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Pass Labs Int 25 vs Int 60

I'm curious if anyone has had a chance to listen to these two integrated amplifiers.

I know the Int 25 is basically the XA25 with a preamp. The Int 60 runs class A to 30 watts (and uses the same preamp) so maybe it's more closely related to the XA30.8, though I don't believe I've read that anywhere.

Anyway, I think from a power perspective both will be fine with my 90db floorstanders. My main question is which is the warmer, smoother of the two amps? Even if that means being darker and more veiled, I would want to go with that amp!

Thanks.
shahram
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 

with a pair of maggies on their way (last time i had a set was a pair of mg3a's in 1988), i picked up a nice used int-150

will compare with my xa 25... along with several others in the stable 😊

markuzz3000
5 posts
 

@jjss49 Seems like you have a competitive stable 😎. Looking forward to your findings!

shazam
205 posts
 

Been considering the INT-60 to replace my Vinnie Rossi L2i SE once my Devore O96 arrive. This quote from markuzz3000 really grabbed my attention...

The mighty INT60... is also able to take an “ordinary” recording and make it listenable.

As much as I love my high res digital and audiophile vinyl, I still listen to a lot of not so well recorded music that a really revealing system can make unlistenable. In the search for audio nirvana, we often loose sight that the music is half the equation and some great albums aren't recorded as well as we would like. 

 

aberyclark
1,355 posts
 

A couple of questions. I currently run the BHK preamp thru a Firtwatt J2.
I have been considering going to an integrated amp. I have Zu Omen refs ( 96-101db)

1. would I miss the tubes going to the INT 25/60?

 

2. how would the pass 25 compare to the first watt J2 sound wise?

cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 

@aberyclark #1 should be easy enough to test.  Find (or make) a quiet track  and just plug your source straight into the J2.  Then compare with it through the BHK.  Or borrow a DAC with variable output and try the same.

As for #2, I haven't heard the J2, but I suspect it would sound quite different from the 25. The J2 and XA25 use different output devices, and a different amplification typology.  The J2 has a SET-like distortion profile with 2nd harmonic dominance and the XA25 has a 3rd harmonic dominant profile (I believe this is true of the 60.8 as well). They likely have different damping factors too, so may interact with your speakers differently.  Only one way to know which you'd prefer.

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