Pass Labs X150 going to power the highs on the 4350's

[neanderthal]

I finally lucked across an X150 and got it at a good price. As I've always read here from the people that know says I want a good amp for the highs. I really wanted the Pass labs X150.5 but what I got this for ,and they don't come up all that often I had to jump.
I'm in the process of getting the Middle Atlantic rack together and everything mounted and then comes the dreaded wiring:banghead: . I don't have the Bryston 10B L-R (in process of mounting rack ears to it) nor the X150 (waiting on heavy duty rack shelf) mounted in the rack yet as you can see but hope to within the next two weeks.I'll decide the final arrangement of the gear later
I'm going to try to wire this up myself, I know I can do it Iam just uneducated as to how to properly do it and eliminate ground loop,hum ect.. I can solder, I have common sense and understand reasonably quick what Iam told as long as it is explained in plain basic english...lol. Anyway I just wanted to chime in and post some pics of where Iam at lately. Sorry for the lame pics, it's really hard to take decent pics down here.

[Krunchy]

That is a sweet amp Neanderthal, nice score! :applaud:How many watts is it packing? What are you using for the low end?

Have fun and let us know what you think of it once you're up and running :)

[neanderthal]

That is a sweet amp Neanderthal, nice score! :applaud:How many watts is it packing? What are you using for the low end?

Have fun and let us know what you think of it once you're up and running :)

In the bottom pic I posted of the rack, the bottom amp is a Yamaha PC4002M and the amp above it is a Crown K2. The White 4400 equalizers are mounted on the top of the rack in the pic. I still have to mount the bryston 10B L-R and the X150. The X150 is rated at 150 8ohm.

[Mr. Widget]

You've assembled a real first rate set of electronics! What pre-amp will you be using?

As for grounding issues, the Whites may prove a challenge. I had a hell of a time silencing mine.

You've got a great start there. :applaud:


Widget

[neanderthal]

You've assembled a real first rate set of electronics! What pre-amp will you be using?

As for grounding issues, the Whites may prove a challenge. I had a hell of a time silencing mine.

You've got a great start there. :applaud:


Widget

Iam not sure on a preamp as of yet but will probably be a Pass Labs also. Pass Labs is the only thing I have never read any thing negative about.

The White 4400's are in the cabinet because it was you that recommended them a in a post on 2-18-07 when I first got the 4350's. I figured you knew by experience you knew what you were talking about by reading alot of your posts and never questioned it and left it at that.

I'm sure you'll hear from me again when I get to the wiring it up stage.:banghead:

[Ian Mackenzie]

Very nice!:)

[jblnut]

Looks great Pete ! Can't wait to hear your impressions of the sound when you get it all up and running.

jblnut

[neanderthal]

Looks great Pete ! Can't wait to hear your impressions of the sound when you get it all up and running.

jblnut


Thanks Ian and jblnut,
I just have to have it so so or I'm not satisfied. As soon as the rest of the parts get here to mount everything in the rack I'll get to wiring this thing up and build a fire in it...errrr.. I mean see what it sounds like. I'm patient the 4350's have been sitting there complete for a month and a half waiting to be powered up.

[neanderthal]

Looks great Pete ! Can't wait to hear your impressions of the sound when you get it all up and running.

jblnut


And the PC4002M has a permanent home in the rack as you seen in the pic

[jblnut]

And the PC4002M has a permanent home in the rack as you seen in the pic

Yeah, once you have that boat anchor setup you really don't want to move it around much that's for sure. 100lbs of transformers and heat sinks - ouch!

To think I had two of them at one point, to power one pair of 250's. Glad I came to my senses while I still have some hearing left :).

I'm sure you will be very happy once you get this all up and running. I'm a little curious to see if you'll be able to use different amps for different frequency ranges (by moving cables of course). I'm interested to hear how each one sounds for low, mid and highs and you're in a good position to be able to judge that pretty well it seems.

Glad the project is finally coming to fruition - enjoy !!!

jblnut

[Ian Mackenzie]

You are going to have a lot of fun with this.

There are a few interesting options for the preamp if you stick with Passlabs.

The X1 would be nice (about $2500 SH).

The X150 will radiate a fair bit of heat so make provisions for that when it goes in the rack.

The guys at the factory are always very helpful if you need any assistance. I mean if you call you actually get to speak to the very knowledgeable people or the Man himself.

