Pass Labs X150.5 Audition.......Almost

I emailed Pass Labs for a local distributor and a guy named Kent got back to me and put me in touch with the local Pass Labs guy named Louis. As it turns out he was going to be in my neighborhood tomorrow doing a setup and wanted to bring an X150.5 with him and give me a home audition. Unfortunately I'll be out of town until Sunday, but we will reschedule. I was really curious to see how he was going to hook it up. Usually things don't happen so quickly.

thats unfortunate that you won't be there to hear it. I will say that you would probably love it knowing that I love mine. I think if you end up with a Pass amp to then we might have to start a Pass Labs anonymous and have a 12 step program for our addiction to Pass stuff. But its hard not to be addicted to this kind of sound.

Just for curiosity sake. What other amps would you put in the Pass Labs league? Maybe that's a question with too many variables. I would put Bryston, Ayre and Krell on a ladder a couple steps lower. They are the only brands I've listened to so far.

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Originally Posted by Jack in Wilmington

Just for curiosity sake. What other amps would you put in the Pass Labs league? Maybe that's a question with too many variables. I would put Bryston, Ayre and Krell on a ladder a couple steps lower. They are the only brands I've listened to so far.

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Classe, Plinius, CJ, Parasound JC1's to name a few.

I would also say Plinius and they are very cool to look at. They take the whole industrial theme and run with it even further than Pass. But I have not heard one so I will only speculate on how good they are but owners of them seem to love them.

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Originally Posted by harley .guy07

I would also say Plinius and they are very cool to look at. They take the whole industrial theme and run with it even further than Pass. But I have not heard one so I will only speculate on how good they are but owners of them seem to love them.

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My friend has the Plinius S102 and he's hinted about maybe parting ways with it as he's switched to an ARC setup, but I've heard they double as a room heater, so I haven't pursued it. I liked that Parasound was mentioned in with Pass and Classe and CJ. The A23 that I heard was very warm and detailed at the same time, I was quite surprised.

I would only put the Parasound JC line in the same league. I have the Halo A21 (a huge step up from the A23) which does some things better than the Pass, but over all does not sound as good and is not in the same league. The Pass amps are room heaters as well.

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Originally Posted by blackraven

I would only put the Parasound JC line in the same league. I have the Halo A21 (a huge step up from the A23) which does some things better than the Pass, but over all does not sound as good and is not in the same league. The Pass amps are room heaters as well.

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I thought that the whole heat thing with the Pass pertained more to the XS and XA series. My friend with the Plinius says there is a ( I think he called it a bias switch ) on the front where you can choose to run it in class A or AB. He says it runs much cooler in AB. Maybe this home demo will tell the story.

My X250 heats up my 17x17x10 room after about 2 hours. It runs mostly in Class A. My A21 runs in Class A for the first 8-10watts but barely got warm. The whole chassis of the X250 is a heat sink. Even the thick aluminum face plate gets hot.

When you say what league or what Pass compares to are you talking competition or what does Pass sound like? In my opinion build and quality Pass is in with Levinson, Krell, Classe etc. When I say that, each will have their sound but all are high quality and over built. Sound wise I really can't say Pass sounds close to anything else I've heard. Having owned Krell and CJ, Pass is some where between them with bringing the best of both to the table, solid state control and transparency similar to Krell but to it's attribute IMO not as iron grip and warmer, wonderful midrange and musicality like the CJ, but again not to the CJ extent. If the associated gear can deliver it Pass is capable of revealing wonderful textures of the sound.

Blackraven, the Maggies must draw more current, my X 250 gets warm but not to the extent you mention, I don't think I've ever felt the front get warm. Granted though, if you don't want extra heat in the room you might want to reconsider. To my knowledge Pass does not have a switch, the amp is designed to run Class A to a point and then A/B. I know the X250 doesn't. Heat or not, I'd love to be able to afford a set of Passes Class A monoblocks.

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Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

When you say what league or what Pass compares to are you talking competition or what does Pass sound like? In my opinion build and quality Pass is in with Levinson, Krell, Classe etc. When I say that, each will have their sound but all are high quality and over built. Sound wise I really can't say Pass sounds close to anything else I've heard. Having owned Krell and CJ, Pass is some where between them with bringing the best of both to the table, solid state control and transparency similar to Krell but to it's attribute IMO not as iron grip and warmer, wonderful midrange and musicality like the CJ, but again not to the CJ extent. If the associated gear can deliver it Pass is capable of revealing wonderful textures of the sound.

