Pass labs xa25 amp and BW 804 d3?

I received my Pass Labs XA25 today. It easily drives my 804s and it is actually runs just as cool if not cooler than my emotiva xpa 2 at high volume. It barely gets warm to my amazement. Sound quality is spectacular even though it is yet to be broken in. I think I will invest in the Pass Labs Hpa 1 headphone/preamp combo as a preamp. I like to keep things simple. I don't need any bells or whistles for my 2 channel listening. Thanks again for the advice.

Although I suspect that you would have been very likely satisfied with the Parasound A21 amplifier I believe you selected the better sounding amplifier. I’m glad you weren’t swayed by those suggesting the Pass XA25 would be under powdered for your speakers. Congratulations and I’m happy for your very successful outcome. You describe the sound quality as "spectacular" that pretty much says it all. Just think about this, sound quality will improve as hours of use accumulate. 
Charles

Completed my demo of the xa-25 a week ago. It was a great amp. Smooth and warm (warmer than my Coincident Franks) and really nice bass performance. In the end I did decide to stick with the 300bs however. They were a bit more "real" and holographic. I think maybe a bit more accurate too as far as imaging goes. Close call though, the pass was really a great amp.

I had B&W Nautilus 804s for years, and have heard most of the B&W lineup over time. I can tell you, without reservation, that B&Ws are power hungry and, IMHO, need at least 150 wpc to even begin showing what they can do. Personally, I paired them with a 225 wpc power amp and they sounded good.