The new XA25 offers great sound at slightly lower power, without frills, at a lower price. It embodies new components and innovative circuits coupled with the best elements of the previous generation.
Degeneration, “the other form of feedback”, has been eliminated. The output stage consists of a single pair of 800 watt new generation output transistors operating push-pull Class A. The result is faster, lower distortion, lower noise, higher damping and larger Class A operating envelope into low impedance loudspeakers, all in a simple 3 stage circuit with total of three pair of push-pull gain transistors.
2023 Gear of the Year Awards
FutureAudiophile.com
Recommended Components Fall 2023 Edition – Power Amplifiers
Stereophile
The Absolute Sound’s 2023 Buyer’s Guide
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
Stereophile.com
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
The Absolute Sound
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound’s 2020 Buyers’ guide
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2020
The Absolute Sound
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2020
Stereophile
Recommended Components – 2019
Stereophile
“The Occasional”- Editors’ Choice Buyers Guide – 2019
“The Occasional”
Positive Feedback Writer’s Choice Award – 2019
Positive Feedback
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2019
Stereophile
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2018
Stereophile
Occasional 2018 Buyers Guide
Part Time Audiophile
Best of 2018 Award
HomeTheaterReview
“The Pass Labs XA-25 is a really cool bit of audiophile gear in that it is an entry level, somewhat-low-gain, fully Class-A amplifier from the company.”
Future Audiophile Review – 2023
“Pass Labs XA-25 is the smallest most affordable stereo power amp in the lineup. It’s also a 25wpc Class A type that promises a lot.”
HiFi Knights Review
“The lowest-priced amplifier in Pass Laboratories’ XA series, the XA25 strips away all inessentials—front-panel meters, balanced inputs, excessive output power—and provides the listener with a three-stage amplifier in which output power is generated by a single pair of transistors per channel, operating in push-pull class-A.”
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
“These are deeply impressive designs that create an emotional connection to the music is how we described Nelson Pass’ little amp, which produces 25 gorgeous watts per channel. Yes, it’s all in Class A, which makes this power amplifier an intriguing choice for audiophiles who have systems that can really sing without a bunch of juice.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best amps 2021
“I began to realize that the XA25 is the most transparent amplifier I’ve ever heard. His verdict: reasonably priced, strong beyond its power rating, and positively revelatory.”
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2021
“Beyond the inherent sweetness of the XA25’s personality was its ability to transform a listening space into a three-dimensional tableau of images and ambience”
XA25 TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
“The XA25 has an RCA input and no balanced outputs. It’s a very simple amp of surprising performance. However, it is the intellectual property of Pass Lab. So it remains under wraps. I will tell you this so that you can reverse engineer it: three stages; ~700 damping factor; high current; high slew; .00x% distortion; 40µV output noise; big Class A envelope; 25wpc into 8Ω, 100 into 2. And it sounds great.”
6moons.com / Srajan Ebaen – 2018
“As I listened to album after album, I could hear the textures, colors, tones, and harmonics of music in a way that was very moving. The system’s timbre realism with individual instruments and voices was as satisfying with the XA25 as it had been with any amp. All of this added up to enable my system to play music with a wonderful lifelike flow.” Jack Roberts
theaudiobeatnik.com
Fidelity HiFi und Musik / Von Cai Brockmann
“Its divine transparency blesses and illuminates every aspect of the music it touches, enhancing the subtlest aspects of tone, texture, microdynamics, space, and atmosphere.”
Stereophile / Herb Reichert
“I thought I would never hear a solid-state amplifier that could create the gorgeous timbres/tonality/color of the finest tube-based amplifiers, yet that’s what you get with the XA25”
hometheaterreview.com / Terry London
“With my audiophile ears standing at full attention I noted that each instrument sounds like it’s in its own “space” on my favorite recordings.”
CNET / Steve Guttenberg
“I was quite excited when I received notice from Positive Feedback Editor Doc David that there was a Pass Labs XA25 Class A stereo amplifier available for me to write about for Positive Feedback.”
