Pass X150 vs. X250

The X-250 will give you a more refined sound, better details, dynamics, slam and has extra juice whenever you need it. Once you hear them side by side then you will understand. I am not familiar with your speakers so I do not know the synergy with Pass Labs amps. The key to a good sounding system starts with the synergy with the amp and speakers. The is the first voice you listen to. Then you add the source in my opinion. The EMC-1 is a neutral unit with great soundstage, details and dynamics. The Electro DAC that I tried in my system added those same characteristics to my system for the better. Again, I am not familiar with your speakers so I would take the time to contact some Jean Marie dealers to see how the speakers are voiced and to see if they have had any experience with the Pass amps and the speakers.

Happy Listening.

Nelson now has the $$$ XA series supposedly because many folks preferred the warmer sound of the fully-Class A Aleph series instead of the Class AB X Series; the XA are more heavily biased in Class A. But the bucks!

I wonder if they've sold more than a handful of the XA amps. You never hear anything about them.

Drubin, do you know what the XA amps cost? I am not to surprised, ultra expensive.

The XA200 is $28,000 while the XA-160's are $18,000. They are not meant to be replacements for the X-Series but a compliment to the line. One weakness of the Aleph series was their inability to drive low impedance speakers. That trait is also inherent in the XA series. They are not the best match for speakers such as Soundlabs or Maggies, which have wicked impedance curves. I went with X-600's to drive my Wilson Watt/Puppy 5.1's, which also has a tricky impedance curve. The Wilson's crave power and the 600's do deliver it. I moved from Aleph 1.2's, which despite their 200 watts of Class "A" power, never seemed to control the Wilson's. I have discussed the issue with Pass several times and they recommend that I stick with the 600's as long as I am using the Wilson's. Both amps are excellent products and both lines continue to sell well.