Pass Labs

XA160.8

Reference Mono Blocks !

Legendary Reference Mono Blocks as new in Factory Boxes & highly RECOMMENDED

Please no low offers  these will sell as new factory boxed and the right buyer will be very happy with this pair as new.

More
of just about everything: 72 output power-MOSFETs, higher input
impedance, higher capacity power supply and the ability to deliver over
320 watts per channel in class A with greater dampening. The 160.8's
deliver power and finesse in spades. Voices take on shape and depth,
piano notes arrive with full acoustic integrity and the rest of the
rhythm section is delivered with both powerful attack and holographic
sustain. The effortless conveyance of musicality and realism must be
heard to be believed.

=============

Tone Audio Said:

https://www.tonepublications.com/review/pass-labs-xa160-8-monoblocks/

It’s no secret our publisher is incredibly enthusiastic about
Pass amplifiers.  While the company’s flagship Xs300 monoblocks have
been serving dual duty as his reference amplifiers and the furnace for
the TONEAudio studio for some time now, his relationship with
Nelson Pass is more than a mere bromance. It goes all the way back to
the early 1980s, when we lived on Milwaukee’s East Side and he talked me
into helping him carry his new Threshold 4000A power amplifier up a few
flights of stairs.

I’m a tube guy; I’ve always been a tube guy – the tubey-er, the
better. Back in 1980-something, that Threshold was a mind-bender because
this massive solid-state amplifier made the room warmer than any tube
amplifier I had ever experienced, sounded as musical as anything with
glowing bottles, yet had killer bass output and control. It even sported
an awesome set of red LED power output meters! The 4000A stayed in my
system for a long time after our publisher’s terrier-like nose
for all things audiophile led him sniffing down other paths and, as with
one of my prized BMW 2002s, I still regret selling it.

It’s all about control

Don’t let Nelson Pass’s easy demeanor fool you; he wants control. At
least control of your speakers’ cones. The major benefit to the massive
power supplies and output stages in the two-chassis Xs amplifiers is the
amount of control they enforce on your loudspeakers. Not letting the
drivers act in a willy-nilly manner keeps distortion and non-linearity
at bay, resulting in a cleaner, clearer, less fatiguing sound. Pass is
fond of saying that he likes the sound of tubes without the hassle, and
the Xs300s deliver this in abundance. But at almost $90K per pair they
are not within the reach of every audio enthusiast.

Enter the XA160.8 monoblocks at $29,000/pair. Building on the success
of the .5 series (you can read our review of the XA160.5 monoblocks
here[1] and the XA200.5 monoblocks here[2]
) the .8 series of Pass amplifiers takes these designs a major step
further. Larger power supplies and a more refined circuit allow these
new amplifiers to be biased further into class-A territory. The changes
draw more power from your wall, and generate more heat – something we
put to good use here in the Pacific Northwest. The results put the 160.8
closer in sound to the massive, two-chassis Xs amplifiers than before.
The price tag is still not pocket change, but a far cry from what the
four-chassis, big boys will set you back.

Pass makes it a point to let you know that these are not
cookie-cutter amplifiers, with each version sharing an input stage
followed by progressively larger output stages. Every model in the .8
series is individually designed from the ground up with all nine
amplifiers in the range using different input and driver circuitry
optimized for progressively larger output stages. A peek inside the case
reveals a prodigious bank of power supply capacitors flanked by equally
huge heat sinks, each with “more output transistors than necessary.”

With balanced XLR inputs (the XA160.8 is a fully balanced design) and
RCA inputs, this amplifier works well with any preamplifier. My ARC REF
5 proves a perfect match for the XA160.8, but after spending a bit of
time with the top-of-the-line Xs Pre, I’m guessing it’s upgrade time
again.  Even my standby CJ PV-12 turns in an amazing performance with
these amplifiers and reminds me of when I used the Threshold 4000A with a
CJ PV-2a preamplifier. Time does fly when you’re having fun. Watch for
our review of that piece very soon. Suffice it to say that the XA160.8
will never be the weak link in your hifi system!

Taking care of business

Vicariously sampling the last four or five Pass amplifiers that have
been in for review, it’s time to put the latest models front and center
in my reference system and flog them. Rage Against the
Machine’s “Take the Power Back” does the trick, as the intro kick drum
beats and bass riffs occupy separate spots in the soundstage, neither
losing their focus as I turn the volume up, up, up – pushing my head
back against the couch. Yet near the end of the track as the pace
settles to light cymbal work, the delicacy and texture rendered stops me
dead. It’s so quiet and precise, everything appears to settle into
nothing.

Sporting the big, blue circular meters that adorn the face of all the
Pass power amplifiers, the 125 pound (each) XA160.8s are a breeze to
move after the Xs300s. However, they’re probably a stretch for one
person lifting, so you should consider getting some help to keep your
back in order. For those not familiar with Pass amplifiers, the meter
needle stays centered, indicating that the amplifier is operating fully
in class-A mode, which for the 160.8, is 328 peak watts. So when that
needle starts to bounce, these amplifiers are indeed producing major
power.

