts.

Hi everyone. From some of the responses here, it seems the pass xa30.5 has greater power output than 30 watts. i am still looking at valve amplifiers am aware now that a move to valve amplification may be, at best, a sideways move. Im hoping to hear a few products to judge. Am i right in thinking a 30 watt valve amplifier would not have the same volume output as the xa30.5, even though both are rated at 30 watts ( the pass very conservatativly, it seems). i am considering low powered tiode amps ( i understand they sound better) How are low powered valve amps with regard to slam and attack with clarity?
When a valve blows, can speakers be damaged? Sorry for all the questions, but i rather get some further background into valve amplification. i have picked up some very useful pointers here and thank everyone for their input.

Thank you. with the help of forum users here i have shortlisted : Atmasphere, ear, almarro, opera consonance ( some may view this as odd choice, but the droplet cd player i have sounds very good indeed and has proven to be reliable over past few years). The thing about the pass xa30.5 is that it is very revealing. it will make a poor recording sound very bad ( though high qulaity ones very good.) perhaps a valve amp would smooth things out when required.

Thank you for reply. ive also been considering a tube preamplifier as a next step. that would also enable to keep the pass. do you or anyone else have sugesstions as to which ones would be in a similar league to the pass. cd player and pass have balanced connections so i would like to keep the balanced chord anthem, if possible. how would an old arc preamplifier fare? ive seen pre used ones that sell for around 1000 uk pounds. however, i think these are many years old. an sp8 sold recently on an auction site for 900 uk pounds. Any idea how much i should spend? i am very grateful for assistance given. thank you.

Thank you. ill look into the ref three. I read the reviews for ref 5 and it suggests sound of a very high calibre.
Im also considering atma spher mp3. Would anyone know if this preamp would work with the pass? i have leant from here that impedence would need matching. So would only as pass pre amp work correctly? What data should i be checking? if i know this, ill research the stats for myself. Sorry for all the questions. Thank you kindly.