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Pass Labs XA30.8 class A stereo amplifier Review, Part III

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Also read Part I, Part II

 

I never really planned for there to be a Part III of this review; I didn’t even plan to review it in my reference system, but it came before the Wayne Picquet’s Restored Quad ESL 57 and I wanted to break the XA30.8 in before the Quads showed up. I was so impressed by the amplifier that I made the decision to write what was called Part I of this three-part review. The Pass Labs XA30.8 continued to improve with time to the point that, now, I wanted to let you know my final assessment of this incredible amplifier.

In the last ten years I have listened to and in many cases reviewed amplifiers powering the Audio Note E and/or the Teresonic XR Silver. This included amps from the following companies, in alphabetical order they were: 47 Labs 4733 Midnight Blue, Allnic T1500 300B, Atma-Sphere M-60 Mk 3.1 OTL, Art Audio Diavolo TW Ref Signature, ASR Emitter I Exclusive, Audio Note, Audio Research, Bec Canto, Bob Carver “Black Magic” VTA20S, Cary, Conrad Johnson, deHavilland Aries 845-G, Electrocompaiet ECI-5 Mk II, Electra-Fidelity A3-500 300B, First Watt SIT-1, Genesis Advanced Technologies I60, Goldmund, Kora, Kore-eda PLA-1, Joule-Electra, McIntosh, Melody, Monarchy Audio SE-250, Oracle Audio Technologies SI1000, Pass Labs both XA.5, Plinius 9200, Quad, Rogue, Shindo Cortese F2A, Swissonor AM6441, TEAC, Tektron TK 211S, Teresonic Reference 2a3, Unison Research, and Wavac EC-300B.

All together I have listened to around 50 amps in the last 10 years and I’m glad to say most of them were really good amps. To be honest though, only four of them ever made me think they might be as good as my beloved Wavac EC-300B. Here’s the big surprise: Three of the four were transistor amps. The one tube amplifier was Teresonic’s own Reference 2a3 amp; the three transistor amps were the ASR Emitter I Exclusive Amplifier, the First Watt SIT-1 monoblock power amplifiers and now, the Pass Labs XA30.8.

Of the three transistor amps, the First Watt SIT-1 sounded the most like the Wavac EC-300B and I would be the first to admit that if I were buying them new I could not justify spending three times as much for amps that sounded so much alike. The ASR Emitter I Exclusive Amplifier and the Pass Labs 30.8 sound different from each other and the single-ended amps. Of the four amps the ASR sounds the most different. That could be good or bad continuing on your speakers. All four are great amps, though.

The ASR is the fastest and most transparent amplifier I have ever heard. Its speed and transparency extends into the frequency extremes. This results in the tightest bass with the most slam I have heard in my reference system. In my review of the ASR Emitter One Exclusive, I said, “It involves me emotionally better than any solid state gear I have ever used. As incredible as its midrange is, it just doesn’t have the magical way with voices that the Wavac EC-300B does, though it betters any push-pull tube amp I have heard in this area. In the area of PRaT, it also falls a little short of Wavac/Shindo combination.”

Now along comes the Pass Labs XA30.8. I know from the name it sounds like an update to the XA30.5, but it’s not. It’s a whole new amp; there is no way you could take a XA30.5 and upgrade it to a XA30.8. For example, the XA30.8 weighs about 25 pounds more than the XA30.5, the front end uses a mixture of four complementary JFET, MOSFET, and Toshiba bipolar devices on each channel and the power supply is an all new design that has more capacitance. The output stages of the larger Point 8 amplifiers bias more deeply into the Class A operating region. It stays in Class A up to 61 watts peak power. This larger push-pull Class A operating envelope delivers lower distortion and additional loudspeaker control. Again, it’s a whole new amp that is so much better that I think they should have given it a more distinctive new name.

It took me another couple of months after I wrote Part I of this review to realize the XA30.8 is one of the two most musical amps I have heard in my system. I wonder if there is any chance that playing the difficult load of the Quad 57 did a more effective job of breaking them in than my 103dB Teresonic Ingeniums? Anyway, this is amazing considering my Wavac EC-300B cost $30,000, the ASR Emitter One $20,000, the First Watt SIT-1 monoblocks are $10,000 and the Pass Labs XA30.8 comes in at $6,500. Having reread this, I know my credibility as a reviewer who has consistently always touted the superiority of single ended amps with no feedback is in jeopardy. Still, this review is good news for anyone who can get by on the most powerful 30 watts I have heard.

