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
That was a great post, Hce4. I like your very "real world" consideration of price vs. performance. I don't often see comparisons between equipment which include a personal perception of value. You're right that Kent and others at Pass seem to express their honest opinions when discussing their products to potential customers. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Hce4,

I will also send a kudos on your post in the comparison between the 2 Pass amps. I also am a XA 30.5 owner and the XA 60.5's (don't need the 100's) still are in the back of my mind. Your post is a very pragmatic and sensible approach. I did keep the XP-20 though as I've never heard the Ayre, but perhaps a future endeavor.
Hce4, could you elaborate as to why Pass Lab prefers the XA30.5 or XA100.5, while discourages you from getting the XA 60.5? Thank you.
Hce4: thank you very much for that great post. Interesting to hear that you found the XA 30.5 sweeter.

I'm auditioning the XP-20 now.
Spatine,

Kent at Pass Labs mentioned that on my speakers, the XA30.5 and XA60.5 would perform quite similarly with the main difference in power and current. Kent made the point that the XA60.5s would outperform the XA30.5 at high volumes (100db+), while at normal listening levels there would be little difference. Kent mentioned that the XA60.5 are basically monoblock versions of the XA30.5 and were produced for people who desire monoblocks. He strongly thought the XA30.5 would be more than adequate for the Sophia II's, and the XA60.5 would be overkill and not worth the extra money (on my speakers). I should make the point again that those with slightly less efficient speakers would benefit from the XA60.5s.

Kent recommended the XA100.5s over the XA30.5, noting that in addition to power and current delivery, there are other improvements that put these monoblocks in another league sonically and when played at precisely the same volume (important point). At the same volume, sound output, I noticed specific differences between the XA30.5 and XA100.5 which I mentioned in my previous post. He did not elaborate much beyond that, but suffice to say he felt that for the Sophia II's the XA30.5 is a perfect match, the XA60.5s would be a sideways step, and the XA100.5s are the sweetspot in the XA.5 line (he prefered these to the XA160.5 and the XA200.5), so if I had the urge for Pass Lab's best, go for the XA100.5s, but the XA30.5 makes the most sense.

Having said that, I have not compared the XA30.5 to the XA60.5s and I have been told by Mark at Reno HiFi that he does not share Kent's assertion of the XA30.5 compared to the XA60.5s, even on Wilson Sophias. He feels that there is a significant enough sonic improvement between the two that justifies the price, even with efficient speakers. Also, I think I read someplace on the boards that one XA30.5 user found the amp to be inadequate with his Wilson Sophias, so as usual it depends on your situation, system and listening environment.