Pass Integrated to Pass separates

My X250.5 will be here on Friday and I'm already having second thoughts. Everything I read says that the XA's are better at any power rating period. Is there anyone that has an X.5 and prefers it over the XA.5's?

I have a demo period so I can always exchange if I don't care for the sound... I'm just thinking that I compromised to get more of what I already have instead of something truly better.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! I have a lot of money on the line here and want to ensure I'm not missing out by saving a few dollars!

If you go back in my answers you wil find my thoughts about it.

The Purist Audio Limited Edition 2013 version had a very big positive influence on the X250.5.

I owned the XA30.5, 60.5 and 100.5 and thought I would prefer the XA series over the X series.

But......how I use it the X.5 series has some advantages over the XA series. This is faster response, more drive and more spatial in the high freq. You need a high quality cable to maintain the involment in the mid freq and the authority in the high freq. A cheaper powercable will give you a clear disadvantage in the mid freq. and high freq. This is why many people prefer the XA series over the X series. I had the same thoughts. But by testing my thoughts changed. I had these discussions with Pass Labs.

The Purist brings new parts which are not there compared to a basic power cable.

I will go this year for the X350.8 instead the XA100.8.

By using the Purist it is like you double the quality in endresult. You have to try it to believe it.

Powercables have a huge influence on poweramps and sources as well.

Yeah, it all comes back to me now. I bought the X250.5 based on all of the positive hype from pro reviews as well as users. As I have stated before, it was a huge disappointment. I bought it from an Audiogon member, and had it thouroughly gone over by Nelson himself (great guy and great company). With 4 different speakers, it sounded thin and analytical, the opposite of what I was expecting. Looking back at all of the reading I was doing at the time about the amp, so many users, like Bo1972 were talking about aftermarket cords quite a bit, as if there was something about the sound that needed to be fixed.
I want to note that I ran it in single ended mode, and used the recommended pins in the proper position that are placed in the XLR inputs when they are not being used. The only thing that I can think of to explain the poor sound of the amp in my system with 4 different speakers as well as 3 different cables is that it prefers to be run in balanced mode.
I will be interested to see what your experience is.

Pass Labs works a lot better in the XLR mode. I did not expect to be so positive about the X250.5.

But I need to be honest that without the Purist Limited Edition 2013 version I would have had other thoughts.

I started testing powercables in 2002. Mannn they can make a huge improvement. I did many blind tests.

What I said many times: It is a lot easier to get a higher endresult with a poweramp of 4000 dollar with a powercable like purist of 4000 dollar compared to a poweramp of 8000 dollar with a powercable of 100 dollar.

People believed it after a blind rest. That is why hearing is believing. Audio is about proof. So this is the way I sell audio.

You need to understand another important part about the properties Pass Labs owns.

The biggest mistake ( I hate this a lot, at shows when I hear it you are all mine. And I will explain why it is wrong) is using cables which are not able to give a small and intimate individual focus.

The X.5 and XA.5 series give a wide and deep stage.
But......their limitation is that the stage within the wide and deep stage is not sharp and small enough as it should be.

I had many discussions about this with Pass Labs. When there is a demo with Pass Labs with cables like MIT and Shunyata ( properties of these cables are; a wide and deep stage but not a sharp and realistic proportion of instruments and voices)

What you get is even with a recoding of just a voice and 1 or 2 instruments it will be out of proportion. At shows I asked the people ( I would suggest to go listen to acoustic instrumensts in real) if the people who are singing have a water head. Sometimes the singer has a head of over 3 metres. Then I am so f..... irritated that I have the drive to correct these stuppid people.

These kind of people I would love to get out of this business. Because they are also responsible for the low level at shows.

So you need cables which give a small and realistic proportion of instruments.

I give you a few who do this as it should be:

- Audioquest
- Kimber
- Taralabs
- Transparent
- Purist Audio

Bo1972: I appreciate what you're saying about the power cord although it's not in my cards to purchase a 4k+ power chord, for the difference in dollars I can pick up XA100.5's as slightly used demo's and use my transparent reference power cords that I already have. Time will tell here, I don't really not like my int-150 so at the end of the day this might be great... I'm just having second thoughts.

I hate spending a lot of money and not getting exactly what I want in the long run I've always been happier when I didn't make the compromises.