A? There's a bunch of reasons, but first and foremost Class A is significantly less
power efficient. Green, it's not.
For a given amplifier power rating, say 30 watts per channel, the Class A amp draws
twice as much power from your AC wall outlet than a 30 watt Class A/B amp would,
and most of the additional power draw is turned into heat. So don't even think of
placing the INT-30A in a closed cabinet. Class A amplifiers are also bigger and
heavier than other amplifier types of the same power rating. But Pass feels that Class
A operation is worth it, because "Class A amps make people happy." That's not
something I'd expect to hear from an engineer, but Pass isn't your average engineer.
Sticking with the keep-it-simple theme, the INT-30A's front panel is a model of
simplicity. There's an easy-to-read fluorescent display, and buttons for power, mute
and the four line-level inputs. You won't have to read the owner's manual to use the
INT-30A.
’Round back you'll find four singled-ended RCA inputs (inputs 1 and 2 offer the option
of using balanced XLR inputs). There's also RCA and XLR preamp outputs, which
might come in handy if you ever needed to bi-amplify speakers with a second amp,
like Pass' 30 watt basic stereo amp, the XA30.5. One obvious connectivity lapse: the
INT-30A lacks Tape Outputs. I don't consider that a major oversight.
I really liked the INT-30A's snazzy all-metal remote, first because it looks like it
belongs with a high-end amp like the INT-30A, and because it's not one of those
ridiculously heavy metal remotes.
My two reference speakers, the
Zu Essence
and
Magnepan 3.6/R
are both great, but
very different sounding speakers. The Zu is dynamic and lively, but it lacks the
resolution of the Magnepans. The Magnepans can't rock the house like the Zu
speakers can, but they're more see-through transparent. The Magnepans need a lot
of power to sing, so the INT-30A wouldn't be the best choice for Magnepan owners
who like to crank their tunes. The 150 watt per channel INT-150 integrated amp