Hi folks, first post over here... seems like a pretty friendly place. Anyway, I'm looking for some input on pairing a Pass amp with my Thiel 2.4 speakers.
After reading about various Pass products, I first tried the INT-30A (i.e., XA-30.5)... I was aware that that low of power was a risk, but given the reviews I gave it a shot. As advertised, the amp spectacular. Beautiful, quiet, delicate, with great imaging... on quiet, delicate music. As the music got more complex and added greater bass requirements, it just couldn't power the speakers. Certain disks and movies with that complexity (e.g., rap & hip-hop) just sounded flat and uninteresting. Bass comes and goes mysteriously depending on the source. Anyway, it's time to move on, but because I respect this amp so much, I want to stay with the brand.
I've discussed the issues with some professionals... Reno-Hifi suggested that the XA-60.5 might ameliorate the problem, Pass themselves suggested (in this order) the XA-100.5, X350.5, and then X250.5. In talking to Pass I even mentioned selling the speakers and getting another well imaging speaker that mated better with the XA-30.5. They said to keep the Thiels... even with the implicit understanding that that might mean going with a different companies' amps.
In any case, I'm considering a couple options (but am open to other suggestions). One choice is going after a 250.5 (the only of the above suggestions within my budget), it clearly has the power needed for the difficult Thiel load. Another possibility I've considered is to try an older Pass, such as the Aleph 2s... these would give me a lot more Class A power (100 W into 8 ohms, 200 into 4) than both the XA30.5 and the X250.5, but I don't know if it's actually a good match to the Thiels. In talking with Pass, they pretty strongly suggested the 250.5 over Aleph 0s because the new designs have such lower distortion. I didn't get a chance to ask about the Aleph 2s, however.
Anyway, any thoughts on the issues would be welcome. Thanks.
