If you had determined on your own that it was time to audition a possible upgrade in amplification, would a 88-pound behemoth have made your short list?
Quandary
I’m really happy with my system. However when a technician, who is also a salesman, came to my house for a stereo repair he complimented my set but said it would sound a lot better if I switched out my Benchmark AHB2 amp (which I think is great) for a Pass 30 wpc class AB amp. He offered to let me hear that amp in my system so that I could decide for myself (at a fee of $300.) The only problem is he doesn’t have the 30 watt amp in stock but would have to demo the Pass sound with 60 watt monoblocks. He assured me that with my very efficient GoldenEar Triton 1 speakers the 30 watt amp will almost have the the same quality.
Do you think I can honestly judge how the smaller amp will actually sound? Or should I cancel the demonstration (and save$300?)
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- 120 posts total
@rvpiano I owned XA30.8 and its a spectacular amp. It leaves class A after 30w if your system demands more power and produces over 100w into 8ohm in Class A/B so it has plenty of juice. |
As a manufacturer, I find it hard to think he wants to charge you $300 even if it does go to the purchase price. Are you buying the amplifier new, used,? Is he offering the amp at a discount or retail price. IMO the Pass is a better sounding amplifier that the Benchmark which is about average sounding IMO. BUT there are better sounding amplifiers than the Pass also. Not sure about the price point but we offer a pre-production hybrid stereo amp for $6500 100/wpc that we believe is one of the best sounding amplifiers you can hear as a comparison. Happy Listening.
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- 120 posts total