Pass x250.8 vs Boulder 850 vs Spectral DMA250


Hi all, I sold my old integrated amplifier (Vitus RI-100) and now I have a C2550 mcIntosh Preamplifier.
Next month I will have the possibility to make an audition on these amps, some of them are second hand so the resulting price will be more or less comparable:
- the new Pass X250.8 (I am afraid about what I read on burn-in hours required)
- Spectral DMA 250
- Boulder 850 monos
my intention is to drive my Sonus Faber Elipsa Red with a very good slam/control (where Vitus RI-100 lacked) but without loosing the excellent Vitus mids/highs.
Anyone experienced ? Any other suggestion will be appreciated.
Thanks
Massimo
maz65
It depends on which kind of sound you prefer. They all 3 sound different. The Pass will be the most musical one in the mid freq.

You only know how it work out with your pre-amp when you connect it.

At the end it is a personal thing. It can be fun to compare, so enjoy it!!
I suspect the Boulder amp to be better sounding!, this is based on preference like anything else, The Boulder has very good Transparency!, A member named Melbguy1 can chime in on this subject, He knows alot more than I do about Boulder equipment.
What I said it is a personal thing. I heard many Boulder
amps in the last 7 years. There was not even one time that I
thought: this is great I want it. I would not even want it
for free in my room!!

It never gave me the emotion I want in music!!
"It never gave me the emotion I want in music!!"

I thought you want 3D? No more? Now you want emotion? You keep changing.
Hi Max65.

I would say the best amp of the three you mentioned for the Sonus Faber Elipsa Red is the Spectral DMA250 being BJT (bi-polar)output it can almost double it's wattage for each halving of load impedance all the way down to 2ohms, and that means it can do current better than the other two which are Mosfet and cannot do the doubling act like the Spectral can.

Your Sonus Faber Elipsa Red are magnificent speakers but are a pig of a load in the bass region and demand an amp that do current, even though they are 91db efficient.

Quote from Stereophile:
"Though this is slightly lower than the specified 91dB, the shortfall is not important. While it will therefore require less of a voltage swing to play loud, the speaker is still a demanding load for the partnering amplifier, with an impedance magnitude that drops to 2.5 ohms throughout the upper bass (fig.1). There is also a punishing combination of 4 ohms magnitude and –50 ° electrical phase angle at 70Hz that will suck gobs of current from the amplifier."

And that -50% phase angle could mean a load down to even 1ohm at 70hz.

Cheers George