I think the bias level is fixed, regardless of where the needle lies on the meter. All the meter does is indicate if and when the amp goes out of Class A, i.e.. if the needle moves at all while music is playing, then you are switching out of Class A.

It just looks better if the needle is in the center at idle.

peterayer September 22, 2014 10:55

On a whim, I recently contacted Rockitman and invited myself over to hear his system. I had a trip planned in the area and have always wanted to see/hear his system.

Chris is a most gracious host, totally infected with the high end bug. HIs system and music collection are truly something to behold. We listened to the new mono pressing of the Beatles on LP, a tape of Ray Brown playing live, a few of my own LPs brought for the occasion. No digital that night.

After some background discussions about the system and the music, we sat down to listen. The immediate and first impression of the sound was that the scale and energy of the music was completely captured and reproduced. Large scale music came across with the power and visceral impact that is heard live. The system was also completely effortless. Music simply emerged from nothingness and often exploded into the room. The other truly astonishing aspect of the sound was just how silent the LP playback is. The TechDas table is a marvel of engineering. I also really appreciated hearing the massive Pass mono blocks.

Chris demonstrated how sensitive the Herzon isolation table is. Simply tapping your toes on the carpet over concrete floor produced a response from the servos in the isolation unit. The digital readout then showed that nothing passed through the top plate. Nothig gets to this table and the result is pure black backgrounds and lack of distortion induced by vibrations.

The Sheffield Drum Track and solo piano track I played were exceptionally realistic. It is clear to me that Chris is a real enthusiast and loves his music. It was a very enjoyable evening of great music very well reproduced.

Thanks Chris for a great time.

peterayer September 13, 2014 17:16

Rockitman, congratulations on all of your changes. Will you be switching all of your cables over to MIT? Also, what do you think of the various different settings on the MA-X SHD cables? I played around with those in a Magico Q7 based system and found the different settings altered the sound quite a bit.

peterayer August 30, 2014 12:56

Great pictures Rockitman. I also saw them over at WBF. The system must really sound great these days. I'm curious if you are considering the Pass XS Pre to replace the XP30? I've heard that it is a worthwhile upgrade if you can afford it. Congratulations on the system and the new photos really give a great impression of the room and the great equipment.

peterayer February 16, 2014 23:47

Dev, I followed your advice and borrowed the TimeLine from Albert. The video results are on two other Audiogon threads on turntable speed. I don't want to derail Rockitman's system thread any longer.

peterayer December 27, 2013 19:54

Thanks Dev. Do you have specifics about how your friend did the test of his 30/12? How far away was the strobe dot from the spindle, for instance. Also, how much was it too fast or too slow by?

I can't do the math, but if the strobe light falls say 15 feet away from the device and it drifts off of the reference mark by 1cm over five minutes, that could be off on the order of 1/1000th of an rpm. Would that inaccuracy be audible?

Did your friends dot drift to either side of the mark or was it consistent in one direction, etc?

It will be interesting to learn how this device works and how it compares to my KAB. I think there are some other dedicated threads on the subject. The results I've read about so far don't seem to have a consistent testing methodology. Sorry to highjack this system thread, Christian. I'll look for other threads.

peterayer December 15, 2013 22:47

Albert, will do. Thanks.

peterayer December 14, 2013 19:00

Dev, I'm pleased to read your report of the TimeLine test on this impressive TechDas belt drive turntable. It confirms that some belt drives are able to maintain proper speed accuracy. At some point I'd like to borrow a TimeLine to test my belt drive.

peterayer December 13, 2013 16:30

Thanks for the link to Kessler's review. I like the technical reporting in Hi-Fi News. It seems like a most impressive turntable.

peterayer September 25, 2013 14:44

Rockitman, I just reread MF's review in Stereophile. Man that table is full of technical features and seems very sophisticated. He describes the same sense of music exploding out of jet black backgrounds.

Would you consider selling your second turntable if you end up preferring the TechDas by a large margin? You could then focus your energies and listening time on just two arms, two cartridges and one phono amp. Put the extra resources into LPs or tapes. I'm just curious why some keep gear that is not often used because they prefer the other unit much more.

I'm sure it's too early to decide that right now. I'm also interested in how the TechDas will perform on your Herzan versus the HRS platform.

peterayer September 24, 2013 00:14

Just checked out the techdas link and noted the SME V-12 arm in the rear 12" position. Do the owners of this table have a preferred arm? I've also seen the Durand Telos on the Techdas. I would presume that in the US that there would be a lot of Graham arms as Bob is the distributor over here.

peterayer September 23, 2013 16:56

Christian, I look forward to reading your thoughts about how the Pass XP 25 compares to your new H5000. Do you plan to do a direct comparison using the same table/arm/cartridge/cable?

peterayer September 07, 2013 20:53

Jason, You must mean the XS 150 and not the XS 150.5. I'm not yet aware of any ".5" update to this model.