The synergy with Passlabs and JBL is well recognised worldwide particularly in Japan. I think forum member porchedpm uses a Passlabs X150 on his JBL 4344s so you may wish to compare notes. Ed went bonkers when he got his set-up finished.

You will find the horn and the slot perform better then they have any right to with the X150 on the highs.

Enjoy.

[neanderthal]

You are going to have a lot of fun with this.

There are a few interesting options for the preamp if you stick with Passlabs.

The X1 would be nice (about $2500 SH).

The X150 will radiate a fair bit of heat so make provisions for that when it goes in the rack.

The guys at the factory are always very helpful if you need any assistance. I mean if you call you actually get to speak to the very knowledgeable people or the Man himself.

The synergy with Passlabs and JBL is well recognised worldwide particularly in Japan. I think forum member porchedpm uses a Passlabs X150 on his JBL 4344s so you may wish to compare notes. Ed went bonkers when he got his set-up finished.

You will find the horn and the slot perform better then they have any right to with the X150 on the highs.

Enjoy.


Thanks Ian...I always appreciate your input. I do intend and will without fail install temperature activated fans in the cabinet to pull out the hot or warm air when the insude temp raises above I believe 80-85 degrees.

Iam mounting everything 1U apart above and below with vented rack panels so the fans pull air across each amp ect. I will also look imto mounting a temp guage so I can also monitor the inside temp so it doesn't get out of hand.

As I stated in previous threads I really prefered the X150.5 above the X150 but I couldn't pass this deal up. Atleast in my opinion I feel since I now have a Pass Labs amp to power the highs I have left nothing on the table by choosing an amp by any other manufacturer, but that's just my opinion and how I feel.

[Ian Mackenzie]

We look forward to more progress reports :)

[spwal]

I have a pass B1 buffer preamp. It's invisible. You need to read up on it though to see if it works for you. It's part of the pass first watt series.

[neanderthal]

We look forward to more progress reports :)


If you don't mind me asking a question , one of many yet to come why is the connector in the female XLR connector connecting two pins together? I was just sitting here figuring up how many connectors ect I need to get to get all of this wired up and saw that. I don't like asking stupid questions but if I'm going to play on this level I need to be more educated. Thanks for any help....

[BMWCCA]

I'm certain those who actually know the answer will respond eventually. But until then, I'll speculate that the jumper is used when the input is through the un-balanced RCA jacks. You most likely are supposed to remove them when you use true balanced XLR connections. :dont-know

[neanderthal]

I'm certain those who actually know the answer will respond eventually. But until then, I'll speculate that the jumper is used when the input is through the un-balanced RCA jacks. You most likely are supposed to remove them when you use true balanced XLR connections. :dont-know


Yes that is correct or I should say that is what I read after I already posted. I read that the jumper stay's connected between pin 1 and 3 if driving the amp single ended. I couldn't find out what pin is hot on the X150 but am assuming it is pin 2 if pin 1 and 3 are connected with the jumper. But that is an electronic illiterate person making an electronic illiterate assumption

That is how the Yamaha PC4002M and the crown K2 is Pin1 cold.... Pin 2+...Pin3-

[porschedpm]

According to the owner's manual for the Pass X-1 preamp:

"On the XLR connectors, pin 1 is grounded, pin 2 is the positive signal, and pin 3 is the negative signal."

I looked in the owner's manual for the X150.5 and could not find a similar reference but I'm sure Pass uses the same convention.

FWIW, I'm using an X250 to run the low end of my 4343-to-4344 upgrades and an X150.5 to run the top end. For the pre-amp I'm currently using a Pass X-1. The electronic crossover was designed and built by a forum member back in 2005. I believe he used a Pass DIY crossover as the basis for the system. The same forum member also built the speaker crossovers. All crossovers are still running spectacularly. The X250 and the X150.5 both run warm. The X150.5 runs hotter. I can keep my hand on the heatsinks of the X250 indefinitely. On the X150.5 I can only keep my hand on the heatsink 4 seconds at the most. Still, I've never felt the need to add additional cooling.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your X150 amp. The best way to describe these, without getting into alot of audio vernacular is 'detailed and transparent'. You'll find though that these amps (together with the 4350's) set a high bar for the rest of your system.

[LowPhreak]

Very nice amps, those X series'. I always liked their sound over my old Krell KSA-150, but then the Krell's were great on the low end.