Is my amp under powered for my A3's?

Munchoba

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2019
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Hi,

Newbie on this forum.
I've gotten a pair of A3's last year, waiting for my dCS Bartok to arrive and now wondering if my Pass Labs 30.5 is the right amp for these speakers?
Open to suggestions and thinking eventually of getting ARC or Luxman. What is an appropriate power for these speakers?

thanks
Bernard
 

kswanson27

Well-Known Member
Nov 21, 2018
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The Hegel H360 worked very well with mine. But when I moved up to S3 MkII I got a Boulder 2060 and the difference was significant. I suspect it would not have been as great a difference with the A3s. The H360 is available at a reasonable cost second hand.
 

Munchoba

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2019
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The Hegel H360 worked very well with mine. But when I moved up to S3 MkII I got a Boulder 2060 and the difference was significant. I suspect it would not have been as great a difference with the A3s. The H360 is available at a reasonable cost second hand.
Very intersting. Thanks
 

Bodhi

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2014
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Re: your Pass 30.5 amp, a 30 watt amp with a 150 damping factor I think is a bit on the lean side for the A3's being a sealed box design with an 88db, 4 ohm nominal load. I've heard the A3's in an extended listening session with the Vitus RI-101 integrated. That was a great match. The Vitus has ample power and sounds natural, tonally accurate, well balanced & notably has excellent low level detail retrieval, a result of a significant lowering of the noise floor from the old RI-100. Though not cheap @$15.6kUS. Another amp I think would pair well based on past shows is the new Hegel H590 integrated @$11k. The Hegel is a bit of a Swisse army tool and has some impressive inclusions. I wouldn't have any hesitation recommending either amp depending on budget.
 
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Munchoba

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2019
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Re: your Pass 30.5 amp, a 30 watt amp with a 150 damping factor I think is a bit on the lean side for the A3's being a sealed box design with an 88db, 4 ohm nominal load. I've heard the A3's in an extended listening session with the Vitus RI-101 integrated. That was a great match. The Vitus has ample power and sounds natural, tonally accurate, well balanced & notably has excellent low level detail retrieval, a result of a significant lowering of the noise floor from the old RI-100. Though not cheap @$15.6kUS. Another amp I think would pair well based on past shows is the new Hegel H590 integrated @$11k. The Hegel is a bit of a Swisse army tool and has some impressive inclusions. I wouldn't have any hesitation recommending either amp depending on budget.

Thank you Bodhi. Don't want/need an integrated but will certainly look into Vitus.
 

Bodhi

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Apr 20, 2014
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Thank you Bodhi. Don't want/need an integrated but will certainly look into Vitus.
No prolly. There is also a stereo version of the RI-101 (RS-101) fyi. But unless you were going for Vitus separates, for the extra $1k I'd go for the RI-101 every time. The Soulution 330 integrated also has excellent synergy with the A3's in a smaller room, and again there is a stereo version of that amp (311). Vitus in a medium or larger room.
 
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Munchoba

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2019
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You might also consider the Norma PA150 or even the PA160MR.

Thank you. I have to admit, I've never heard of Norma. Not sure they have a dealer in Canada.
 

DSkip

Industry Expert
Aug 26, 2013
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www.audiothesis.com
http://www.crownmtnimports.ca/home.html

I don’t know them but I am the new US distributor for Norma and they have some special sauce in their solid state. They are probably the best kept secret in the North American market. I actually wasn’t interested in working with them initially but then I heard their gear. I found other resources to ensure we could work together after that!

Fidelis (Harbeth Importer) was their US distributor and when we worked out the transition they made it absolutely clear that they wanted to remain a dealer for them. They were also happy to see me assume the brand so I could focus on more exposure for Norma.
 

GSOphile

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Sep 3, 2017
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I echo Bodhi's advice. I have S3 Mk2s, which present a load similar to your A3s. I play mostly classical music where dynamics matter. Although I don't often listen at what most would consider 'loud' levels, I really appreciate the ease with which my Gryphon Diablo 300 (600 watts into 4 ohms) drives these speakers.
 

CKKeung

Well-Known Member
Jun 17, 2011
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Hong Kong
Norma PA-150 stereo
878709-norma-pa150-2mhz-stereo-amp-distrib-demo-rmaf-save-gt-50.jpg

Norma PA-160 mono
1538123563Bloc_mono_PA-160_MR_interne.jpg

The Italian design is internally beautiful too!
 

Bartolo

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2019
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My Naim 300DR is driving my A3's just fine.
 

cjf

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2012
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I've got the S3 MKI and prior to my current Pass XA60.8's I was powering them for a short while with a Pass XA30.5. It did seem a bit under powered but not by too much. Bass was a bit "Puffy" but that too may have been part of the XA30.5's personality. I loved the sound of that Amp overall though. Only time the needle ever moved was during "Full Send" mode FWIW.

If not to constrained budget wise it wouldn't hurt to move up to something a bit more powerful. I'm biased but I would pick up XA60.8 Mono's if I were in your shoes. You wont be disappointed, I know I'm not :)
 

Genkifd

Member
Apr 20, 2019
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recently listened to the A3s with Vitus RI101 integrated. although the A3s had not been run in for me there was something missing. but this may also be the source material as the dealer could not get my selected material working.

to me the synergy was not there. however, this setup was very airy and had an enormous sound stage.
 

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