pass labs xa 100,5 vs Vitus sm 101


hard to decide to replace my xa 100.5 with vitus sm 101
how much gonna improve my sys.
mikelikehk
Mikel, the Vitus SM-101 mono's were $50k back in 2007 & are way more powerful than their power figures suggest. Vitus measure their amps in "true RMS" and quote power outputs conservatively. Those amps will control any real world speaker load you throw at them.

Vitus sounds very smooth, pure, almost tube-like, but with all the speed, control & dynamics required to drive the best high end loudspeakers. Vitus himself is a musician. He designs his gear to sound musical and to be able to listen without fatigue over long listening sessions. He also voices his products with a reference tt, so they tend to sound analogue-like. I was driving a pair of Magico S5's (4 ohm, 88db) with a Vitus SIA-025 which outputs 'only' 25 watts kl.A power. In reality, Vitus use very efficient UI-core transformers which have low loss compared to traditional toroids, so that 1.4kVa tranny feels more like a big 2kVa tranny. And the SM-101 mono's have 4 x more power!

Of course, the SM-101 mono's have been improved substantially over the years, incl: a Mk2 version & current SM-102. But if you can find a pair in good shape for a bargain & have the room to accommodate those beasts, I'd say go for it. The only caveat is - rule of thumb: Vitus sounds best with Vitus. If you go for Vitus mono's, I would budget or atleast plan to add a 2nd hand Vitus SL-101, or even a current Vitus RL-101 which is a very nice pre it its own right. I know of two audiophiles who sold their Vitus amps after trying to mix and match manufacturers. It's a shame, as Vitus amps sound awesome paired with a Vitus pre upstream.

The Pass xa-100.5's are tube-like, but are a bit bass shy & don't like driving low impedance loads. Paired with a Vitus pre, imho the SM-101 mono's would be a big upgrade & give you a lot more power, control and resolution, with Vitus's unique Kl.A sound. Cheers.
Hi Melbguyi
Much appreciation for your info
One of my friend ,a vitus dealer ,wanna sell me this 3 yr demo sm101 at $25000,I have no idea if the deal worthwhile.
My current sys : Ayon cd5s with pass lab xa100.5 and speakers revel salon2. And I'm bi-amplifying with 2 sets of Andromeda speaker cables.
They sound wonderful. I never listened vitus so have no idea about it.
What you think about the price ?
Thank you very much for your advice
YW Mikel. To be honest, $25k is not a good deal on the SM-101 mono's. If you want my opinion, for that budget I would buy the current Vitus SIA-025. The SIA-025 was recently updated & now puts out 25 watts Kl.A & 150 watts Kl.A/B (switchable). The SIA-025 is a great integrated amp & has a lot of power. The benefit of this move is, you would have a much better preamp than your Ayon (based on the SL-102). I used to own a modded Ayon CD-5s. It has a nice linestage for the money, but it is not a good idea mixing SM-101 mono's with your Ayon imho. Plus SIA-025 would be more in balance with the rest of your system & you can direct funds from a future Vitus preamp toward a better front end (eg: Vitus SCD-025Mk2). You have the basis of a very nice system. The Salon 2's a very nice indeed & have a great BE tweeter. Food for thought..