Pass labs xa25 amp and BW 804 d3?

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. 

I'd be wary of taking too much stock on the built in meters on amps. It seems to me that most are at best a rough guide and not to be confused with calibrated laboratory test equipment.

From all the commercial and user reviews it would appear to me that the XA25 is the best sounding SS amplifier for all except the most inefficient speakers.  Is this how most others see this.

Anyone?

@jetter, like many of us I wouldn’t consider my range of experiences to be extensive enough to put it quite as broadly as you did in your question. But I would certainly consider the XA25 to be a very strong candidate that should be considered by anyone looking to purchase a solid state amp in its price range or higher, for use with speakers having medium to high sensitivities.

Also, thanks to the others who have recounted their experiences and provided additional perspectives on this very special amp in recent posts. Enjoy!

Best regards
-- Al