Pass Labs Aleph Amps & B&W Nautilus Speakers

I've just got a X250 for my Nautilus 801. I've only listened to it for one day, and so far I'm very pleased with the it. It has the type of midrange sound that I was looking for from my CJ Premier 11a, but with the bass added. My initial impression is that the bass isn't as controlled as the Bryston 4BST, but I need more listening time to evaluate that.

I have the X-250 with B&W Matrix 803s. The work very well togehter and the amp gets better with every upgrade such as dedicated AC line, better power cords, ICs and speaker wire. You need to leave the amp on all the time for the maximum performance. Krell had better bass slam and bass control but not as musical sounding IMHO but they do mate well with B&Ws.

i used aleph 1.2 monoblocks w/ matrix 802 ser III. this is a fabulous combination. the aleph sound mates well w/ the metal dome tweeters on the matrix series. i owned the 802's for almost nine years and tried many amps and cable combo's. with the aleph's, i got rid of the mit 750 MH cables--i did not want or need cables acting as tone controls----kimber selects connected the aleph and the 802's
i was in heaven. i recently upgraded my speakers to silverline la folias. again the alephs are dream come true.

the aleph have two weaknesses:
1. heat--they are pure class a and sound best after powered-up for 24hours.

2. the bass control is good, but not superb like everything else about the aleph.
i also have some very low level hum issues when i runs the aleph's in balanced mode from a pass X-2 preamp.

i considered X-250 which has slightly better bass control & and real krell-like slam. the aleph sounds like real music to me in a way which the x-250 does not match. i absolutely love the aleph sound.
the aleph in combination w/ the silverline la folias have a bloom that is almost tube-like and is life-like on well recorded lps and cd's.
engineers who are also artists--nelson and wayne from pass labs and allan from silverline create works of art, not just audio gear. i will own and enjoy this combination for many years to come. email me if i can help you further!!
bob

we were chatting while you were shopping to replace your class a forte. i think that you made a good decision and i truly hope that you receive much pleasure from the combination in your rig now!!!! hows the sound???
bob from miami

I found my Aleph 2 monos to drive the N803 beautifully, but did NOT like the B&W in the nearfield. Be sure to audition these speakers IN YOUR ROOM, with a listening position at least 12 feet back. I had read this in a British review three years ago, and had forgotten about it until I demod a pair, and found they needed LOTS of room to cohere. Issue is the high woofer/mid cross of 400Hz, I suspect. Sounds like individual drivers in my 8' triangle. Sorry if this isn't exactly on topic....