Pass Labs xa - .5 amps

Well, the XA30.5 is an excellent amp. I'm sure. However a small amp. will always have difficulties controlling large areas of woofer - like the VA The Music has. The damping factor is 150 which ok but not extremely high.

"The Music" has the possibility of adjusting the bass in a few steps. When i reduce the bass the result becomes more in the right ball part ;-). Rooms are smaller here in Europe so room gain is a factor.

The IC's are Audence AU24. Balanced all the way. Speaker wires are Kimber 8TC.

When I'm playing marginally loud the needle moves a bit. It does not cross the vertical line, but is moves. Maybe the XA60.5 would be the right choice in my case;-). The XA100.5 are too expensive for me.

Chashas 1,
I have written a fairly extensive review of the XA100.5 which you should be able to click to next to my username. I don't know how to create a link, sorry. It is very similar to Tvad's desciption of the XA30.5 above, which I have not heard.

For bass detail and speed, consider these determinants:

1) Powercords, particularly on your source components.
2) Amplifier power. Your woofer may have different needs compared to the rest of your speaker depending upon size, #, and crossover design.
3) Interconnects and speaker cables.
4) Room interactions. New components often require speaker position changes, even if you did not change the speaker.

Bass is inherently slow. Large waves in an accoustic hall coming from an acoustic resonating instrument should convey some ambiance. The exception might be when the percussionist dampens the instrument after striking, and the sound should recover fairly quickly. Electric bass is not always natural. Some amplifiers convey an illusion of fast bass through the midrange. I think some people are looking for a type of bass from their system that does not exist. Anyway, the main point is to review the entire system to achieve the sound you desire.

Dear Rtnl - I'm basing my impression of the XA30.5 from the outset that the only thing I change is the power amplifier from the normal situation (Krrel FPB300X) to a new situation (Pass XA30.5). The rest of the equipment, romm etc. is unchanged. Krell are famous for bass control, so its not supprising that other amps have other traids.

By the way, I use Exactpower EP15A on cd and preamplifier.