Aside from the power rating, the sonic character of these two Pass amps is also different. The class A amp is a bit "softer", with less sharp transients, and perhaps a bit more "romantic" sounding. Not meant in terms of a strong coloration, but all amps do have their own sonic signature. The S-series, on the other hand, does sound like it has more muscle instead of the romantic sound, there is more slam, even at low volumes, the transients are sharper. Some say the XAs are great for classical, the Xs for harder music such as rock, jazz etc, but this is by no means a hard and fast rule. I own Pass and would be happy with both amps, although I lean more towards the X series for my own tastes.
Pass X 250.8 or Pass 30.8 question?
Help me understand what would be the better amp for my situation. I know the obvious differences, One is a low wattage class A amp. The other being basically the opposite.
My setup for one of these amps is : Martin Logan Montis speakers(91db). Source components- VPI scout and lossless files through a Mac Mini through a Cambridge Azur 851D DAC.
My room is pretty lively. I don't need a lot of volume to play music. I currently have a Parasound Halo Integrated. I would say that the volume never exceeds 40% of the volume knob. If your familiar with the Parasound Halo....The volume knob is usually between 9-10 o'clock.
I need some opinions....Am I better off with a lower wattage amp like the 30.8......or would huge power like the 250.8 ( 500/4ohms) serve me better even though my speakers are fairly easy to drive and my room isn't unusually big.
I don't pretend to be an expert in home audio...so if these are stupid questions I apologize in advance. However any and all insight would be greatly appreciated.
Also- I would really appreciate any other Pass .8 series owners to chime in with their insight and opinions.
Thanks in advance,
krelldog
My setup for one of these amps is : Martin Logan Montis speakers(91db). Source components- VPI scout and lossless files through a Mac Mini through a Cambridge Azur 851D DAC.
My room is pretty lively. I don't need a lot of volume to play music. I currently have a Parasound Halo Integrated. I would say that the volume never exceeds 40% of the volume knob. If your familiar with the Parasound Halo....The volume knob is usually between 9-10 o'clock.
I need some opinions....Am I better off with a lower wattage amp like the 30.8......or would huge power like the 250.8 ( 500/4ohms) serve me better even though my speakers are fairly easy to drive and my room isn't unusually big.
I don't pretend to be an expert in home audio...so if these are stupid questions I apologize in advance. However any and all insight would be greatly appreciated.
Also- I would really appreciate any other Pass .8 series owners to chime in with their insight and opinions.
Thanks in advance,
krelldog