paulo m
Well-known member
The short: Amazing speaker, very easy to drive, bettered even the top Maggies.
The long:
Tried 3 amp configurations -
1. Pass Labs X350.5 on the bass panels (both channels), Pass Labs XA60 monoblocks on the ribbons (one per channel)
2. Pass Labs XA60 monoblocks running fullrange
3. DeHavilland Aries 845-G SET monoblocks
Source was the Audio Research CD7, preamp was Pass Labs X1. The room was a dedicated room, with all the goodies one expects: generously treated, dedicated lines and comfortably sized at 18'x20' or thereabouts.
The sound was effortless, the soundstage was big and well-defined although it didn't go beyond the space between the speakers. There's more detail and refinement than with my Vantages; I believe this was due to the increased ambiance and venue acoustics afforded by the extra airiness, which imparted a great sense of naturalness to the sound. At the same time, there was no trace of the "plasticky character" that has been bothering me at times.
Sound was better with the XA60s running fullrange than with the X350.5 in the mix. This is probably because the crossover in these speakers is first-order, which means the transition from one driver to the other is very gentle and with a lot of overlap. In essence, the X350.5 is no match for the XA60s, which are a lot more refined and natural.
Sound was even better with the DeHavillands. This is yet another audition that leads me to conclude that my ears can no longer stand the steeliness of solid-state. These two little monoblocks performed admirably, considering they are a mere 30 W/ch, and they were running full range. This only shows how the speakers are really easy to drive, as these amps achieved results that are definitely more pleasing than their more powerful SS counterparts, even when they are so inadequately subdimensioned (the speakers have a minimum power recommendation of 50 W). You could, obviously, feel the lack of power in dense and more demanding music. However, the midrange was spectacular. Pair the speakers with a comfortably-powered tube amp and results should be stellar.
I was not impressed with the Pass Labs sound in this system. It is certainly good, but not great; everything was in the right places, except it was unemotional and uninvolving. I believe the preamp was partly to blame here; I would like to hear the XA60s again, but being fed by a world-class tube preamp. I'm sure that would make the amps more justice.
Are these speakers worth the price of admission when compared against e.g. the Magneplanar 20.1R? Absolutely! Construction and component quality are outstanding, contrasting with the Magnepan's policy of "building to a price point" and it shows. You could get Maggies to sound like that, but at the cost of extensive tweaking and component replacement with better parts (this is actually old news for any seasoned Maggie owner, and for some it is actually part of the fun). However, if you want to focus on the music and not worry about tools and parts specs or blowing something somewhere, you already have an alternative built to perform at its best. Furthermore, you don't need big amps to achieve the same results.
I'm planning on having another listening session with Analysis Audio speakers, but this time with the bigger Amphytrions, powered by a pair of Joule Electra Grand Marquis monoblocks. That one will surely be fascinating.
The long:
Tried 3 amp configurations -
1. Pass Labs X350.5 on the bass panels (both channels), Pass Labs XA60 monoblocks on the ribbons (one per channel)
2. Pass Labs XA60 monoblocks running fullrange
3. DeHavilland Aries 845-G SET monoblocks
Source was the Audio Research CD7, preamp was Pass Labs X1. The room was a dedicated room, with all the goodies one expects: generously treated, dedicated lines and comfortably sized at 18'x20' or thereabouts.
The sound was effortless, the soundstage was big and well-defined although it didn't go beyond the space between the speakers. There's more detail and refinement than with my Vantages; I believe this was due to the increased ambiance and venue acoustics afforded by the extra airiness, which imparted a great sense of naturalness to the sound. At the same time, there was no trace of the "plasticky character" that has been bothering me at times.
Sound was better with the XA60s running fullrange than with the X350.5 in the mix. This is probably because the crossover in these speakers is first-order, which means the transition from one driver to the other is very gentle and with a lot of overlap. In essence, the X350.5 is no match for the XA60s, which are a lot more refined and natural.
Sound was even better with the DeHavillands. This is yet another audition that leads me to conclude that my ears can no longer stand the steeliness of solid-state. These two little monoblocks performed admirably, considering they are a mere 30 W/ch, and they were running full range. This only shows how the speakers are really easy to drive, as these amps achieved results that are definitely more pleasing than their more powerful SS counterparts, even when they are so inadequately subdimensioned (the speakers have a minimum power recommendation of 50 W). You could, obviously, feel the lack of power in dense and more demanding music. However, the midrange was spectacular. Pair the speakers with a comfortably-powered tube amp and results should be stellar.
I was not impressed with the Pass Labs sound in this system. It is certainly good, but not great; everything was in the right places, except it was unemotional and uninvolving. I believe the preamp was partly to blame here; I would like to hear the XA60s again, but being fed by a world-class tube preamp. I'm sure that would make the amps more justice.
Are these speakers worth the price of admission when compared against e.g. the Magneplanar 20.1R? Absolutely! Construction and component quality are outstanding, contrasting with the Magnepan's policy of "building to a price point" and it shows. You could get Maggies to sound like that, but at the cost of extensive tweaking and component replacement with better parts (this is actually old news for any seasoned Maggie owner, and for some it is actually part of the fun). However, if you want to focus on the music and not worry about tools and parts specs or blowing something somewhere, you already have an alternative built to perform at its best. Furthermore, you don't need big amps to achieve the same results.
I'm planning on having another listening session with Analysis Audio speakers, but this time with the bigger Amphytrions, powered by a pair of Joule Electra Grand Marquis monoblocks. That one will surely be fascinating.