Blackraven, the Maggies must draw more current, my X 250 gets warm but not to the extent you mention, I don't think I've ever felt the front get warm. Granted though, if you don't want extra heat in the room you might want to reconsider. To my knowledge Pass does not have a switch, the amp is designed to run Class A to a point and then A/B. I know the X250 doesn't. Heat or not, I'd love to be able to afford a set of Passes Class A monoblocks.

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Mr P. the switch I was talking about is on the Plinius. In the winter I wouldn't mind a little more heat in my room. My Jolida tube amp would warm things up nicely.

There is a pair of XA-160.5 mono blocks on the Gon for $13,950. Not that I was trying to spend your money. They retail for $24k? wow.

Here is what Pass says about the heat in the manual of the X250-

Our environment is about 23 degrees Centigrade, room temperature, and the heat sinks will rise to about 25 degrees C. above that, for a heat sink temperature of 48 degrees C. In your setup the temperature may vary a bit due to line voltage and ventilation, but it is not a big deal. You should be able to put your hands on the heat sinks without discomfort for 10 seconds or so.

48 Celsius is 120F. I would say that mine gets a little hotter than this after about 1.5-2 hours of play time. Even the front panel gets very warm. The heat does not bother me but it may in the summer. But I don't use the system much in the summer as I am out doors a lot due to the short summers here in MN.

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Originally Posted by Jack in Wilmington

Just for curiosity sake. What other amps would you put in the Pass Labs league? Maybe that's a question with too many variables. I would put Bryston, Ayre and Krell on a ladder a couple steps lower. They are the only brands I've listened to so far.

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You would first have to define what you mean by league? Because Bryston, Avre and Krell certainly make amps in that same league...whatever it may be.

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Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

When you say what league or what Pass compares to are you talking competition or what does Pass sound like? In my opinion build and quality Pass is in with Levinson, Krell, Classe etc. When I say that, each will have their sound but all are high quality and over built. Sound wise I really can't say Pass sounds close to anything else I've heard. Having owned Krell and CJ, Pass is some where between them with bringing the best of both to the table, solid state control and transparency similar to Krell but to it's attribute IMO not as iron grip and warmer, wonderful midrange and musicality like the CJ, but again not to the CJ extent. If the associated gear can deliver it Pass is capable of revealing wonderful textures of the sound.

Blackraven, the Maggies must draw more current, my X 250 gets warm but not to the extent you mention, I don't think I've ever felt the front get warm. Granted though, if you don't want extra heat in the room you might want to reconsider. To my knowledge Pass does not have a switch, the amp is designed to run Class A to a point and then A/B. I know the X250 doesn't. Heat or not, I'd love to be able to afford a set of Passes Class A monoblocks.

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Peabody...I like what you've said about the different gear and the league. Thats all some fine gear.... it all may sound different, but its up to us to figure out what we like and dont like.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

You would first have to define what you mean by league? Because Bryston, Avre and Krell certainly make amps in that same league...whatever it may be.

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I think you meant Ayre, I would love to try one of their preamps. In fact when I get ready to upgrade preamps in a while I will probably look at Ayre as one of the options along with a Pass Preamp of coarse. But upgrade in speakers will come first.

Thanks Jack, that's about the size I would want. I could possibly make do with 100.5's. I'll just run over and order those :), I wish. I've been fortunate enough to run across good deals which allowed me to have some of the gear I do. I never imagined I'd ever have anything like the #512. I am also fortunate to have a wife that has pretty much accepted my hobby/addiction.

I ordered this: Ultimate Demonstration Disc: Chesky Records' Guide to Critical Listening. Blackraven said he has one. What's cool about this is it has a narrative to explain what we should be hearing. I'm anxious to see how my system measures up.


$13

I have actually heard of that Chesky disk from a friend that is also into this hobby. He said it helped him immensely with system setup when he moved the last time. I am glad you brought that up because I was going to order that disk back then and totally forgot to do so. I will have to get on that and see how my system measures up too.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

You would first have to define what you mean by league? Because Bryston, Avre and Krell certainly make amps in that same league...whatever it may be.

