Pass Labs XA25 Power Amplifier Review

S. Guttenberg, of The Audiophiliac, finds bliss with the Pass (Labs) XA 25 (Power) Amplifier ($4,900.00 USD).

How about another $25.00?

What about us? Should we review the Pass XA25?

Looking like something Emotiva had / has cocked up, the Pass Labs XA 25 Power Amplifier ($4,900.00 USD) with 25 watts at 8 ohms might just power our PSB Stratus G'ers.

With 88 dB efficiency, and a FR (Frequency Response) of 36 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) +/- 1 dB (this deviance is phenomenal, though the low-bass, not so much...), this PSB laut-specker is renowned for sordid Class B performance theatrics, over-all.

With near a wall placement (with 2 to 4 feet), and 25 watts of power, these 88 dB efficient loudspeakers will generate 100.2 dB of SPL power.

Assuming a 0 dB in-room SPL noise-floor, this power will be sufficient for a full (assuming amplifier noise is negligible... around or equal to 0), this power of SPL will be fully sufficiently capable of rendering or renovating a 16-bit CD or Compact Disc (16.64 bit in particular) performance.

What is the noise floor (or distortion matrix) of a Pass? Is there anything to day that makes it worthy of any capability whatsoever? We all know of the Pass Alpha 0, renowned in the day as an audiophile-worthy amplifier, due to it's tube-like performance or so...

Is it (the XA 25) any better (or at all), than today, a comparatively powered Emotiva?

We are thinking of the Emotiva XPA-1L Class A / Class AB Monoblock Amplifiers ($699.00 USD / ea., $1,398.00 USD / pair).

What of the Emotiva XPA-DR1 Differential Reference Monoblock Power Amplifier ($1,199.00 USD / ea., $2,400.00 USD / pair, $4,800.00 USD / quant-tuplet / more .. fore-set / set of 4.)

Can you get more value, spending $4,800.00 USD (spending one hundred dollars less), or $4,900.00 USD (one hundred dollars more)?

Yours,

JP 2017/