Which amp would you choose and why - Pass Labs XA-25 or First Watt F8?

i live 25mins from Pass Labs. Have been there a few times and given a tour and education at the same time. Great people, even meet the man.  i am a Pass Labs dude!  the 25 will have more bass control with your speakers.  the F8 is their version of a solid state tube amp. that said, the only way to really know is to listen to both of them

Forget about power for a moment. XA25 is a normal pass amp. If you like pass sound (smoothened out, clean, safe & a bit boring), get XA. If you are looking for something raw and true to source, get Firstwatt. It should satisfy your speaker's hunger though. Look for a J2 as well

I own both. The XA-25 will play a bit louder and more dynamic than the F-8. I listen to the F-8 religiously acct. it sounds more musical, sweeter & more accurate than the XA-25. Plus it is a more intimate sound. All my listening is thru LS 3/5A speakers. I own many low watt tube amps and I still listen to the F-8 above all of the these.

@ghdprentice i use the balanced out on my preamp because it goes through another set of tubes.  i  tested it with my previous amp and using balanced out sounded more spacious and 3 dimensional than using single ended out.  

@avanti1960

Imteresting. Nice looking system and room.