So. Do the pass and Rowland amps provide slam bass ?
Blueskiespbd (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
I like bass slam. I was a drummer for a while in an earlier life.
I think the Pass XA-.5 series provide excellent bass slam with properly mated speakers, but I'm of the opinion that the speaker has more influence over slam than does the amp provided they are correctly matched.
The best slam I have had in my system was from Von Schweikert VR4 Hen III HSE speakers driven by either Moscode 401HR or Bryston 14B SST amps. I once used VAC Phi 110/110 tube amps with excellent results, but the slam was not as pronounced as it was with either the Moscode or Bryston amps. Those speakers have great slam.
Some tube amp/speaker combinations provide terrific slam. I'm thinking of Zu Audio speakers with some tube amps I've heard, and Classic Audio Reproductions T-1 with Atma-Sphere amplifiers. Both are high sensitivity designs with large woofers.