New x5's a bargain at twice the price.

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 20907 times.

VistaBlue

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #100 on: 22 Nov 2020, 02:54 pm »
@BigRedMachine, is the remaining audition period on your Spatial loudspeakers long enough to perhaps bring in a Pass Labs XA-25 or XA-30.8 for audition as well?


Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #101 on: 22 Nov 2020, 04:05 pm »
@BigRedMachine, is the remaining audition period on your Spatial loudspeakers long enough to perhaps bring in a Pass Labs XA-25 or XA-30.8 for audition as well?

No audition period for me. I've posted the amp and preamp for sale.

VistaBlue

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #102 on: 22 Nov 2020, 05:16 pm »
No audition period for me. I've posted the amp and preamp for sale.

Do you intend to try other amplifiers with the Spatial X5 loudspeakers, or do you intend to move on from them?

Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #103 on: 23 Nov 2020, 02:17 am »
Do you intend to try other amplifiers with the Spatial X5 loudspeakers, or do you intend to move on from them?

Well, my dilemma is that I'm sitting on a ton of money in unsold Wilsons so if I don't get the sound I want with these then I have to have enough horsepower for the 91 db Sashas. The Wilsons will take months to sell. So a smaller amp is all I need for the X5's for sure but something a little beefier for the Wilsons as plan B is a good idea.

Then the question is how much is the sound influenced by this preamp. Will it deliver the same soundstage with a solid state amp attached?

And as others are doing, would a decent sized integrated be a better solution? a 100 wpc ss integrated could drive my Wilsons.

I'd like to go class A on the amp if I can.

If I were king I'd have a Pass XP22 (had the xp12 and loved it) and an X250.8 or similar beast and pump the Wilsons back in. But tonight everything just sounded fantastic with high rez music. I do get better depth of soundstage with the X5's. I think the Wilsons do horns better and can play a little deeper with dual 10's. The X5's definitely have more layers of sound but seem looser overall than the Wilsons. Not as tidy, if you will.


VistaBlue

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #104 on: 23 Nov 2020, 03:01 am »
I have a friend driving Proac D48 (90db/4 ohms) with a Pass XA-30.8.

What about auditioning a Pass XA-30.8 or INT25 from Reno HiFi?

jtwrace

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 11415
  • www.theintellectualpeoplepodcast.com
    • TIPP YouTube Channel
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #105 on: 23 Nov 2020, 03:06 am »
Not as tidy, if you will.
Hypex amp(s) will fix that right up! 

VistaBlue

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 27
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #106 on: 23 Nov 2020, 03:27 pm »
Here's a gentleman who reviewed D-Sonic Pascal Pro module amplifiers on Spatial Audio M4:
https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/power-amplifier/d-sonic-m3a-600m-mono-amplifier-review

Might be worth auditioning.

tdangelo

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #107 on: 23 Nov 2020, 06:18 pm »
I have an April Music Stello Ai700 integrated that sounds fantastic with the SA and other speaks I've tried. It uses the B&O Ice modules and is 500WPC and tomb quiet. I haven't enjoyed class D in the past but this is definitely an exception. They come up used occasionally.


Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #108 on: 25 Nov 2020, 10:15 pm »
So I had considered some Merrill Audio class D amps. Quiet and powerful. Overkill for these speakers but back-up for future less efficient speakers. My biggest takeaway is that they are not Class A, which I love and I believe these speakers can leverage.

As a fan of all things Pass Labs, I want at least something that plays partially into Class A, which almost all Pass do. And given the efficiency, the total power output is less critical with powered woofers. Then I circle back to future speakers that could be 87 db for instance. :scratch:

My Wilsons are 91 db but dip to 1.6 ohms. The X5's are a solid 8 ohms it appears.

I'm circling around a Pass class A integrated at 30 Class A watts, AB to 60, and peaks of output to 200 watts versus a Pass integrated of 150 AB watts that gives you 8 Class A watts. There's a great review of each side-by-side and the 30 watter slightly edges the larger in some areas except total output balls. Both the same price. Both more than adequate for the X-5's. Only one future-proof against the future.

My biggest regret may be that integrateds are not wildly popular and have slow resale.

Which would you chose? :o

Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #109 on: 25 Nov 2020, 10:18 pm »
.

genjamon

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #110 on: 25 Nov 2020, 10:45 pm »
I'd go with the 30 Class A watts.  Wouldn't be your long-term love with the Wilsons, but would get you by for a while until you found another ideal amp with the Wilsons.  But it would give you the best shot with the X5's, which would be my main goal at the moment.  So, optimal with X5 and workable for near-term with Wilsons in a pinch is a better outcome IMO than non-ideal for X5's but chance of long-term with the Wilsons.  Honestly, I'd think you'd want more than the 150 AB watts with the Wilsons anyway. 

Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #111 on: 25 Nov 2020, 10:53 pm »
In retrospect, the Luxman at 60 Class A and doubling with every halving of the impedance seemed more than enough. I don't play at loud levels.

