Pass Int-150 or Int-30A for PMC Speakers?

Fiddlerontheroof I agree I need to stay with the XA series of amps as they are wonderful in their presentation. And I am sure mated with a XP 10 or 20 pre they would make a wonderful combination. And who knows I may end up with a pair of 1038 Be's.

Love your moniker by the way.

Chuck

Hey Chuck,

The XP10 and XA60.5 should be plenty for you. Frankly, I am shocked the Int-30A wasn't enough for your Focals. I know that Telarc recording well. That recording has been the extreme testing for audiophiles for the last 20 years!

If you are sure to end up with 1038 in the near future, you may want to wait to upgrade your electronics. You may need XP20 and XA160.5 or even XA200.5. Start saving!

Other than the strong percussive moments, did you have other problems with the Int-30A? I don't ever listen to big stuff... The biggest pieces I listen to are Beethoven's 5th and 9th. Maybe some Brahms... They are loud, intense, but not aggressive. Do you think the Int-30A will hold up?

Fiddlerontheroof

Yes I think the INT-30 will meet your needs very well. It was a beautiful amp and performed admirably. I would recommend it highly.

I wonder if going to separates say the XA30 with an XP20 would provide a bit more gain and texture. I really hate the thought of more boxes by going with mono-blocs.

Chuck

A friend of mine moved progressively up the XA line driving Wilson Sophias, finally going all the way to the biggest and baddest of them. This despite that fact that these amps apparently put out far more power than the stated spec. So I'm not sure the XA60.5 will get the the canons right for you. Maybe these amps just don't =sound= all that powerful?

Drubin

It seemed to have the juice it was just that the INT-30 didn't have the head room I needed or so it seemed. All the way to the XA 200's Huh. Well I really don't want to put that kind of money into a pair of amps. Perhaps if I listened to it more I could somehow justify it but I don't. Maybe I need to find a more efficient pair of speakers or just settle for a less powerful amp and not turn it up so high. Or look for a higher powered Tube stereo amp like cj or arc. But then there is that Power Tube issue again.

Thanks Chuck