Pass Aleph 0s vs XA 30.5
 

Has anyone compared the Aleph to the newer ones
I like my Aleph but I am wondering if I will hear a big difference if upgrading

Thanks

Robert

Hi, Robert.

I don't have any experience with Pass Aleph 0s, but the XA30.5s are fine amplifiers and I would be surprised if they don't improve on the sound of the Alephs.

You should check out Reno Hi-Fi and try a home audition for the XA30.5s. You should be able to get a used model and save some cash. Good luck.

Excellent question!

I really liked the 0s a lot, although bought an Aleph 3 at the time because of my budget. The 0s has an additional gain stage, so was regarded as being a little less "pure". But the slight reduction in transparency to the Aleph 3 was more than offset by the 0s' dynamic performance. I still have my Aleph 3, boxed up and on another continent. Too special to sell.

The Aleph series and the XA series are quite different amps. The true successors of the Aleph are (some of) the First Watt versions.

The XA are not single ended amps, which is what made the Aleph series special. The Alephs operate as single ended class A up to their bias point, which is around their nominal power rating, then move to push-pull class A. The XA series start as push-pull class A, then move to AB beyond their bias point. The primary difference between the XA and X series is that the bias point is set much higher on the XA series.

I think the treble is better in the Aleph series, and the bass is better in the XA series: a sweeping generalisation that will also depend significantly on the speaker it is being used with.

Lower impedance/more difficult to drive speakers would possible be better suited by the XA series. If you are craving more power, you might get a little more with the XA30.5, but you might also lose some purity. Be careful :smoking:

The 0s must be getting up to 15 years old. You might be better off spending some money on getting it re-capped, as they are probably getting a bit noisy by now. A simple job.

Carlos possibly missed that you are in Japan. Mark at Reno cannot sell Pass Labs outside of the US, although I bought a First Watt from him when I lived in Tokyo. He is very helpful, and am sure would share his opinion as he has a very broad experience of Pass products.

Just a technical clarification that XA.5 amps do indeed have a single-ended Class A stage, followed by a push-pull Class A, before it hits the AB stage. From Pass Labs' site:

"To achieve the single-ended Class A bias, the output stage uses a heavy bias current for push-pull Class A operation to a large portion of the rated power, and has a single-ended bias source for single-ended Class A operation at low wattage."

https://passlabs.com/in-the-press/pr...or-audiophiles

That said, all the above doesn't say much about the sonic differences there may be, and unfortunately, I can't help here.

Thanks hope to listen to one or the First Watt in the future
So far the Aleph is my favorite amp out of the many I own or owned

And I can understand why :thumbsup:

First Watt Aleph J
 

Anyone familiar with the sonic prowess of the Aleph J?

While I haven't heard the Aleph J, I own one of the First Watt J2 amplifiers and love it. If you read the specs on the First Watt site, they're remarkably similar between the Aleph J and the J2. The biggest difference seems to be the J2 uses a JFET while the Aleph J uses MosFET.

With relatively efficient speakers it does everything well, imo. I have always loved (the idea?) of tube amps, but in use the low wattage singled-ended amps I've owned lacked a little bass slam that your ears occasionally need.

I'm really happy with the FW J2. It's saved me countless thousands of $ by not buying exotic matched pairs of vintage/NOS tubes that I think would get me "over the hump" in terms of bass response. I've paired it with a respectable tubed preamp, and I haven't looked back. Like others have said, Mark at Reno HiFi is very helpful and a pleasure to work with. Great service.

I own a J2 also and love it driving Zu Soul Supremes. With those speakers it rocks the house but also sounds amazing at low volume. I run it direct with a tubed DAC by Wavelength but always wonder if it would sound even better with a good preamp...

I love the look of those Soul Supremes/Superflys, but the 16 ohm impedance kinda freaked me out initially, so I opted for the cheaper 12 ohm Omens. Good to hear that the J2 handles them with ease. I do see myself upgrading at some point - but the thought of repacking these monsters gives me a headache...

Fwiw, Nelson Pass also uses a pair of Soul Superflys.