Positive Feedback / Jeff Day
| Class | A |
| Type | Stereo |
| Gain (dB) | 20 |
| Inputs | RCA |
| Power Output /ch (8 ohm) | 25 |
| No Output devices (/ch) | 4 |
| Power Consumption (Watts) | 240 |
| Standby Power Consumption (Watts) | <1 |
| Number of Chassis | 1 |
| Unit Dimension (W x D x H) (In.) | 17 x 17.25 x 6 |
| Unit Weight (LBS) | 48,5 |
| Class | A |
| Type | Stereo |
| Gain (dB) | 20 |
| Inputs | RCA |
| Power Output /ch (8 ohm) | 25 |
| No Output devices (/ch) | 4 |
| Power Consumption (Watts) | 240 |
| Standby Power Consumption (Watts) | <1 |
| Number of Chassis | 1 |
| Unit Dimension (W x D x H) (In.) | 17 x 17.25 x 6 |
| Unit Weight (LBS) | 48,5 |
2023 Gear of the Year Awards
FutureAudiophile.com
Recommended Components Fall 2023 Edition – Power Amplifiers
Stereophile
The Absolute Sound’s 2023 Buyer’s Guide
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
Stereophile.com
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
The Absolute Sound
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound’s 2020 Buyers’ guide
The Absolute Sound
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2020
The Absolute Sound
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2020
Stereophile
Recommended Components – 2019
Stereophile
“The Occasional”- Editors’ Choice Buyers Guide – 2019
“The Occasional”
Positive Feedback Writer’s Choice Award – 2019
Positive Feedback
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2019
Stereophile
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2018
Stereophile
Occasional 2018 Buyers Guide
Part Time Audiophile
Best of 2018 Award
HomeTheaterReview
“The Pass Labs XA-25 is a really cool bit of audiophile gear in that it is an entry level, somewhat-low-gain, fully Class-A amplifier from the company.”
Future Audiophile Review – 2023
“Pass Labs XA-25 is the smallest most affordable stereo power amp in the lineup. It’s also a 25wpc Class A type that promises a lot.”
HiFi Knights Review
“The lowest-priced amplifier in Pass Laboratories’ XA series, the XA25 strips away all inessentials—front-panel meters, balanced inputs, excessive output power—and provides the listener with a three-stage amplifier in which output power is generated by a single pair of transistors per channel, operating in push-pull class-A.”
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
“These are deeply impressive designs that create an emotional connection to the music is how we described Nelson Pass’ little amp, which produces 25 gorgeous watts per channel. Yes, it’s all in Class A, which makes this power amplifier an intriguing choice for audiophiles who have systems that can really sing without a bunch of juice.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best amps 2021
“I began to realize that the XA25 is the most transparent amplifier I’ve ever heard. His verdict: reasonably priced, strong beyond its power rating, and positively revelatory.”
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2021
“Beyond the inherent sweetness of the XA25’s personality was its ability to transform a listening space into a three-dimensional tableau of images and ambience”
XA25 TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
“The XA25 has an RCA input and no balanced outputs. It’s a very simple amp of surprising performance. However, it is the intellectual property of Pass Lab. So it remains under wraps. I will tell you this so that you can reverse engineer it: three stages; ~700 damping factor; high current; high slew; .00x% distortion; 40µV output noise; big Class A envelope; 25wpc into 8Ω, 100 into 2. And it sounds great.”
6moons.com / Srajan Ebaen – 2018
“As I listened to album after album, I could hear the textures, colors, tones, and harmonics of music in a way that was very moving. The system’s timbre realism with individual instruments and voices was as satisfying with the XA25 as it had been with any amp. All of this added up to enable my system to play music with a wonderful lifelike flow.” Jack Roberts
theaudiobeatnik.com
Fidelity HiFi und Musik / Von Cai Brockmann
“Its divine transparency blesses and illuminates every aspect of the music it touches, enhancing the subtlest aspects of tone, texture, microdynamics, space, and atmosphere.”
Stereophile / Herb Reichert
“I thought I would never hear a solid-state amplifier that could create the gorgeous timbres/tonality/color of the finest tube-based amplifiers, yet that’s what you get with the XA25”
hometheaterreview.com / Terry London
“With my audiophile ears standing at full attention I noted that each instrument sounds like it’s in its own “space” on my favorite recordings.”
CNET / Steve Guttenberg
“I was quite excited when I received notice from Positive Feedback Editor Doc David that there was a Pass Labs XA25 Class A stereo amplifier available for me to write about for Positive Feedback.”
Positive Feedback / Jeff Day