TNT-Audio has reviewed yet another Tripath integrated amp. This time, it’s the battery-powered PSi15 from the unfortunately-named Passion &ound (apparently pronounced, “passion and sound”).
Reviewer David Holgate liked the appearance of the wood construction on the Spanish-made unit, but was less enthused about its single input and questionable ergonomics. He paired the amp with both the Xavian Mia II bookshelf speakers and the Passion &ound PS3 Premium full range compact monitors. On the sound, he noted:
My listening notes over a number of sessions use the words, smooth, clean, clear, precise again and again. I have found that this amp is best suited to playing well-recorded classical or acoustic music, jazz or classic pop at low volumes.
IMHO, I doubt the Xavian Mia II speakers (86dB sensitivity) had much of a chance of rocking out with this amp’s 14 watt output (into 4 ohms). In David’s previous review of the Xavians, he even mentioned that “Xavian recommends power amplification of 30-120W,” so I’m not sure what he was thinking.
Anyway, read the entire review, then let me know if I am missing something here (very possible).
Hi, thanks for this review summary, which I just happened to notice. I used the Xavians as I believe in ‘real life’ reviewing and wanted to test the amp with speakers that I know well. I will be reviewing the PS3 speakers separately in their own right with a range of amplification, including the PSi15. In fact, I’m listening to the PSi15+PS3 right now and still think the amp is more suited to low volumes than rocking out. Regards, David
Hi David! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Good point about real life reviewing. I think the best components are those that are capable of working well with a variety of gear, so I can see why you tried the Xavians. It would have been great to hear more about how the Xavians compared to the PS3s, but it sounds like the amp maintained the same basic character with each. Be sure to let us know when your PS3 review is published and we’ll link to it. Thanks again.