Upgrade from X250.5 to XA100.5. Thoughts?

[cma29]

Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan

Hi Omar,

My plan is to purchase an Esoteric K-01 in the next month. I currently do not own a preamp. The K-01 has a terrific variable linestage and I plan to use it for awhile. If I decide that I need to purchase a preamp going forward, it will most likely be a Pass XP-30. I absolutely love the sound of my Revel Salon 2 speakers and I have no plans to change them. I'm also extremely happy with the sound of my Pass XA-100.5s, they are terrific amps and a perfect match with the Salon 2s.

The Esoteric K-03 is a wonderful player as evidenced by how many on this forum have purchased one. Terrific CD, SACD and DAC performance, no weak points. I've heard it for myself and it's a top shelf component all the way around. It offers tremendous detail, a big soundstage with lots of air around voices and instruments, but is not cold or analytical in any way. Build quality is second to none. Read JDandy's stellar review for a full summary.

Best,
Ken

+1

Great summary, Ken

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

+1

Great summary, Ken

Thanks Carlos! How are the Kimber Cables working out for you?

Ken

[cma29]

Thanks for asking, Ken.

The cables I purchased do not sound like the trail pair I heard, so they are not working out so far.

When I took them out of my system I noticed that the amp end spades might be damaged, so I'm going to send them back and ask them to re-terminate them with WBT spades. It's kind of frustrating, but I will get there.



Besides that, everything is great

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

Thanks for asking, Ken.

The cables I purchased do not sound like the trail pair I heard, so they are not working out so far.

When I took them out of my system I noticed that the amp end spades might be damaged, so I'm going to send them back and ask them to re-terminate them with WBT spades. It's kind of frustrating, but I will get there.



Besides that, everything is great

That's interesting, Carlos. I remember reading in some Pass Labs literature that the connectors are usually the culprit when cables are not performing. You know from your experience that these cables have the capability of yielding terrific sound, so it's best to send them back until they get it right.

Best of luck,
Ken

[Sceptic]

Originally Posted by cma29

So far the Kimber Kable 12TC is the superior cable in my system. The Cardas did not sound that musical to my ears - just did not do it me

Actually this is fine, because I'm on target to get the sound I want for a really good price.

Right now I have the Synergistic Research cable plugged in. This cable uses a power coupler and "enigma bullets" to tweak the sound. The cables sound good, but it's not a "wow" so far. Actually, the sound is darker than I would like. I'll let these cables settle in for a couple of days and then I'll try the three sets of bullets to tweak its performance. In my opinion this design seems too gimmicky and complicated, but I'll keep an open mind.

Very interesting to see that you have tried the Element Copper which I am interested in for my Magnepan 3 7´s. Did you find it too warm or just dark compared to the 12TC? How did you like the bass? Perhaps you would have liked the Tungsten better...

I have also considered the XA100.5´s but I have been a bit hesitant whether they have enough power for my 3.7´s. Do you ever wish for more power or do you think it is sufficient? Have you got the meters to wiggle or do the amps stay in Class A when playing loud? Looking forward to your thoughts cma29

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by Sceptic

Have you got the meters to wiggle or do the amps stay in Class A when playing loud? Looking forward to your thoughts cma29

assuming your speaking of the XA100.5, if so they are of Class A topology and there they stay throughout.

[cma29]

Originally Posted by Sceptic

Very interesting to see that you have tried the Element Copper which I am interested in for my Magnepan 3 7´s. Did you find it too warm or just dark compared to the 12TC? How did you like the bass? Perhaps you would have liked the Tungsten better...

I have also considered the XA100.5´s but I have been a bit hesitant whether they have enough power for my 3.7´s. Do you ever wish for more power or do you think it is sufficient? Have you got the meters to wiggle or do the amps stay in Class A when playing loud? Looking forward to your thoughts cma29

Hi, Sceptic. It was a while since I heard the Synergistic Research cable. My impression was that the cable was overly complicated and the sound it produced in my system was not that great to warrant all the bells and whistles. I suggest you borrow the cable from The Cable Company and hear it for yourself in your own system (5% deposit down for the MSRP value of the cable).

In terms of the power that the XA100.5 can put out, they can drive my 20.7s plenty loud. Most listening is done under 90 dB SPL so just a few watts out of the amplifier will give you that. However, the watts that these monoblocks put out are pure Class A with low distortion and high current. Therefore they sound cleaner and a lot louder than you would expect for a 100 W amplifier (200 W into 4 ohms). If you push the amps and play them extremely loud, the needles will move signaling that the amp moved away from Class A operation but I have yet to see that happen for more than a few seconds at a time for some orchestra climaxes.

So to answer your question, yes the XA100.5s should be sufficient to drive your 3.7s and even 20.7s if you decide to go that route later.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by cma29

Hi, Sceptic. It was a while since I heard the Synergistic Research cable. My impression was that the cable was overly complicated and the sound it produced in my system was not that great to warrant all the bells and whistles. I suggest you borrow the cable from The Cable Company and hear it for yourself in your own system (5% deposit down for the MSRP value of the cable).

In terms of the power that the XA100.5 can put out, they can drive my 20.7s plenty loud. Most listening is done under 90 dB SPL so just a few watts out of the amplifier will give you that. However, the watts that these monoblocks put out are pure Class A with low distortion and high current. Therefore they sound cleaner and a lot louder than you would expect for a 100 W amplifier (200 W into 4 ohms). If you push the amps and play them extremely loud, the needles will move signaling that the amp moved away from Class A operation but I have yet to see that happen for more than a few seconds at a time for some orchestra climaxes.

So to answer your question, yes the XA100.5s should be sufficient to drive your 3.7s and even 20.7s if you decide to go that route later.

[Sceptic]

Originally Posted by cma29

Hi, Sceptic. It was a while since I heard the Synergistic Research cable. My impression was that the cable was overly complicated and the sound it produced in my system was not that great to warrant all the bells and whistles. I suggest you borrow the cable from The Cable Company and hear it for yourself in your own system (5% deposit down for the MSRP value of the cable).

In terms of the power that the XA100.5 can put out, they can drive my 20.7s plenty loud. Most listening is done under 90 dB SPL so just a few watts out of the amplifier will give you that. However, the watts that these monoblocks put out are pure Class A with low distortion and high current. Therefore they sound cleaner and a lot louder than you would expect for a 100 W amplifier (200 W into 4 ohms). If you push the amps and play them extremely loud, the needles will move signaling that the amp moved away from Class A operation but I have yet to see that happen for more than a few seconds at a time for some orchestra climaxes.

So to answer your question, yes the XA100.5s should be sufficient to drive your 3.7s and even 20.7s if you decide to go that route later.

Thanks cma29, have you tried any other amps with the Magnepans? I would be curious to hear how the Bryston amps (7B/14B SST2) compare to Pass .

[cma29]

Originally Posted by Sceptic

Thanks cma29, have you tried any other amps with the Magnepans? I would be curious to hear how the Bryston amps (7B/14B SST2) compare to Pass .

I had the 7BSTs with the 3.7s and they worked well together, but the Brystons were not as good of a match for the 20.7s. That's when I migrated to the Pass Labs amp. Maybe I should have tried a later generation 7B.