I should take a moment to tell you how I came to feel this way about the Pass Labs XA30.8 amplifier and it is all about how you feel when listening to music on my system with this amp. I listened to this amp for a little over two months with the Teresonic Ingeniums XR Silvers then I put the Wavac EC-300B back in for a few days during which time I finished and turned in Part I of the review. Then I put the XA30.8 back in and hooked up the Quads 57. After about a month of listening to that combo, I put the Teresonics back in and listened to them for about a week with the XA30.8. The next step is where the learning experience came to fruition. I then put the Wavac back in and immediately noticed that incredible holographic midrange, but after a few days I begin to missed the sound of my system with the Teresonics and the XA30.8. When I put it back in I was shocked to discover that I had that feeling that makes your mind say, “Ah! that feels so right.” Over the next two weeks I made this change a couple of times, always with the same result.

So what makes it along with the Wavac EC-300B one of the two most musical amp I have heard? Well, it’s the total package. When listening to the ASR and First Watt there were times when I missed the Wavac. With the Pass Labs XA30.8 I never missed the Wavac, but when I put the Wavac back in it only took a few days until I really missed the XA30.8. I missed the Pass Labs’ power; I missed its scale; I missed its incredible harmonics, its overall tonal balance and just how wonderfully and emotionally involving my system is with it is powering the speakers. The XA30.8 does all these wonderful things with a way that seems effortless and thus very enjoyable to listen to for very long sessions.

The Pass Labs XA30.8 may not be quite as transparent as the other three amps, I’m not sure but it’s close enough I never notice until I put the Wavac EC-300B back in. Then it may only be that they sound different. What I’m saying is the Pass Labs XA30.8 is transparent enough that never once when listening to it did I wish it was as transparent as the other amps. Its bass is not as fast, tight or have the slam as the ASR, but it’s better. The bass is harmonically more correct, it’s full but not the least bit loose, it possesses the very best of the bass we get from world class tube amps and world class transistor amps.

The Pass Labs XA30.8 plays the textures, colors, tones and harmonics of music more realistically than any of the other amps I’ve mentioned. Its timbre realism with individual instruments and voices is just so satisfying. It allows my system to play music with such a enjoyable life-like flow. It has great PRaT and great fullness at the same time. This is something I have never heard an amplifier achieve to this extent. I can’t believe I’m saying all this about a transistor amp.

In Part I of this review I pointed out that, “the XA30.8 is fundamentally different from the EC-300B and the First Watt SIT-1 in how it builds the sound. Both the EC-300B, an SET tube amp, and the First Watt SIT, a single-ended class A transistor amp, build the sound from the midrange out. It’s like the midrange is the main attraction, and the bass and treble are there to finish out the sound. The Pass Labs XA30.8 builds the sound on a foundation of bass, mid-bass and power.” I can now add to that statement that it does this while having an equally wonderful midrange, especially voices.

The longer I listened to the Pass Labs XA30.8, the more convinced I became that this is one of the main things that makes this amp so special, especially in my system. I think this tonal balance works in a very synergist relationship with the rest of my system. It compliments beautifully the tonal balance of the Teresonic speakers and the Soundsmith SG-220 Strain-Gauge cartridge. It does this in the mid-bass and bass. Still, it lets you experience the midrange and treble with no trace of grain. The result is that you experience the bass, midrange and treble as one performance in the same natural way. It doesn’t highlight one area of the frequency range but lets the whole range sound so right.

When listening to the XA30.8 playing the Quad 57, I was blown away by how each and every instrument or singer seemed whole in its own space. This was especially evident with how you could hear each back-up singer. For example, when listening to Elvis and the Jordanaires it was amazing how you could hear Gordon Stoker and Hoyt Hawkins in their very own space. Not their voices hanging in space but the players occupying space in the room.

