Krell FPB 300cx vs Pass X250.5

Teajay,

As Bigkidz states, the "x"-series Krells as in the
FPB-300cx mentioned by Tpk123; are a departure from the
typical "Krell sound".

If you haven't heard Krells in a few years - your experience
is dated.

Dr. Gregory Greenman

Dr. Greenman, I guess its important to you that we know that you are one, it was not that long ago that I listened to Krell gear, but I know that Krell has changed to a degree their house sound, but my question to you good Dr. is, have you heard the new Pass Labs .5 series amps and how do they compare in your opinion? Also, have you heard the Pass Labs XA series mono-blocks which price wise might be a better comparsion, even though the 350.5 is a great sounding amp with much of the virtues of the more pricey XA series.

Does anyone have anything new to add on this comparison?

Also, I am curious as to the Pass's ability to deliver current (amperage) too.

I must admit that I do not understand how manufacturers come up with this number for their spec sheets.
- Pass says +/- 20 amps
- Krell does not post numbers, but their reputation for driving difficult loads and having a strong bottom end implies it can deliver a lot of amperage. It also uses a captive power cord which might indicate that it can draw more than the typical IEC’s rated 15 amps.
- Most of McIntosh’s Autoformer models say 100+ amps.
- Levinson’s 336 is like the Krell in that it has a captive cord because it could draw more than 15 amps from the wall, but no current number is given for its output...and by the way, how does the Levison 334, 335, or 336 sound compared to the Pass and/or the Krell?

Now I do understand that different amps have different power storage capacity, but somehow these amperage output numbers don't seem to relate to each other. Can someone possibly explain it, or is it just something to be ignored?