Silverfoxvtx1800

I can personally tell you that the solid state Class A,Pass Labs XA25 and the Pass Preamp or the int-25 integrated Pass don’t hum and are dead silent in the Klipsch speakers…last time I looked there was a couple Pass Labs int-25 amps on USA audiomart…at a decent price….and no tube worries…

I have had this Pass gear for a few weeks and at first I thought a month later I would just think it’s ok, getting new gear at first you are excited and that usually wears off..with the Forte lVs….its still really awesome…each note of the music is so engaging, no comparison to the Primaluna and the other tube amps I had..just so much more…

I must of got a bad one, nothing is perfect humans made it…even though it was a rough road with the Primaluna where I am now is 100% better. The Pass gear is so much better…no regrets…I have had a lot of tube amps in the past year..I found a Decware in a garage sale on my daily walk for 200$, a Dennis Had from the used market, they were ok …I am definitely done with tubes…sold them…

Could of been a funky tube making it hiss…I know my Primaluna I had made lots of weird noises all the time, speaker thump when shutting it off and a click when turning it on..after about 4 hours I had a noise like bending metal that would come randomly and scare the hell out of me..then after I shut it off and it cooled down it did it again…crazy.. ‘Hiss or not the Carver sounded really good…when I took the Primaluna preamp out and put in the Pass Preamp I can’t believe the difference…when I turn the Pass off and on there is no sounds…actually I have only turned it off a couple times in the last 4 weeks…the preamp,stays on 24/7…I turn the display off …the remote is so nice …. All that is water under the bridge, all the Primaluna stuff is gone and all the tubes.. ‘bottom line what I have learned recently is if you can keep amp and preamp from the same manufacturer…it makes a huge difference… ‘With the Primaluna I couldn’t listen to bad recordings, now I can for example the Audioslave recording of the song Like A Stone is awesome….

Ya I saw that review, one thing about them the reviewer has to say it’s better otherwise no one would send them anything to review, when is the last time any of them said the product they were reviewing was bad?…I see the guy from Carver sent a message thanking him for the review… ‘That out of the way I think the Carver amps are really good probably better then most other tube amps in that 5k price range..Nelson Pass and Bob Carver are great developers of amps and are iconic in their field. I remember in the 70s my father-in-law an I went to somewhere in the Seattle area to the Carver factory and picked the Phase Linear amp and preamp off the factory line, and gave it to me, I about died. I have huge regrets trading it for some concrete work years ago. I have a friend with that Carver amp and we did some A/B listening last weekend, the Carver amp does sound really nice, no complaints here,it did give my Klipsch Fortes tweeter hiss that you could hear when you were about 4 ft or closer to the speakers. If I would have bought a Carver amp instead of the Primaluna most likely i wouldn’t have such a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to tubes. When you get up in the morning and turn your tube amp on and you hear an awful noise in your speakers and a red light next to a tube or blow a fuse you get really pissed. ‘My Pass Labs XA25 amp is really close to the Carver amp but when I put the Pass XP12 preamp on that’s what made the difference in the sound stage and everything else a lot better, if I ever went back to tubes which I won’t it would be the Carver amps for sure.. ‘thanks for reminding me of the Carver amps it brings back some great 1970s memories..

It boils down to if you can handle the hum from these tube amps, that’s how they were made…you can’t fix the problem…other then getting something different…I went through this for a couple years…taking these amps to friends systems…and even repair shops..they hum …

Never tried Aric amps but there is definitely great things said about his amps.i was really close to trying his gear but after burying a shorted out Primaluna tube in the backyard I decided to go SS with the Pass Labs and very happy I did..the Primaluna EVO 400 I had was a constant problem after about 6 months of use and I use my gear more then the average bear being retired…the Decware I could hear the hum from my sitting position and being 70 that’s saying something…I took it to many friends systems and the same results…the Had amp had just a little hum that was bearable but my son could hear it so sold them and went to Primaluna…it had a slight hum but there was other noises too..after 4 hours of use it would make a noise like metal bending…weird..and you could hear weird little noises and tubes were shorting out. I am definitely happy with my Pass gear…I am sure we all have different experiences…for sure there are great tube amps out there…

I don’t what’s going on with my system but this PassXA25 amp and the XP-12 Pass preamp is dead quiet..it’s the best sound I have had. Bought my first Forte in 1985 and the Forte IV a year ago…haven’t had any other speakers..never will go the tube route again..the sound now gives me shivers …can’t turn it off

I have Forte lVs and I had a humm with Decware,Had and Primaluna..drove me crazy..the fix was to get rid of all tube amps and put the Pass Labs XA25 in…no hum and sounds better then tube amps.. Having a hum is the worst, the Primaluna had a terrible hum and noisy in general…it’s a boat anchor..got tired of my sons younger ears telling me of all the bad noises..the Pass gear no one is complaining..

Edit

Definitely a little expensive….i am trying to get a tube sound with solid state , lately not happy with tubes…

https://youtu.be/ObE1ufYtUaE?si=kgFAHZDSHxhn-G54 Here’s a link to the sit-4

The sit-4 will be different, have you used any of the first watt products or heard from other members how they sound

Hello, The production of the Sit-4 starts soon, wondering how everyone likes First Watt the Klipsch speakers…I have the Forte IVs…

Hello, The production of the Sit-4 starts soon, wondering how everyone likes First Watt the Klipsch speakers…I have the Forte IVs…

Hello, ‘Wondering if anyone is using or tried Ayon amps with Klipsch speakers..

Thanks Henry, you are definitely right!!

The Pass Labs is definitely a quality product. Does anyone have an opinion on Sugden at half the price?…

Thanks a lot, sure would be nice if it sounds good to me…probably be able to audition one …

I have Yamaha Home theater A/V music doesn’t sound to good on it, but is bullet proof…does that one you recommended sound that good? I was thinking Pass Labs or Sugden integrated

Hello Klipsch people, I have been running tube amps with my Forte IVs for a while and lately having problems. I would like to put my tube amps away for a while and get a solid state integrated so when I turn it on it plays the same every day….something non fatiguing. I would like to be under 10k and under 5k would be perfect…. Thanks….

I added Mullard EL34 Mirror Matched set of 8 Welded Plates XF2s from the 1960s to my PrimaLuna EVO 400 and the bass beats my chest makes my ears sparkle, don’t need a sub with the ForteIVs 13 inches from the back wall 7 inches from the side wall……I change up the 12AU7s with RCA clear tops and Mullard short plates all from the 1960s..don’t need a sub period!! my wife upstairs in her craft rooms complains of the bass vibrations in the floor at normal listening levels…

I start my PrimaLuna EVO 400 every morning after a cup of coffee and shut it down around 4 or 5 and watch TV. After it’s off I wonder what another amp would sound like, cruising the used adds or auctions on EBay…every morning after the EVO 400 warms up even with the stock tubes that urge goes away…

Before I bought the EVO 400 I almost bought the Had amp on EBay, just as I was putting my info in someone else got it. Glad that happened because if there is a problem you really don’t have any recourse…if you want to try a 300b you should talk to Aric Audio…

What other amps did you like more than the Decware? What’s your favorite right now?