S5 Hifi Critic review

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

Scot Hul in his recent review for Part Time Audiophile rated the Vitus RS-100 slightly higher than the XA-100.5 mono's, and the Vitus SIA-025 is better again But perhaps more to the point, do you see any Pass Labs in Magico's sound room? That's not a criticism of Pass amps. It just puts in perspective how Vitus rates against Pass Labs, and more importantly highlights the excellent synergy between Vitus and Magico.

Hi David,

The Vitus RS-100 is a terrific amp and I'm not trying to take anything away from that. But the full story was that the author rated the RS-100 higher for tone and treble (5 vs. 4) but also stated in his summary that the XA-100.5 was more neutral and transparent, and that it remains his reference standard. He said the RS-100 had a "house sound" but an "intoxicating" one and it was a reference level amp.

I agree with you that Alon uses Vitus and Constellation components in his listening room because they have great synergy with Magico speakers but I honestly don't think it says anything about how Vitus rates against Pass Labs. That is a matter of personal preference.

Best,
Ken

[The Sandman]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

I do not get this term "anchor". You would not call one part of a Porsche an anchor, as the whole is designed to work together in harmony to achieve maximum performance.

An anchor is a foundation, a mainstay - the thing that you keep as you change other things. You don't have to have an anchor, but if you don't what's to keep you from changing out everything one piece at a time as each new combination has a different "synergy"? Unless you mean to say you've found "the best" combination and the rest of us need look no further.

An automobile is not analogous to an audio system, although the engineers at Porsche may well have one or two anchoring philosophies that guide their work.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by The Sandman

An anchor is a foundation, a mainstay - the thing that you keep as you change other things. You don't have to have an anchor, but if you don't what's to keep you from changing out everything one piece at a time as each new combination has a different "synergy"? Unless you mean to say you've found "the best" combination and the rest of us need look no further.

An automobile is not analogous to an audio system, although the engineers at Porsche may well have one or two anchoring philosophies that guide their work.

Howard,

You raise an interesting point about the anchor. I think most audiophiles have a component or components that they build their system around. You have to start somewhere and most have a favorite component. In my case, my two anchor components are my XA-100.5 and Revel Salon 2. The reason is because I auditioned these two components simultaneously and I just loved the sound they produced. I wasn't really sure how much either one was responsible but I knew that I had to have both of them to get the sound I was after. My Esoteric K-01 and Pass XP-30 were afterthoughts, although carefully matched.

Best,
Ken

[Penthouse-D]

I'm a big Nelson Pass fan, owning a few of his amps in the past. Always had good luck with them. With that said, I'm loving my RS-100 and RD-100 more everyday with my S5s. It has a very "musical" quality that I haven't heard from any other amp. Not too much of anything. Just the right balance for me.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

I'm a big Nelson Pass fan, owning a few of his amps in the past. Always had good luck with them. With that said, I'm loving my RS-100 and RD-100 more everyday with my S5s. It has a very "musical" quality that I haven't heard from any other amp. Not too much of anything. Just the right balance for me.

Hi Jim,

Great to hear that you are loving the new Vitus amp and DAC! Scott Hull really raved about the musicality of the amp in his review. It's so important to get that synergistic match with the S5. And it sounds like you really found it.

Happy Listening!
Ken

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

[QUOTE=Bodhisattva;566750]Hi Ken,

Well Scot described the XA-100.5 amps as good reviewers tools due to their transparency and neutrality, that's true, but also said of the RS-100 "(If) I were in the market for an amp and $15k was what I could spend, I’d be done. Pretty much for forever."

Hi David,

Not to nitpick but maybe if he had $16,500 to spend, which is what the XA-100.5 costs, he would take the XA-100.5.

Just having some fun with you, don't take it too seriously.

Best,
Ken

[FlexibleAudio]

Certainly the Vitus Signature Series is definitely a better engineered and built amp than Pass XA.5 series. It's just a fact which is easily varifiable if you do some research.

Say What???? Well that settles that....if its a fact, its a fact. How could it be disputed.

Sandman, I think your description of the XA160.5 leads me to believe the XA200.5 will be a little warmer with the S-5 given my experience with the two amps, but hopefully not to much so. Thanks.

Still curious if anyone has experience with the XA200.5 driving either the Q3 or the Q5. (Problem is my dealer has XA160.5 and Q3 but not the XA200.5 or S-5).

Thanks

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

Hi Ken,

Firstly, the RS-100 is $13.5k, not $15k as quoted. And despite being $3k cheaper, is neck and neck with the Pass amps. Secondly, my read of Scot's comments suggest if he took his reviewers hat off, he would lean toward the Vitus in his personal system.

As I said, I respect Pass amps but you know, there is a new kid on the block so Nelson is going to have to move over and make a bit of room

Cheers,

Hi David,

Both the Vitus and Pass are tremendous amplifiers. Does it really matter which one is better? You and Jim are extremely happy with your Vitus amps and myself and others on AA are extremely happy with their Pass amps. In the end, I think that's all that matters. I really don't believe there are "better" components at this level, only what you prefer. So sit back and enjoy the music on your Vitus / S5 combo and I'll do the same with my Pass / Salon 2.

Have a good night,
Ken

[FlexibleAudio]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
I am happy to be proven wrong. Please take the time to do some research yourself and I would be happy to read your comments.

BR,

David, You write a lot of well reasoned, insightful comments on this site and others but such unequivocal statements seam a little much. Vitus is great gear; so is Nelson's work. I am curious, have you heard any of the XA.5's in the same room with the same front-end with your S-5's and directly compared them to the Vitas?

At most I would guess you could claim a preference for Vitas coloration (or other attributes) over the neutrality of the Pass gear but not make such absolute claims about engineering and build quality. Nelson follows a purpose driven, simplistic design philosophy to achieve an end that some people actually prefer.

Paul

[Mike1998]

Originally Posted by The Sandman

If you listen to rock music or any music at high volume (including probably orchestral music) you should go with the S5s. For jazz, smaller scale classical, and vocals the Q3 is best. Magico themselves gave me this advice as did others.

My XA160.5s have no trouble driving the S5s, although the needle does move which is saying something. Still, I don't believe they've been taken out of class A operation. I'm still in the break in phase - mid 300 hours FWIW - they sound great already though there are some areas that will continue to improve. My preamp is the XP-30.

BTW, it may be counterintuitive but the S5s sound significantly better with subs. I'm running them full range during break in, but I have been adding my subs as well for brief periods (pair of JL Audio F112s and a Pass Labs XVR-1 currently crossed over at 36 Hz - gonna try 32 Hz next - with a 12 dB/octave slope and medium Q). Pretty much everything improves with the subs (imaging, authority of the bass, and soundstage mainly) and the needles on the amps stop dancing around. Still a lot of tweaking to do, but I'm very happy so far.

Impressive setup, must sound great. Which DAC are you using?