Is the XA25 a realistic option for LRS’s?

I have had both the f7 and the xa25.  they  sound very different.  have you heard them because the sound is important.  after getting the xa25 I sold the f7 because I never listened to it.  the xa25 is that much better to my ears than the f7.  As a side note they are hot.  the xa25 is like 4 60 watt light bulbs being on so it needs some room to disperse the heat but it is one of the best amps I ever heard and owned. 

JH

i would concur

the xa25 sounds wonderful, i have it along with an f5, xa30.5 and int60

the 25 30.5 and 60 all drive my maggie 1.7i and 3.7i very comfortably, and sound beautiful... my favorite is the 30.5, it has the sweetest and most tactile treble and midrange ... and has the benefit of balanced inputs, which i value

+1 jjss49.  

From what I understand the nominal watts rating is less important.... 

All I can say is that my .7s and MMGs can eat up my Parasound A21 pretty fast. It puts out a strong 250 wpc. John Atkinson has measured the XA25's output at 80 wpc, which can be enough to get a Maggie playing but they always sound better with big strong amps. Try it and see...but I always recommend getting more power when running Maggies. 

Thanks all...really appreciate hearing from the folks who’ve had first had experience with these pieces of equipment.

I realize I’m kind of having 2 conversations at once with myself

(1) XA25 vs F7

&

(2) Will the XA25 play nicely with my LRS’s. and....If it does, that may help sway my decision ....even though the LRS’s aren’t going to be my primary speakers.

My plan is to at least try to listen to one of the First Watt amps and the XA25 in the coming weeks...and then make a purchase sometime this summer.  I feel drawn to the F7 from what I’ve read but, no, I’ve never heard it.

I also feel like, given what I’ve read only, the XA25 could be an investment worth making that is a forever amp. My belief is the XA25 will be way more versatile and in control across a variety of speakers and sources/preamps.

@johnah5 Are you able to summarize the broad strokes differences between the two?

The heat of a powerful Class A amp is a concern but I also have an O.Sayes 2a3 SET with a beefy power supply that puts out a lot of heat and a Van Alstine SET120 that doesn’t. So I’m OK turning on the Class A amps when I want them and using Class A/B when I don’t. ***Note -As far as I can tell, that Alstine 120w into 4ohm solid state amp really drives the LRS’s well. It gets warm but not hot. Of course maybe a more powerful amp would make the speakers sound better....I don’t know since I haven’t done much testing with the Maggies yet except for hooking them up to my 1976 Yamaha CA-2010.

Regarding my listening room, etc....My room is untreated, but decently damped by furniture, rug, curtains, etc. It’s lively but not too much...I feel it strikes a nice natural balance. I may invest in the room at some point in the future,. I’d like to measure but don’t have REW or the mic at this point. It’s medium (13x18) but has two big openings in the walls to other rooms.

As long as I’m in the house I currently own, I’ll never have speakers bigger than the LRS’s. Maybe could see some horn loaded Klipsch’s down the road or something similar. But it’s a small 100-year old house.

I listen to a huge variety of music but not crazy loud. typically in the 70-80 db range. Mostly pop, rock, acoustic jazz, classical (chamber music), avant guard, world. Not too much purely electronic or heavy beat oriented music...but sometimes I do. Currently only streaming and have been focusing on my digital front end despite having a ton of LP’s. I am sort of waiting to put together my analog system until other things get sorted out.

Best,
JS