I really thought this had more to do with the Quads than the amp, but when I hooked back up my Teresonics and put on the same song, I was shocked. The Quad 57 put them in a slightly bigger space than the Teresonics, and the Teresonics gives you a clearer window on their performance. Turns out when I was trying the Quads with other amps and the Teresonics with other amps there is no question that this special way with space and placement of holistic performers in the listening space is the special work of the Pass Labs XA30.8.

Are there any negatives with the XA30.8? Well, I haven’t heard any yet, but there are some that have nothing to do with sound. First is its size and weight, they could make putting it on many racks impossible. Second, if you have inefficient speakers, then you need to move up the .8 lineup; they take up more space and the cost nearly doubles for each time you move up to the next more powerful amp. Lastly, the Pass Labs XA30.8 draws a lot of current, enough that I can see it on my smart meter when I turn it on and off. I did not find it to run nearly as hot as the SIT-1 though, and no hotter that the Wavac. I know as you go to more chassis and more power the heat will become more significant.

 

Conclusion

While I thought the Pass Labs XA.5 series of amps were some of the very best if not the best transistor out there, they were just slightly more veiled and a little polite for my taste. They also still had a little bit of haze in the midrange compared to my Wavac EC-300B. So did the XA30.8 until it was fully broken in, but never nearly as much as the .5 amps. The Pass Labs XA30.8 has none of these weaknesses in my reference system with the AMG turntable, the SoundStage Strain Gauge system and the Teresonic Ingenium XR. I find the XA30.8 to be a total revelation. In my system clearly it is as musical involving, and even more so in the mid bass and bass than any amp I have used. It is equally as alive sounding as the Wavac EC-300B. I admit this came as a total shock to me as I have not owned a transistor amp in my main audio system in nearly 30 years.

I do think I need to say that with another speaker I might choose the Wavac over the Pass Labs, but with my speakers it’s a match made in heaven. Anyway, the Pass Labs XA30.8 is not only the best amp I have heard with my speakers, it is an incredible bargain to boot!

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18 Responses to Pass Labs XA30.8 class A stereo amplifier Review, Part III


  1. Andries Dippenaar says:

    I recommend you use a Meitner MA2 as your front end, then the ASR will blow you away with it greatness. If you have not heard music played back through the Meitner MA2, you actually have not heard true music yet.
    Andries.

  2. Myron says:

    Wow, that’s fighting talk !!!!

    Thanks for the review Jack. I’ll be ordering mine from the local retailer over the next couple of weeks.

    I cant deny… I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I will get some nice synergies with the Orangs.

    Thanks again. Myron.

  3. Dave Smith says:

    Jack..if you ever visit the NC /VA area look me up. As a Wavac lover you would love to hear my Chalice Audio ‘Grail’ SET monoblocks.Only 2 pair in the world. They are very special.The review by Adam Goldfine of Positive Feedback 6-7 yrs ago was of the initial prototypes. My pair, and the other pair, have been upgraded many times since then. There aren’t but a handful of amps in the world that compare.Give me a call or email if you are ever in the area..great website you have too..Dave

  4. Mike says:

    Hi Jack,
    Were you just running the strain gauge unit through your Slagle passive attenuator?
    Would the 47 labs cd player produce enough gain in that same configuration?
    Thanks as always for your efforts,
    Mike

    • Jack Roberts says:

      Thanks for reading my review Mike. Yes I’m running it with the Slagle and the 47 Labs has more than enough gain in my system even with the very inefficient original Quad ESLs.

      jack

  5. Dave says:

    What’s PRaT?

    • Jack Roberts says:

      It stands for Pace, Rhythm and Timing. Three of the things that for me most often emotionally involve me in the music. It also results in your desire to tap your foot or some other way get involved in the music as you listen.

