DIY Pass Labs First Watt F5 amp impressions


I recently acquired a well- built DIY First Watt F5 amp for the cost of the parts, which is the understanding among those that build the designs that Nelson Pass has made available to the DIY folks.  I have been using a McCormack DNA .05 Deluxe amp and a Don Sachs 6NS7 tube amp to drive my Spatial Audio M4S Turbo S Hologram open-baffle speakers, which are ~94 db efficient.  I have raved about the McCormack amp on this forum, but swapping the F5 for the McCormack amp has been a  sheer revelation.  I have had dozens of tube and class A/B amps my system over the past 4 decades, as well as a couple of very good class D amps recently, but the tonal accuracy and 3-D representation of music with this F5 is simply stunning.  It is offers a glimpse into the inner details of the music.  I do not have the superlatives to describe the musical enjoyment of the addition  this amp provides to my system.  I am put off the heat his amp generates -- similar to that with a tube amp with a quad of KT88's, but it is a fair bargain for the most ruthlessly revealing sound reproduction I have ever heard in my system.  My regret is that I waited so long to have a Nelson Pass-designed amp in my system.  If your speakers are quite efficient, there are several variants in the First Watt line of amps that might be a great match for your system.  Mark at Reno Audio is the guy to help you sort out the best amp for your needs.
Cheers, Mark
whitestix
My very simpleminded/layman observation is some amps put out more power as the load is reduced which implies a near constant voltage delivery. Others behave the opposite which seems to imply a constant current source. The former is better for low impedance loads whereas the latter better for higher impedance speakers.This is also evident when comparing solid state and tube designs. I know I’m stating what most folks already know but a good layman view of the amplifier differences and how to find matching speakers.
I think those are good statements of fact. Tubes are a whole different world. They have very high output impedance and high voltages. The transformers convert that too low impedance and current. Still, no transformer can achieve the vanishing impedance of many direct coupled designs. Seems to me, as a matter of principle, if you want the amp to have optimal command over the speaker, connect it directly to the active output devices. There are decent arguments to be made that the "tube sound" is at least in significant part "transformer sound".
Unless you are talking about the Zotl40 which has the output tubes directly coupled to the load taking transformers and capacitors completely out of the equation.

Kenny.
DC coupled valves are out there, but they're not at all common. I'm a little curious to try tubes with the F5.
You may want to look at the LTA MZ2S preamp,
I have paired this with several types of SS amps with great results.

Kenny.