Christian, I had the pleasure of hearing my XA160.5 with a pair of Sasha and can say the Wilsons really appreciated the control of the large Pass amps. Wilson and Pass is a popular combination in Europe, for good reason, IMO. Your system must sound great.

peterayer July 09, 2013 22:20

Rockitman, You are flying to the moon. I've rarely, maybe never in fact, seen a system catapulted so quickly to the upper reaches of the hobby. Congratulations. It must sound amazing now. The TechDas should be another wonderful addition. Have you heard the AF1 yet?

I struggle to imagine what could be next - the XLF, the Pass XS Pre and Phono? Very exciting.

peterayer May 07, 2013 10:58

Christian, Now that you have had the XS in your system for a while, could you elaborate on the difference between them and your old XA100.5? Did you ever go back and forth between them or did you sell one when the other arrived?

peterayer February 04, 2013 21:22

"Hard to imagine they could improve the XP-30, XP-25, but you never know." That's what I thought about my XA160.5, but after reading your and other's initial testimonials of the XS, I'm convinced as long as NP and Wayne are designing products, they will find a way to continue to improve their designs. Incredible, really.

peterayer September 01, 2012 18:40

I know exactly what you mean. "You don't know what you are missing until you hear it", my friend said after hearing the XP-30 in my system.

Unfortunately, I can only afford my XP-20 right now. I'll have to wait for a used XP-30 (maybe yours) once Pass develops ax XS-P preamp perhaps sometime in the future. They say that anything can drive the new XS platform. Even a Pass Passive? They could compliment there new line of speakers with a super $30K preamp and phono stage.

peterayer August 31, 2012 20:05

We want pictures. Congratulations for getting them hooked up. And as I understand it, those initial impressions are based on listening to digital. Wow, imagine what your LPs will sound like.

Some of what you describe I heard when I moved up from the XA100.5 to the XA160.5, but my speakers needed the extra power. I wonder if some of what you will hear is just from the extra headroom that these have over your old 100.5s.

Look forward to more listening impressions as time goes on.

peterayer August 30, 2012 20:57

Well Albert, It's not like Rockitman can't listen to music. He still has the XA100.5 in the system unless he already traded them in. Then it would be a REAL shame.

peterayer August 27, 2012 02:02

Come on friends, help out your buddy Rockitman. He wants to listen to his new toys, and I want to see his photos and read his review.

peterayer August 26, 2012 22:15

Congratulations. Uncrate from the garage or street and move each of the four separately into the house. We are all extremely envious. I'm looking very forward to reading your impressions and seeing some photos.

If and when the Xs super preamp is developed, I want the right of first refusal on your XP-30. Just joking, but your system must be amazing.

peterayer August 11, 2012 19:17

Rockitman, Yours must be a tremendous system. Last weekend I took my XA160.5 to a friend's house. He has the XP-30 and Sashas. The Pass/Pass combo really sounded nice on his Wilsons. With your Alexandrias and XP-25, the system must be incredible. Well done and please keep us updated.

peterayer August 02, 2012 20:10

Rockitman,
Did you ever audition speaker wire from Transparent? I'm curious because that is what Wilson uses in its speakers and it is supposed to be very good, though I have never tried it in my own system. Cables are the next area of investigation in my system as well.
Congratulations, your system must sound tremendous.

peterayer June 28, 2012 12:27

Love the photos of your room. The wide angle makes the XA100.5 look HUGE. I know Pass/Wilson are a great combination, so your system must sound great. Could you describe the sonic difference you heard when you put your amps up on stands?

Also I'm curious about the gain settings on both your XP-25 and XP-30. I have the XP-20 and Xono. I just got a new analog rig - SME 30/12, V-12 arm, Air Tight supreme cartridge. I've been experimenting with cartridge loading and gain settings inside the Xono. There are so many possible settings that it is a long process, though I'm hearing differences and learning in the process. I'm finding that it is all about getting the balance right. Too much in either direction loses the magic.

I prefer the lowest gain settings in both pre amps. This may be from my days owning the Pass Aleph P which was a one box unit but it had gain dials on the front with a volume control, similar to the XP-30. Pass recommended at the time that the gain be turned as low as possible (to the left) while the volume be turned as high as possible (to the right). This resulted in lower noise and higher fidelity. In my Xono, increasing the gain results in a pronounced and aggressive mid range. Too forward with glare.

Could you share your finding with these next generation Pass pre amps? Thanks.

peterayer May 21, 2012 21:39

Rockit, have you compared the Graham Supreme to either the Talea or the Reed? You mention those as your next upgrades, yet you seem extremely pleased with the Graham. I envy the adjustability of the Graham as I have an SME V. And I'm a huge fan of the Pass electronics. Congratulations again on the XP25 and 30.

peterayer February 16, 2012 21:18

Rockitman,
What are your latest impressions of the XP-30 and XP-25? Are you keeping them or just trying them out? Are they significant improvements over the XP-20 and XP-15 or Xono? Thanks.

peterayer December 15, 2011 22:28