Pass Labs to come out with .8 series amps in 1Q 2014

[raidho]

Hallo Ken,

well the 100.8 are sure very great ampli....of course before listen but i'm sure that is a great product.

invest in a xp20 or xp30 have for more sense vs the new 100.8.
the sound improvement from a new power ampli is not at the level from a premapli in a system. -> with a top amplilike the xa100.5 to listen a sound difference or you change complety brnad and technologie or buy a XS300!!!
between the 100.5 and 100.8 the difference is little!

when you're on top of the mountain to hear a difference it takes a big change.
going from a x250.5 to copy xa100.5 the difference is audible but more 'you're near the top of the mantagna the differences are small and cost so much.

a question over the Ayre Dac: is a good "source"? are you happy with this Dac?
I will try a meitner ma1(or ma2) / PlaybackDesigns mps3 (with cd player inside)...but I il have a cd player "standard" to listen my cd in "normaly" mode without Ipad/ecc... -> Moon 650dac/Marantz Sa11s3 are not bad but not so specialy.
The Ayon Cd3s is my next test player: is a very good player: for the same price from a meitner ma1 (little less) can be (for me) very interessing.
I have a Dac Bryston Bda1 and purchase another Dac with player ..uhm i don't know....The Ma2 have a slot for cd vs the Playback mps3 with a great transport group.(I can have the Mps3 and save 3000$. vs the Ma2!)
of course the Meitner dealer say that Meitner is much better from the Playback and viceversa.....

thanks Omar

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Hi Omar,

I totally agree with you that adding an XP-20 or XP-30 preamp to my system would yield more of an improvement than trading in for the XA-100.8. This is what I'm planning to do next year. Having said that, Pass Labs claims that the improvement from the XA-100.5 to XA-100.8 is more than a small one. They claim the XA-100.8 sounds more like the XS amplifiers than the XA-100.5. I would classify this as a substantial improvement in sound quality. However, no one has actually heard the .8 series of amps, so this improvement over the .5 series remains to be heard. We probably won't know until Spring 2014 how the .8 series really stacks up to the .5 series.

The Ayre QB-9 is an excellent DAC at its price point. The QB-9 DSD (a $500 upgrade) provides a significant improvement in sound due to the fact that they changed DAC chip to the Sabre, added a USB power supply, updated the analog gain stage and added DSD functionality. However, in my opinion, it is not in the same league as the more expensive Ayon, Meitner and Playback Design units.

Best,
Ken

[cma29]

Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan

Hi Carlos, How is your system doing? Have you been enjoying it over the holidays? It's very nice when it all comes together. Best, Ken

Hi, Ken.

I've been traveling for work a lot (in Chicago now) so I'm not home to enjoy the system. My best listening is during work hours when my son is at preschool and my wife is at her office. During the weekends I can't listen much because my son takes up all my time and he stays up late.

The upgraded/repaired Kimber speaker cables were delivered today. I'll put them in the system Thursday night after I get home. I also got some acoustic panels to reduce early reflections and also echo. They work well from a quick listen last weekend.

Nice to hear you are getting great results with your set up.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

Hi, Ken.

I've been traveling for work a lot (in Chicago now) so I'm not home to enjoy the system. My best listening is during work hours when my son is at preschool and my wife is at her office. During the weekends I can't listen much because my son takes up all my time and he stays up late.

The upgraded/repaired Kimber speaker cables were delivered today. I'll put them in the system Thursday night after I get home. I also got some acoustic panels to reduce early reflections and also echo. They work well from a quick listen last weekend.

Nice to hear you are getting great results with your set up.

Hi Carlos,

Glad to hear that you got your repaired cables back. I bet you can't wait to listen to them. I'm sure they'll sound much better, like you expected. I'm envious that you got some acoustic panels. I also have some slap echo that needs treatment. What type of panels did you get?

As for my set-up, the K-01 is breaking in nicely. It really brings out the excellence of the amps and speakers. They were not realizing close to their potential before the K-01. I had an all day listening session on Saturday and I had an ear-to-ear grin most of the day.

All the best,
Ken

[cma29]

Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan

Hi Carlos, Glad to hear that you got your repaired cables back. I bet you can't wait to listen to them. I'm sure they'll sound much better, like you expected. I'm envious that you got some acoustic panels. I also have some slap echo that needs treatment. What type of panels did you get? As for my set-up, the K-01 is breaking in nicely. It really brings out the excellence of the amps and speakers. They were not realizing close to their potential before the K-01. I had an all day listening session on Saturday and I had an ear-to-ear grin most of the day. All the best, Ken

Hi, Ken.

I worked with GIK Acoustics and they walked me through the whole process. My adviser recommended absorbing panels for side walls and diffusers for behind the speakers. I might try the diffusers later.

Check them out. Great service and good price.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

Hi, Ken.

I worked with GIK Acoustics and they walked me through the whole process. My adviser recommended absorbing panels for side walls and diffusers for behind the speakers. I might try the diffusers later.

Check them out. Great service and good price.

That's great, Carlos. I'll have to check out their website. Please give me a full report after you give them a good listen.

Happy Holidays!
Ken

[Sceptic]

Anyone knows if the .8-series will be on (active) display at CES?

[czbbcl]

According to Kent English they will be.

[Masterlu]

czbbcl... Welcome!

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by Sceptic

Anyone knows if the .8-series will be on (active) display at CES?

Wow, what a great photo. Thanks for posting! Based on my call to Pass Labs two weeks ago, yes, they should be.

Ken