Pass Labs XA25

While watching the Absolute Sound tour of Pass Labs they showed an interior shot of the XA25 and I observed a Tamura 3FD-320 transformer mounted to the circuit board. I googled the purpose of the transformer.

The Tamura 3FD-320 transformer is typically used in high-end audio applications to provide isolation and improve sound quality by reducing noise and distortion. It helps in converting voltage levels while maintaining audio fidelity, making it suitable for high-performance audio equipment.

My XA25 arrived and after listening to it for almost 2 weeks it’s just not the amp I want in my main system. It’s ok, but to me it doesn’t live up to all the hype. I’ve read where a lot of people love this amp but not me. I’ll keep it but it’ll be in my bedroom system.

It's interesting that you say that the XA25 "doesn't live up to all the hype."  I've had my eyes on this amplifier for quite a while although I've never heard it.  I did notice that it does come up for sale quite frequently, so perhaps others have had the same experience.

@mfb33 curious what about the amp made you decide to keep it, despite not liking it for your main system ...

@mfb33 

Having had the XA25 I know that two weeks of burn in is not nearly enough to give the time for this amplifier to sound as smooth as it can. 

Give it at least 200 to 400 hrs.  Listen for the incredibly fast transients that can keep up with the fastest paced rhythm sections.  Listen for instrument separation as if the players had their own channel, position in space and speaker.  

Give it time !  It truly is one of the best sounding amplifiers on the market, you just have to be patient and work with it.  

Your Cary preamp has excellent gain which is a great match for the lower gain of the ’25 (20db).  Possibly try some NOS Sylvania tubes if you haven’t. 

Speaker cables can help. 

Also speaker pairing is important- what speakers did you run it with?