I think you are correct though. If you read between the lines, the older INt 30A is essentially the re-birthed Int-60. Same power ratings. So having 60 watts on hand is triple what Wilson recommends at 20 watts minimum for the Sasha's. My concern with the 30A was overall grunt but every review I see it does not come up as an issue.

TomS

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #112 on: 25 Nov 2020, 11:51 pm »
In retrospect, the Luxman at 60 Class A and doubling with every halving of the impedance seemed more than enough. I don't play at loud levels.

I think you are correct though. If you read between the lines, the older INt 30A is essentially the re-birthed Int-60. Same power ratings. So having 60 watts on hand is triple what Wilson recommends at 20 watts minimum for the Sasha's. My concern with the 30A was overall grunt but every review I see it does not come up as an issue.
Somewhere on the interwebs there is a very detailed review that Mike Garner did of the X3 with the Modwright KWH 225i hybrid integrated, said they had great synergy. Pretty much always in class A for the X5, but plenty of HP for the Wilsons too.

https://www.tweekgeek.com/modwright-kwh-225i/

morganc

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #113 on: 26 Nov 2020, 12:39 am »
As far as Class D goes, I have a Digital Audio Company 2-Cherry and it has definitely outperformed my expectations, especially when I put it behind a Tube Pre and a tube DAC.   The DAC Integrated is not in the same league by the way IMO. 

He has a 30 day return policy as well and no lengthy break in required. And the 100's of watts sound pretty impressive. 

I've also had Pass before and Modwright but not with the Spatials and I almost pulled the trigger on one as well but I live in a hot area with no AC. 

If you were nearby I'd offer you to try out the amp as I have a few others, but I'm West Coast. 

Regardless, good luck !  And one thing I'd like to mention as well if you have never had High Efficiency speakers, is that , ime, every cable, Source, tube, etc has a massive effect on the end result and sometimes there is a magical synergy that happens with a certain combo for whatever reason.  Again, I know you know what you're doing, but I know the Wilsons are a lower Sensitivity speaker.

Happy Thanksgiving by the way.


TomS

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #114 on: 26 Nov 2020, 12:58 am »
Here is the review I mentioned with the Modwright 225i and X3.

https://tweekgeek.blogspot.com/2019/10/spatial-audio-x3-open-baffle.html

jd3

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #115 on: 26 Nov 2020, 02:15 pm »
Pete,

I went through a lot of Pass amps when I had SS8's, which are lower sensitivity that your Wilsons.  My favorites were the 30.5 and the INT-30A.  I compared the INT-150 to the 30 and I preferred the INT-30A.  Never had a problem with them running out of juice.  I still regret selling that INT-30.   I always figured more power was better but at my listening levels, either of the Pass 30's were great. 

Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #116 on: 26 Nov 2020, 06:02 pm »
Pete,

I went through a lot of Pass amps when I had SS8's, which are lower sensitivity that your Wilsons.  My favorites were the 30.5 and the INT-30A.  I compared the INT-150 to the 30 and I preferred the INT-30A.  Never had a problem with them running out of juice.  I still regret selling that INT-30.   I always figured more power was better but at my listening levels, either of the Pass 30's were great.

Yeah, I put an offer in on one of these. It is discontinued but if you study the specs for this and the newer INt-60, they are the same power outputs in A and AB.

jd3

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #117 on: 27 Nov 2020, 06:04 pm »
Yeah, I’ve thought about getting another, but don’t like the weight and heat.  I’ve got 2 Class D amps and don’t plan on another Pass amp, but you never know :wink: 
Hope the Pass works out for you.

Big Red Machine

Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #118 on: 28 Nov 2020, 04:17 am »
Here's a gentleman who reviewed D-Sonic Pascal Pro module amplifiers on Spatial Audio M4:
https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/power-amplifier/d-sonic-m3a-600m-mono-amplifier-review

Might be worth auditioning.

I'm warming to this class D idea. Unfortunately most of these are so small the binding posts are very close together and difficult to attach my Fidelium cables.

Coupled with my difficulty in getting a good deal on a Pass unit, there are plenty of D amps out there now to chose from. I'm asking D-Sonic to accommodate different binding posts for me and awaiting a response.

JackD

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 1397
Re: New x5's a bargain at twice the price.
« Reply #119 on: 28 Nov 2020, 04:32 am »
BRM

My recommendation if you're warming up to class D would be to look at Nord as I know they work with Spatial.  Colin can build the amps either mono or stereo and with the choice of NC500, NC1200, IcePower 1200 or Purifi modules.  He also offers options for internal wiring and three different WBT binding post options as he uses the same posts standard as D-Sonic. Another option that works with Spatial would be the Nuprime ST-10 monos. I've used both Nuprime and Nord with both M3TS and M3TM's.  Also Nord and Nuprime will both be easier for resale if it comes to that. 

https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/