Hi
I received my X250,5 about a month ago and it just blew me away right out of the box.Pass changed cosmetics a little bit but the biggest change is the sound.I spent half a year wondering if i should send my 2 grand to AV Logic and trade in my X 250.Now i am mad at myself for not doing it right away.Soundwise the new amp is completely different from the original and outperforms it in every aspect.The soundstage is deeper and midrange is sweeter and musical instruments are bigger.Also,it seems like this amp has more power than its predesessor.The meter hardly ever moves while the old one was at 1-2 o'clock while playing really loud.The new amp runs hotter and my ConEd bill shows $30 difference compared to the old amp.I went a little over the top and replaced Pass's female RCAs with WBT Nexgens.After hearing the results i reccomend this upgrade as a must.Surprisingly,of all the power cords that i have the best match was with relatively cheap Harmonic Technology AC-11.In the future i plan to do something with the amp footers,probably Black Diamond racing pucks and plan to upgrade binding posts with WBT Signatures which i think is a must too.Sorry if i didn't describe its sound very good,i am not too good at that.Looking back,if i knew how this amps sounds,i would have paid double the price (4 K)for it if asked. |
Reviving an old thread as I am interested in upgrading my amp.
Any more opinions on this amp? Seems everything I've read is quite positive. TIA |
Not a direct comparison but I have an Int-150, which is an X150.5 and part Xp10
Best SS amp I ever had. |
The X250.5 is a stunning amp. I owned the XA30.5, 60.5 and 100.5. For the money this one is my favorite. The next updat in my set will be the X350.5 or 600.5. The last one will be the biggest change. Wenn I bought the Purist Audio LE 2013 powercable the performance of the 250.5 went to a much higher level. The stage became a lot wider and deeper. The blacks went to a much higher level. And the drive was from another world. It gave the feeling of I bought a much bigger amp. Also in the high freq. you hear more and the focus of all the instruments and voices is more palpable. The X250.5 if superior to the X250. This amp was ok, but I never get thrilled by it. By using the best cables you can get a much higher level in performance out of the Pass Labs poweramps. Normally people pay more money for a new poweramp instead of better cables. That is why I do many blind tests with amps and sources with normal priced cables and less expensive amps and sources with expensive cables. Just to let people hear how much cables do these days. I am only interested in the best performance for the money a person wants to spend. |
I own the X250.5 and previously owned the X250. It is an outstanding amp for its price. It has a wide and deep soundstage, tonality of instructions appear natural, voices are presented with a presense that almost feels alive, the midrange just sounds right. It has a very deep base not as well controlled as for example the Krell evo2250e but very natural in sound. The amp will benefit from the right cables and power cords make a huge difference in the presentation and performance. It runs a bit hot and needs good ventilation. It would not be my first choice for a home theater application. |
Bo, sounds like you prefer the X.5 to the XA.5. How would you describe the difference? Thanks. |
I could life with both to be honnest. I prefer the extra drive and speed. The highs of the x series sounds a little more open. With the Onkyo PR-SC5509 I can drive Pass Labs poweramps a little more efficient than with the XP-20. The needle starts later to move. With the X600.5 I Always will drive in class A. Even wenn I play at high volumes. The overwhole sound I have now is already warm. Wenn I played with the XA100.5 and XP-20 I used the Valhalla loudspeakercable and the Meridian 800DAXv4. With the X250.5 and Audioquest Redwood 2013, Purist Audio 2013 limited powercable , Audioquest Wild blue Yonder new xlr and Olive 06HD I have a much warmer sound. I do not need the extra warmth of the XA series. In my situation the X series is a better option. The extra drive and speed is so addictive!! |
Ok, I have this question; is the X350.5 much better or just a bit better than the X250.5. I do see that the X350.5 uses much bigger caps and has a bigger transformer than the X250.5. So I would think that it would be more transparent and dynamic. |
The X350.5 has more class A watts. More drive and control compared to the X250.5. The stage is also bigger. It also dpends on the speaker. But you hear the difference between the amps for sure. Also at lower volumes there will be more weight and control. But now comes the funny thing; Wenn I bought the Purist Audio LE 2013 powercable I was stunned about the difference with a cheaper powercable of Purist with this one. I think wenn I would have used the 350.5 with a powercable of a few hundred dollars the 250.5 wiht the LE powercable would have played even better. Without the LE powercable you loose in the openness and extreme articulation of voices. So you can get a superior level out of a Pass Labs by using a different powercable. I heard many new things in wellknown recordings with the combination of the X250.5 and LE 2013 powercable. With the XA100.5 and XP-20 I did not have the level in articulation I know have. This is why I test and compare so often. Always to find the best sound possible. Wenn you are a perfectionist you Always look further and go on and on! I have a big drive to improve all the time. |
Ok, thanks, much appreciated. I thought that would be the case regarding the difference in sound between the X250.5 and the X350.5. Thanks for confirming it. Now have you owned the X350.5, or are you saying you wish to own it? As for the rest, I'm not a big believer in aftermarket power cables, but I could certainly try it, I suppose. |
I heard many Pass labs poweramps. The same for powercables. For those who have not a lot of experience with cabels I use blind testst. It is Always about letting people hear the difference. The reason why some people are still not convinced about cables is because there are too many average or even poor brands. I only use the best, the rest I really don't f...care. The thing I hate most in this business is the poor knowledge of many people who work in this business. Often they are not dedicated to what they do. They just do it for the money. The many many products in audio what is sooooo average or even poor. It is onbelievable how many people have these kind of products in there sets. |
Ok, have you heard the X350.5? I hear you regarding cables. I do believe in quality interconnects and speaker cable, and I use them, but not really power cables or power conditioners.
I agree with you about the business, and being just in it for the money is always a bad thing. |
Wenn you go up the line with Pass you hear the difference. I owned the 30.5, 60.5 and the 100.5. It is not only the extra power it has. But also the sonic caracter. The stage is bigger, the sound is more musical. And there is more space around the instruments and voices. At every volume you will hear the difference in weight in the low freq. There is more control and authority at any volume you play. The X350.5 I listend at shows. Not in my own setting. |
Well, that makes sense that the bigger Pass Labs amps will give you those things. It boils down to much more capacitance, bigger transformer (I believe the X350.5 has a 1kVA transformer in there) and better control of the speakers. I did read that the smaller XA amps are a bit on the slow side and have loose bass. So, it seems that the X series is the better choice if you want speed, tight bass, and detail. As you said, you get 40 watts of Class A from the X350.5, so that's great. That's cool you have listened to the X350.5. What were your impressions? |
I was surprised that the XA30.5 could drive the Monitor Audio PL-300 with ease. And there was a lot of drive and also the speed was still good. Wenn you listen to an amp you also listen to many other aspects. The room ofcourse, but also the source, speakers and cables. These sets I didn't like. So it doesn't say everything!! |
Ok, that's interesting. Very well then. However, the higher capacitance and bigger transformer results in more stability. The XA30.5 uses small caps and transformers. Yes, of course you do that. |
