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REVIEW<br />
Class A solid state amplifier<br />
designs generate what many refer<br />
to as a more “tube like” sound<br />
coupled with an equally amazing<br />
amount of heat. According to<br />
Pass, even with the best class<br />
A designs, only about a third of<br />
the amp’s energy consumption<br />
ultimately results in juice for the<br />
speakers, and the rest is lost in<br />
the form of heat. The .8 series<br />
biases even further into class A<br />
operation than its predecessors,<br />
so the product line is a hot one<br />
indeed and the .8 heat sinks are<br />
redesigned with more surface<br />
area for cooling. Even so, the<br />
amp is designed to operate at a<br />
toasty 127ºF (53ºC).<br />
With all those spiky heat<br />
sinks around the 30.8’s circumference,<br />
you won’t want<br />
to play catch with it. The large<br />
metal handles on the rear of<br />
the amp facilitate careful lifting<br />
and placement while also protecting<br />
the binding posts from<br />
damage, and your arms from<br />
inadvertent scratches. Measuring<br />
19" wide, 7" tall, and 21.5"<br />
deep, including the mostly air<br />
heat sinks, a weight over 100<br />
lbs. comes as a surprise. A lot<br />
of that heft comes from the gigantic<br />
transformers within the<br />
amp. Yes, we’re talking heavy<br />
metal in the very literal sense.<br />
Hooking up the amp is a<br />
breeze. While the XA amps are<br />
a fully balanced design, they<br />
do offer single-ended RCA<br />
connectors as well as the expected<br />
XLRs. Powering up the<br />
amp first via the rocker switch<br />
on the back, then the standby<br />
toggle on the front, the evermagical<br />
meter comes to life,<br />
sweeping the power indicator<br />
needle to a vertical position<br />
and igniting the subtle blue<br />
backing glow. Even at loud<br />
music levels, the needle barely<br />
wavers to indicate a heavy load<br />
on the amp. This thing is really<br />
only 30 watts? Wow. Is there<br />
such thing as “Pass Watts”….<br />
like there’s a dog-years scale<br />
for age? (continued)<br />
186 TONE AUDIO NO.78
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