To: @taylorro Have you thought about pairing up a really good TUBE preamp with your existing JC-1 monos? Maybe trying this first as a go-between option. Apparently not uncommon for people to do with JC-1s. I use a tube preamp with my Pass/Forte' Class A amp, and would not have it any other way.
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@reg19 thanks for that clarification. I was referring to the specs and I guess they don’t tell the full story. @ghdprentice my listening room is in the basement. Lots of trees around the house that create good amounts of shade. I never needed an AC in this room with the XA30.8 and the X250.5 that I owned in the past. I think the X260.8 amps will get hotter than my XA30.8 but I doubt it will be unbearable here. I don’t plan to keep the amps on 24/7. |
Re: tube preamps, there are still levels. I have two tube preamps at home. With Audio Research REF6, JC1+ sound 'average', restrained. With the same preamp, the Pass X260.8 sound magical.
Re: heat, there is not much difference between how warm JC1+ get vs X260.8. Perhaps, X260.8 gets 3-5 deg warmer. Never hot though. |
@OP. Experience from an owner of JC1s and Pass XA60.8s - and familiar with the Class AB Pass's. I think its a worthwhile upgrade you are contemplating. But I would listen to the XAs as well as the Xs before making a decision. If your speakers are 4 ohm, you may not need as big a Pass amp as you think. I don't find the heat from the power amp to be objectionable and that's in a small room. However, I don't live in a hot climate so experiences will differ. |
