[maxboy00]

I was wondering if the Pass Labs INT-30 has enough power to drive this speaker? The speaker is played at low to mid volumes, nothing crazy.

One last thing, can be speaker to converted to an Accuton monitor , but keep the RAAL. . .  would there be any benefit to do something like this?  Just asking, the Tempesta is a well designed and  a simply fantastic speaker!

[vortrex]

I'm running mine with a 22w tube amp with no issues at moderate levels.

[ricardojoa]

It sounds like you do not posses the tempesta. Have you consider getting the speakers first before considering your other gear. I think will give a little more flexibility.

[Freo-1]

FWIW, I had a Pass Labs XA 30.5 with Cary Silver Oak Model Ones (88db/W).  A truly wonderful sounding amp.  Yet, with the 88db/w speakers, the Pass Labs INT-150 works and sounds better.  At real low volume, hard to beat the XA amp.  Turn it up to a more moderate level, and the INT-150 just works better.

[krustykat]

 I'm the proud owner of a pair of Rick's Tempesta Extremes.  I also just got a Pass XA30.5 today from Reno Hi-Fi (after several days of delivery screw-ups courtesy of UPS).  I'm still waiting for delivery of a Conrad Johnson ET3 SE preamp sometime next week.  From some of Ricks comments in the past, I think that the Extremes are slightly more efficient than the regular Tempestas.  Previously I was running an Ayre AX-7e which was 60 watts and had more than enough power to drive the Extremes.  I'll be able to let you know in a week or so how it all works out.

Todd

[ricardojoa]

Cant wait till my pair arrive, probably in a week or two. These will be my least efficient speaker so i will report back when i get them.

[maxboy00]

It sounds like you do not posses the tempesta. Have you consider getting the speakers first before considering your other gear. I think will give a little more flexibility.

Yes I do have the Tempesta'a Towers, love them. . . Never had a Class  A amp, was wanting to get one, but wanted to be sure that the Pass would work.

Thanks for the replies.

[ricardojoa]

Great. Looks like the amp should work. If you dont listen to loud level (but you never know) i think having power reserve is a good thing. The pass labs gear are quiet expensive but definetly good built. Just sharing,  what i im going to do is go with seperate preamp and a amp, and the reason is that i feel this will  give me flexibility.

[krustykat]

I realized today that I had a cd player (modwright oppo bdp-95) that has a variable output which means that I can plug it directly into the amp while I am waiting for the delivery of my CJ preamp.  I'm very pleasantly surprised at the symbiosis  between the Tempesta Extreme and the Pass XA30.5.  I was amazed by the realism of vocals coming from this combination.  I listen to mostly acoustic, jazz and indy/pop music, nothing that would require extreme dynamics and  I didn't ever find that this setup was lacking in any way from a dynamics perspective.  I did notice the needle bouncing into the A/B range occasionally, but only when I was listening at the loudest levels I would ever listen at.  Most amazing was listening to Lucinda Williams "World Without Tears" album - I felt she was right in front of me - it was a stunning experience.

Less favorable is the bass response of the XA30.5 - seemed a bit slower on the leading edge of big bass notes, but it still had the full body of the bass.  This made it sound a bit muddy, but this isn't really a significant complaint.   I only say this because I was able to listen to an Ayre AX-5 recently which had the most astounding bass control I've ever heard in any system.  Give it a listen if you can afford  . 

My bottom line is that I have a small room and listen in a near field configuration and the XA30.5 provides more than enough power to drive my tempesta extremes to a delightful level.  I would assume that the int-30 would be a similar experience in a similar environment.

[rbbert]

...I would assume that the int-30 would be a similar experience in a similar environment.

In fact, the INT-30A would almost certainly perform better in a similar environment.  It would take a very unusual and likely very expensive line-level preamp to bring the performance of the XA-30A up to that of the INT-30A; a possible exception might be a preamp with a built-in excellent phono stage if you use phono.

[krustykat]

From John Atkinson's measurements writeup in the Stereophile review of the XA30.5 (which according to Pass is the same amplification componentry found in the INT-30):

"The specifications list the amplifier's maximum output voltage as ±35V, which, assuming this is the RMS voltage, is equivalent to 153W into 8 ohms. The XA30.5 thus transitions into class-B for the top 6dB of its dynamic-range capability."    So although pass lists the output of this amp at 30W in class A, its obviously capable of much more.

The Selah website lists the sensitivity of the Tempesta at 84.5 db, which is probably conservative compared to other speaker manufacturer's ratings. 

Maxboy00's concern about 30 watts max from the amp into a speaker with 84.5 db efficiency is a valid concern. My point was to alleviate that concern, with my observations in a configuration that I considered to be reasonably close to his.

I really can't say if the the INT-30 is better than the XA30.5 because I've never heard an INT-30. Ultimately, what is better depends upon your sound preferences and if you tend towards musical or analytical.   My preference is to go with a (semi) tube based front end, but I'm sure that is not for everyone. 

[jonbee]

Indeed, the 84.5 db rating is very conservative. My Ts sound about as loudly as most 87db rated speakers. In a modest sized room a beefy amp like the pass will be more than adequate for all but headbanging, IMO.

[brj]

On-axis peak SPL at listening position given distance, amplifier power, speaker sensitivity and room gain:

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

How loud do you want it at the listening position?

Just as a point of reference, until recently, I had some (very) large monitors had a sensitivity rating in the high-80s.  With a Pass Labs XA30.5, I was able to start to swing the needle on bass heavy tracks when played such that the listening position saw average SPLs in the low 90s at a distance of 12 ft, on-axis, from the speakers.  As others have pointed out, however, the amp actually has 6 dB of headroom above this, during which it will operate in class AB, so there was steam left in the system.  Pay attention to how you orient your speakers relative to the listener, however, as if you have significant toe-in, you may not get the SPLs that you would if you were directly on-axis.

Note that the meter on the XA series amps measure current draw in the output stages like the meter on the X series amps, but unlike the X series amps, it won't start to move until the amp leaves class A operation.