Driving my Vandersteen 5As with the XA160.8s is absolutely peachy and
the synergy with the Audio Research REF5SE is near perfection as well. I
have spent some time with the Pass Xs Pre that is here for review, and
that’s even more revealing. It goes without saying that you won’t go
wrong with an all-Pass system, and as Mr. Pass says, you’ll never have
to look for tubes again.

Break-in has been the same experience we’ve had with all other Pass
amplifiers; they sound great straight out of the box and improve
linearly over about 300 hours, with a minimal increase in clarity after
that. Though solid state, they take as long as, if not longer than, a
vacuum tube amplifier to fully “warm up.” Due to the power draw (550
watts per monoblock) and heat generated, most owners will not want to
leave them on all the time. The XA160.8s take about 90 minutes to come
out of the gentle mist exhibited at initial power up that dissipates
after they reach full operating temperature. You’ll notice it in the
smoothness of the upper register and the depth of the soundfield
portrayed – getting deeper and deeper, drawing you further in to the
presentation as they stabilize.

The 160.8s are consistent at low, medium and high volume. They never
run out of steam when cranking AC/DC to near-concert levels, yet when
listening to solo vocals or piano at levels barely above a whisper,
maintain depth and a tonal richness that you’d expect from a flea watt
SET amplifier. To say these amplifiers are incredibly linear and dynamic
is an understatement.

In the end

We’re all worm food. But for now, if you find yourself asking the
venerable question, “tubes or transistors,” this tube guy says buy the
XA160.8 from Pass Labs. Unless you can afford the Xs monos, then of
course you know what you must do.

Additional Listening: Jeff Dorgay

Selfishly, it’s always wonderful when someone else shares my
enthusiasm for a piece of audio gear, and in this case, it’s been an
ongoing argument between myself and Mr. O’Brien for a couple of decades
now. While I agree with his analysis, because of the nature of the
Vandersteen 5As only needing to be powered from about 80hz up, (because
of their internally powered woofers) these speakers don’t give the full
scale of the XA160.8s’ performance. And, of course, we like to perform
amplifier reviews with as wide of a range of speaker systems as possible
to see if there are any rocks in the road. I assure you there are none.

As with all the other Pass amplifiers we’ve auditioned, the XA160.8
continues the tradition of being able to drive any load effortlessly. I
began my listening with the toughest speakers in my collection, the
Magnepan 1.7s and the Acoustat 2+2s. Both passed with flying colors, and
it was an interesting comparison to play the 2+2s with both the
XA160.8s and a recently restored Threshold 400A that I used to use with
my 2+2s in the ’80s. The more powerful, heavier, 4000A only stayed in my
system briefly, but the 400A stayed for quite some time and was always a
favorite.

Thanks to so much current on tap, the 2+2s now sound like there is a
subwoofer in the room, but more importantly, these speakers, known for
their somewhat loose and flabby lower registers are exhibiting taut,
tuneful bass in a way they never have. Thomas Dolby’s “Pulp Culture”
shakes the listening room with authority. An even tougher test is
acoustic bass, and again the vintage ESL’s dance through all of my
favorite Stanley Clarke tunes.

Moving through the gaggle of great speakers we currently have here
from Dali, Dynaudio, GamuT, Eggleston and a few others, the XA160.8s
have no limitations. To get them to (softly) clip requires ear
shattering volume, or perhaps a pair of horribly inefficient speakers.
In that case, there are always the XA200.8s and the Xs amplifiers.

No matter what music is served, the XA160.8s perform effortlessly and
get out of the way for your enjoyment of it. The biggest delight, aside
from knowing you’ll never have to hunt down matched quartets of power
tubes again, is just how much of the flagship Xs300s capability is
locked up inside these two boxes at one third of the price. Mind you in a
“cost no object” system, the difference between the XS160.8 and the
Xs300 will still be easily apparent, but it’s like the difference
between an $85,000 Carrera and a $175,000 GT3RS – it’s easy to see, feel
and hear the lineage,  and for those who don’t want to go all the way,
will still find the lower-priced sibling still highly enjoyable.

I’ve hinted that the Pass XA160.8s have the slightest bit of warmth
in their overall character, which they do. However, this additional
richness and palpability is not at the expense of softness, or
compromise in transient attack. If you want a strictly “nothing but the
facts” the Pass sound may not be for you, but if you’ve always loved a
touch of the glow that the world’s best vacuum tube amplifiers possess
without having to chase the glass bottles, you must audition the XA160.8
I guarantee you will be highly impressed.

The Pass XA160.8

$29,000/pair

www.passlabs.com

       ========================================================

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is best to call David and visit: www.weinhartdesign.com with questions

in Los Angeles Showroom 310-472-8880 or on my cell after hours and

weekends 310-927-2260 any time from 10AM - 10PM.

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