  6. Charlie mathews says:

    Hi Jack,

    Nice review and I like the fact that you changed your mind on solid state amplifiers (well at least with the Pass 30.8). However your reference speakers or at least the ones that you said you loved the best in a past post were O 96’s? How did the Pass amp do with those speakers?
    Best wishes
    Charlie

    • Jack Roberts says:

      Charlie, thanks so much for your kind words and for reading my review. I would love to have heard the XA30.8 with the O 96s, but I no longer have them. At the end of the review of the DeVores I said, “I want to repeat there is no such thing as the best speaker. So for me while I fell in love with the DeVore Fidelity Orangutans, I missed the magic of the Teresonic’s midrange with the Wavac EC300B. I also had the fear that I might regret getting rid of the Teresonics and life is too short to spend another seven years breaking in Lowther drivers again. Then there equally big chance I would regret the losing the incredible tonal colors and richness of the Orangutans. What can I say, decisions are hard.”

      And the decision for me was the to keep my Teresonics so I didn’t have the Orangutans around to hear with the Pass.

      Thanks,
      Jack

  7. Charlie mathews says:

    Hi Jack,
    Last month I realized that you had chosen the Teresonics as to the 96’s for your reference speaker. Sorry for the inane followup question. A simple question ( and I did read your review (completely) of the 30.8’s). So in comparison to the “tubes” the Pass 30.8 has a comparable sound stage and instrumental space and definition as the Teresonic tube amp?

    Thanks for taking the time to do all this review. I was asked to review an amp last month and all I could say was what a lot of work Jack ha already done! Jack you do “good” work!

    Best Carlitos

    Charlie

  8. Peter Allen says:

    Hi Jack. I found your review on this amp fascinating. A key reason why I have preferred tube amps over solid state has been because of the textures tube amps bring to the music. Textures of instruments, strings, plucking, strumming, of brushes, cymbals, vocal breathing. Can you elaborate a little on how you thought the Pass performed here vs the Wavac? Many thanks, Pete

    • Jack Roberts says:

      Peter, I have felt just like you for over 30 years. I was shocked by how good the 30.8 was and now that I have lived with it for over 8 months I find I like it more and more. It portrays the textrures of instruments in everyway as good as the Wavac did, even using WE300B tubes. It does a much better job of letting you hear those textures in the lower range of the piano or say a cello.

      Thanks for reading my reviews.
      jack

  9. Yuheng Du says:

    How would you compare pass labs xa30.8 with krell evolution 402e? Thanks.

  10. Jørgen Skadhauge says:

    Hi Jack – I have read that the 30.8 also could make the Quad esl 63 sing, have you any comment on this, thanks Jørgen.

  11. Rex Hungerford says:

    I am a solid tube fan. I can’t say i like any particular amp best. My CJ Premier with teflon caps had meat and grip. My Altec Lansing 1570 B were more accurate with very nice body. My Ampsandsound Casablanca are more neutral and accurate at reproducing instruments . Also pretty linear. Not near the bloom of my other 2 amps. I ha e also owned Rogue and a Rega Osiris.
    I am considering a SS amp. I am liking your review of the Pass 30.8. I am also interested in a Wells Innamorata Signature.
    Any comments on how these amps voice compared to one another. Would either be more a tube fans rich and harmonic friend.
    An amp with enough cerebral accuracy and natural reproduction of tone.
    I have a First Sound Paramount Mark 3SI tube preap. Pretty much all digital. Pure Audio Project trio 10 Voxativ and Trio 15 horn speakers

    Thanks.

  12. Henry says:

    Hi , would the pass xa30.8 be able to drive my
    Magpan 1.7i speakers.

    • Hello, Henry,

      Thank you for your readership and comment. The Pass Labs XA30.8, despite being the smallest in the company’s .8 range, is a full-blooded pure class A stereo amplifier that doubles down into 4 ohms. Since the Magnepan is a 4-ohm speaker at 86dB sensitive at 1 meter, the Pass Labs should be a very good match for the panels as long as the listening distance is not too far away and the volumes desired not overly extravagant.

      However, if you want to listen at a high level in a larger room, the comparatively priced, slightly less class A-biased but still pristine-sounding 150 wpc Pass Labs X150.8 is a surer investment for the Magnepan 1.7i. It would still be a good match even for the 3.7i. I’ve listened to the X.8 vs XA.8 and on the cost-to-performance consideration, the X150.8 value is particularly hard to beat if you want the viable option of listening very loudly occasionally. Make sure you toe the panels in and space them into a equilateral triangle arrangement. Enjoy!

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