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I guess what I mean by a league is a level of enjoyment. Like minor league baseball compared to major league baseball. The parts that make up the whole are better and the enjoyment increases. Like I said also, there are way too many variables to come up with a set up measurements to rate such things. That's why I asked for opinions as many of the guys have had different makes of amps.

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Originally Posted by harley .guy07

I think you meant Ayre, I would love to try one of their preamps. In fact when I get ready to upgrade preamps in a while I will probably look at Ayre as one of the options along with a Pass Preamp of coarse. But upgrade in speakers will come first.

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Yes I meant Ayre....thanks. But as far as preamps, you will no doubt get better synergy from a Pass preamp seeing you have the amp. The same designer created both, so im of the opinion that a certain magic happens when they are both on the same page as far as design. But thats not to say a different brand name pre wont sound good, but that little something extra comes with a matching pair. I believe Peabody has benefited greatly from a matching Pass pre and amp, and I too am hearing magic with my matching Vincent pre and amp.

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Originally Posted by Jack in Wilmington

I guess what I mean by a league is a level of enjoyment. Like minor league baseball compared to major league baseball. The parts that make up the whole are better and the enjoyment increases. Like I said also, there are way too many variables to come up with a set up measurements to rate such things. That's why I asked for opinions as many of the guys have had different makes of amps.

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Most hi end manufacturers make several amps...preamps... and so on, in different audio classes. You have entry level all the way up to the highest you can go. So when you talk about the very highest you can go, take Pass Labs Xs300 which retails at $85,000 a pair. And take the Audionet Max mono block amps which retails for $26k a pair. You would think the Pass Labs was in a different league, but not so. The price does not always dictate what class or league a component is in. And there are always trade offs on what different gear in the same calss can do....its always a trade off....no one component is perfect at what it can do. Here is a review of a few amps including the Pass and Audionet among a few others....mind you, its about a few years old, but you get the idea of what I am getting at. All the amps perform in the same league and class. Scroll down to where it says AMP II MAX monoblocks vs. other mighty power amps


and you can see what the finding were in a shoot out....Pass Labs included.

Innerworld Audio - Audionet Amp Max Monoblocks

Well I read the test and they tested a X350.5 against the Audionet. I am surprised that they did not choose something form Passes XA or XS series. The X350.5 is a $11,500 dollar amplifier not a $85,000 XS series from which you mentioned. I will say that I would have liked to see a XA, or XS go against the Audionet and see how the outcome would be and I would bet it would be different. The X.5 series are now Passes lowest line of amps and even though they are some of the best in their price category the XA and XS represent a even higher end sound that is a true reference. Even thought I doubt I will ever get past the x.5 series if a person is going to spend this kind of money on gear and wants a true reference comparison at least they can get the best from these companies and compare them. In fact it looks like the other brands represented were the top or near top models from these companies but not the Pass. I just don't think this is a real reference comparison. iTs kind of like of Ferrari took there top car and did performance comparisons against the Porsche Boxster, well yeah the Ferrari will come out on top. Now if Ferrari tested their top car against a Porsche 918 then that would be a true reference test.

On a different note I just heard from another member from another forum that Pass Labs is introducing another series to their amps lines called the X.8 series. It would seem that this series is going to take some of the technology and sound from the XA, and XS series but have the power output of the X.5 series. It will bridge the gap between the X.5 and XA/XS series price wise as well. I do not know yet how much difference there will be between the X.8 and X.5 but they will start selling them sometime in 2014

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Originally Posted by harley .guy07

Well I read the test and they tested a X350.5 against the Audionet. I am surprised that they did not choose something form Passes XA or XS series. The X350.5 is a $11,500 dollar amplifier not a $85,000 XS series from which you mentioned. I will say that I would have liked to see a XA, or XS go against the Audionet and see how the outcome would be and I would bet it would be different. The X.5 series are now Passes lowest line of amps and even though they are some of the best in their price category the XA and XS represent a even higher end sound that is a true reference. Even thought I doubt I will ever get past the x.5 series if a person is going to spend this kind of money on gear and wants a true reference comparison at least they can get the best from these companies and compare them. In fact it looks like the other brands represented were the top or near top models from these companies but not the Pass. I just don't think this is a real reference comparison. iTs kind of like of Ferrari took there top car and did performance comparisons against the Porsche Boxster, well yeah the Ferrari will come out on top. Now if Ferrari tested their top car against a Porsche 918 then that would be a true reference test.

