Pass Labs XA30.5 and ModWright KWA150

I am looking for a neutral and detailed account of differences in sonic flavor using various kinds of music.
Ral (Threads | Answers)

There are plenty of reviews of these amps. I will say this about the XA-30.5. It has no sonic flavor. It amplifies what's fed to it without embellishment. To me, what makes the amp unique among solid state amps is it's grain free treble and midrange, combined with it's total bass grip and resolution.

Here's what I suggest if you really want a satisfying answer to your question. Buy a used KWA150, and contact Reno HiFi to obtain a demo XA-30.5.

Listen to them both in your system...assuming you have the appropriate speakers for the XA-30.5.

Keep the one that you prefer.

I never heard the Modwright but I have heard the XA-30.5 and all I can say it is one sweet amplifier. I heard it through a pair of Salk HT3 which is a very difficult speaker to drive and the Pass handled it effortlessly.

I know Modwright is also great stuff so this would be a hard choice for anyone.

Good luck.

Why not just get a tube amp if you are looking for "tube like" sound?

In my system I was able to directly compare the Pass XA30.5 to Atma-Sphere M-60's and MA-1's and there wasn't a single area that the Pass came out ahead from a sonics perspective. The Pass will come out ahead in being more compatible with a wider range of systems when compared to the similarly priced M-60's.

The Pass amps are excellent and right up there as my favorite ss amps, but I'll take the Atma-Sphere amps every time.

George

I too had the XA30.5 and M60s at the same time driving Merlin VSMs. The Pass is by far the best SS amp I have ever heard. I kept the Atma-sphere M60s, as it was the best amp I have ever heard driving the Merlins. I have not hear the Modwright, so I have nothing to say about it, but I do get the feeling that the XA30.5 will be remembered as one the very best amps Nelson Pass has ever made, and that says alot.

I also agree with some posters here that Pass amps don't really sound tube-like (I had a 250.5 though, not the XA series)

The SS amp that sounds like tubes to me is McIntosh.