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PASS LABS XA-30.5 vs XA-60.5

Hello all,
Has anyone heard the differences between these two amps, and have done A/B comparrisons on them? I have a XA-30.5 that I'm using with Totem Hawk Speakers. The XA-30.5 drives them very well, but I have been told the 60.5’s give you much better smoothness and cohesiveness, better imaging, better bass control, greater ease and greater resolution.

Here's the million dollar question:

I am ready for my next upgrade and have roughly $6000. Should I upgrade to the XA-60.5's or upgrade my Esoteric X03-SE cd player to the Esoteric seperates P-05 transport and D-05 DAC??

I have very appealing offers for both options.

Any Thoughts?

My system:

Pass Labs XA-30.5 amp
Pass Labs X0.2 preamp
Esoteric XO3-SE cd player
BPT 3.5 Ultra Sig. power conditioner
Totem Hawk speakers
AudioPath custom IC's and speaker cable
Shunyay Python CX power cords
roor
onemug
784 posts
 
Alfa100,
If the needle isn't moving on your 30.5, I would be inclined to keep it. If you do upgrade, go for the 100.5.
alfa100's avatar
alfa100
73 posts
 
Thank you Onemug. The needle stays at 12oclock 95% of time except for when i play rock really loud. have you compared the CJ to Pass Labs XP20 preamp. the XP20 is SS and balanced.
onemug
784 posts
 
Alfa100,
I had the XP20 for about a month. It's a great preamp but ultimately liked the sound I'm getting from my tubed CJ mated with the Pass. Knowing that tubes can sometimes be problematic, I told my Pass dealer that I will just send him a check for the XP20 if I ever start having problems with tubes. So far the CJ ART and ACT 2.2 have been perfect.
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