On a different note I just heard from another member from another forum that Pass Labs is introducing another series to their amps lines called the X.8 series. It would seem that this series is going to take some of the technology and sound from the XA, and XS series but have the power output of the X.5 series. It will bridge the gap between the X.5 and XA/XS series price wise as well. I do not know yet how much difference there will be between the X.8 and X.5 but they will start selling them sometime in 2014

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I read that also Harley, and that could mean that some people will be trading up and there could be more .5s on the used market, which is a good thing. Mark at Reno HiFi is taking trade-ins from what I've read, and giving full value if your unit is 4 months old or newer.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

Most hi end manufacturers make several amps...preamps... and so on, in different audio classes. You have entry level all the way up to the highest you can go. So when you talk about the very highest you can go, take Pass Labs Xs300 which retails at $85,000 a pair. And take the Audionet Max mono block amps which retails for $26k a pair. You would think the Pass Labs was in a different league, but not so. The price does not always dictate what class or league a component is in. And there are always trade offs on what different gear in the same calss can do....its always a trade off....no one component is perfect at what it can do. Here is a review of a few amps including the Pass and Audionet among a few others....mind you, its about a few years old, but you get the idea of what I am getting at. All the amps perform in the same league and class. Scroll down to where it says AMP II MAX monoblocks vs. other mighty power amps


and you can see what the finding were in a shoot out....Pass Labs included.

Innerworld Audio - Audionet Amp Max Monoblocks

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Frenchmon, I was only comparing the amps that I've heard. The Krell Evolution 2250e, the Ayre V-5xe, and the Bryston 4B-SST2. These are all in the $8,000 to $5000 range.

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Originally Posted by Jack in Wilmington

Frenchmon, I was only comparing the amps that I've heard. The Krell Evolution 2250e, the Ayre V-5xe, and the Bryston 4B-SST2. These are all in the $8,000 to $5000 range.

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you are very right. My problem with this comparison was the fact that the person was comparing Audionet reference cream of the crop amps against amps that were not the best that these particular companies put out and most were not even in the same price class as the Audionet Mono blocks. If he would have put Pass XA mono blocks up against the Audionet amps then it would have been a much more realistic comparison. It would be the same kind of comparison if I took my Pass amp and compared it to an Emotiva XPA-2 or something like that, it would have power for sure but my Pass would stomp it otherwise. I just like comparisons that are fair to begin with.

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Originally Posted by harley .guy07

Well I read the test and they tested a X350.5 against the Audionet. I am surprised that they did not choose something form Passes XA or XS series. The X350.5 is a $11,500 dollar amplifier not a $85,000 XS series from which you mentioned. I will say that I would have liked to see a XA, or XS go against the Audionet and see how the outcome would be and I would bet it would be different. The X.5 series are now Passes lowest line of amps and even though they are some of the best in their price category the XA and XS represent a even higher end sound that is a true reference. Even thought I doubt I will ever get past the x.5 series if a person is going to spend this kind of money on gear and wants a true reference comparison at least they can get the best from these companies and compare them. In fact it looks like the other brands represented were the top or near top models from these companies but not the Pass. I just don't think this is a real reference comparison. iTs kind of like of Ferrari took there top car and did performance comparisons against the Porsche Boxster, well yeah the Ferrari will come out on top. Now if Ferrari tested their top car against a Porsche 918 then that would be a true reference test.

On a different note I just heard from another member from another forum that Pass Labs is introducing another series to their amps lines called the X.8 series. It would seem that this series is going to take some of the technology and sound from the XA, and XS series but have the power output of the X.5 series. It will bridge the gap between the X.5 and XA/XS series price wise as well. I do not know yet how much difference there will be between the X.8 and X.5 but they will start selling them sometime in 2014

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Hi Harley...I got the wrong amp.

The xs-300 is $85k...not the Xs-350.5...my bad

Reno Hi-Fi

But with all that, you focused on the review rather than my point which is All those amps are in the same league as far as hifi is concerned. All those amps are great! All those amps have the highest and best engineers, all those amps are built like tanks. All those amps have the highest performance. None of the amps are perfect. It becomes a matter of system matching and preference at that level. Sure you are biased towards Pass Labs, thats understandable but there are trade offs with each and every one of those amps. I would be happy with any one of those amps. And yes....Just because an amp cost $100k and another amp cost $75k they can be considered in the same league.