Review that offers a perspective on / Sugden FBA-800 - Coda S5.5 - Pass Labs XA-25

Thanks Teajay.

I want to temporarily walk back my “fairly dramatic” characterization. I realize it applies with the speakers I’ve been using exclusively for the past six months, the Radiant Acoustics Clarity 4.2. But I believe It was a different story with the Audio Note AN-K/Spe, which I will return to the system and report back.

With the Radiant Acoustics speakers, the Pass is very transparent, with a spacious soundstage that is slightly set back. Ambience is vividly audible, tonality is rich and colorful (consistent with good SS class A), high resolution. I don’t find it underpowered for my listening, but it does lack drive.

The Pass INT-25 is rated 25 wpc and the Sugden 30 wpc, but each play more powerful than those numbers. The Pass has 29 dB of gain. I’ve never found a gain number for the Sugden, but it plays (maybe too) loud at the bottom of the dial, which may be unrelated to its overall gain.

With the RA speakers, the Sugden has a more propulsive drive and can sound more dynamic and alive. It presents very solid images in a soundstage that is more forward than what I hear with the Pass, and also shallower. Much less ambient information (a drier presentation), less resolution of detail, and less tone-colorful and convincing tonality. 

overpriced, overhyped, well marketed

All three amplifiers are at the top of the list for eliminating grain/dryness in their overall presentation

???

what is this direction we have "evolved" to?

Hey parkergetdean,

Have you heard with your own ears any of these "overhyped" amplifiers? Also, don't quite understand your statement, we have "evolved" to. The ideas of eliminating any grain/dryness and having and overall liquidity/silkiness have been the ideals of great tonality for years.

Teajay - The Sugden review mentions a few speaker choices that match well for Pass and the Coda amps, but not the Sudgen amp. Can you elaborate a bit on the characteristics of a speaker that would mate well with the Sudgen? 

Also, the review mentions that the Sugden combines the best sonic virtues of the Pass and Coda amps. Can you further explain what this means from your perspective? To me as the reader it means the Sugden is all of warm, transparent, fast, liquid, grainless. Based on my interpretation, it seems like the best sounding of the three. Do you agree?   

Hey jwr159,

If you look at the speakers I used in the review on FBA-800, very different designs, the take is that the amplifier will sound excellent with virtually any speaker.

I think you missed my point, regarding the "best sounding" of the three. There is no best, the three amps are superlative, it comes down to personal taste and system synergy.