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Sophia II's and Pass Labs etc

HI!

I will buy a new amp set up for my Wilson Audio Sophia II's after the summer. I currently use a Burmester 051 integrated amp and a Burmester 061 cd player + a TW Acustic Raven w/Graham Phantom II arm will be ordered soon

I like the Burmester 011 preamp and Burmester 911 mk3 amp very much, although I have not tested the amp set on my speakers. The price for the set in Norway is NOK 276,000,-

The other options I am looking at are:

- Pass Labs XP20 and XA 100,5 / XA 160.5 mono amps, approx. NOK 210,000 / NOK 255,000

- Audio Research REF 3 preamp and REF 110 amp, approx. NOK 220,000,-

- Simaudio Moon P8 and Simaudio Moon W8, approx. NOK 245,000,-.

- Spectral DMC-30SS and Spectral DMA 360, approx. NOK 230,000,-.

And then you have Conrad Johnson, Mark Levinson, Luxman, Accuphase, MBL, etc etc.

Do you have any preferences of the amps mentioned. Do you know if Pass Labs XA 100.5 will be strong enough for the Sophia 2's?

I listen foremost to pop/rock/hip hop/electro/jazz/metal/etc, since I am a talent buyer within the festival circuit in Norway.

Thanks for your help.

Cheeers, ToffenG, Norway
toffeng
peterayer
1,373 posts
 
Madfloyd,
How about posting some pictures of that awsome system of yours? I agree about the power of the XA100.5. I have Eggleston - 87dB, 4ohm min. - and they easily drive the speaker. The meters have never moved. They control my speakers much better than my old XA160s did. They double down in power as impedence is halved and they have more current. Plenty powerful with the sweet sound of Class A.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>04-23-09: Madfloyd
The amps have a lot more power in A/B.<<

Well that's strictly conjecture as Pass does not publish any specs for Class AB operation. However, the amps will work into AB until power supply runs out of gas or the thermal circuit trips.

Regarding the meter staffs, they are not indicators of power output. They measure bias and will not move until the amplifier leaves Class A.

Dealer disclaimer.
zybar's avatar
zybar
104 posts
 
Assuming the XA 100.5's behave in the same manner as the recently reviewed and measured XA 30.5's, I think it is fair to say that the amps have a lot more power in A/B.

In the Stereophile measurements section, it achieved its power rating of 30 watts in Class A with distortion at .015% and didn't clip (defined as reaching 1% distortion) until 130 watts!

As Madfloyd has already stated, you have to play music at same ear damaging levels to get the amps out of pure Class A mode, so people should just enjoy the Pass magic.

Slightly off topic...

Audiofeil, since you are both a Pass and Atma-Sphere dealer, any comments on how the XA-100.5's would compare to the Atma-Sphere MA-1's on appropriate speakers?

At some point Madfloyd will hopefully be bringing his XA-100.5's over to my place so we can compare them directly to my MA-1's on Vandersteen 5A's. Both are great amps and neither is really "better" than the other, but I am sure one will be preferred over the other depending on system setup and individual preferences.

George
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Peterayer, you do believe XA-60.5 amps would have enough power to successfully drive Eggleston Andra II loudspeakers? My instincts tell me no, and comments from other Andra II owners suggest not, but I'd be interested in your opinion.
peterayer
1,373 posts
 
Hello Tvad,
That's hard to say. My gut says that the XA60.5 will be enough to drive the Andra II (89dB and 6ohm nom. load?) if the music is not too dynamic or too loud and the room is not too large. But that is a lot of "ifs". My Rosa is not as efficient as your Andra II and my XA100.5 seem like plenty, so they would be amazing with your more efficient Andra IIs. But then again, your room is probably bigger than mine as mine could not support the Andra's woofer. The Eggelstons love power and some Audiogoners use the X600.5 to drive the Andras. I have a small(15'x16'x7.5') room and my "gut" has been plenty wrong in the past. Do you have any way to audition them in your system before committing? There is always the XA100.5 or even the XA160.5, but the latter is getting quite expensive.
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