YBA Passion A650 Stereo Power Amp
REFERENCE AUDIO – WITHAM ESSEX
BOB’s Review Series - No 30 – YBA Passion A650 Stereo Power Amp
Introduction – Back in review 22 I had a chance to assess the YBA Passion P550 preamp and here I am looking at the matching stereo power amp. The preamp wasn’t available for this review of the Passion A650 stereo power amp, being out on home loan to a customer at the time so I wasn’t able to listen to them as natural partners. Having reviewed the preamp recently I won’t go into full detail about YBA again here referring you instead to my earlier review but to precis that review YBA was established in 1981 by Yves-Bernard Andre and manufactured in France until around 2009 when YBA partnered with Shanling in China. After a short break and the appointment of a new CEO the YBA brand was relaunched in 2012 and now all their products continue to be designed in France. It retails at £6,500 (at the time of writing).
Their current product range comprises the Heritage, Genesis, Passion and Signature models and YBA say they design products to last so they don’t make changes just for the sake of change, preferring to release products that will stay current for many years. Their product list includes Pre, Power and Integrated amps, CD Players and Transports, DAC’s, Phono Stages and most recently a streamer.
Technology – Like many of YBA products this amp sits on three rather than four feet with one at the front and two at the rear, this potentially gives better stability, unless you lean on one corner and because the front foot is hard it’s best not to stack them to avoid scratches. The front panel has a power meter display that can be dimmed or turned off and a remote sensor, the power on/off switch is located under the front panel to the left. On the rear are 2 pairs of speaker outputs (YBA favour using output A over output B), RCA and XLR inputs but as this isn’t a fully balanced amp so YBA prefer you to use the RCA inputs for best quality. The A650 amp can also be used in bridged mode as a monobloc but then the only input option is on XLR which seems at odds with their stated preference for RCA connection, but I guess that bridging effectively turns them into balanced operation mode. YBA preamps are however fully balanced devices. In use the A650 runs barely warm so those expensive YBA Logoed heatsinks each side of the case are more for visual effect than for cooling reasons.
The A650 stereo amp puts out 200w into 8ohms and 400w into 4ohms, when bridged into mono output increases to 600w into 8ohms so this is a very powerful device. It comes in natural aluminium finish only (silver) and measures 430 x 178 x 397mm (WHD) and weighs in at 25kg.
System Components used in this Review:
Amplifiers: Preamp – Pre-out from PS Audio Direct Stream DAC
Power amps – YBA Passion Amp 650 (This Review)
Digital Sources: Innuos Statement Streamer – PS Audio Direct Stream DAC in Bridge Link Mode via Ethernet - Sony CDP X3000ES CD
Analogue Sources: None
Streaming Sources: Tidal and Qobuz – Roon Management
Speakers: Marten Mingus Quintet
Performance – The A650 is less sensitive than some and I found I needed to turn the volume up quite a bit more than usual for the same level output in my room, but this had no impact on the sound quality which is very good right across the audio spectrum regardless of volume levels. Although it runs cool to the touch the sound it produces is anything but. ‘One Minute You’re Here’ from Springsteen’s ‘Letter to You’ album shows just how detailed is the sound it produces with rhythmic bass and lively mid-range with an open and precise soundstage sitting way outside the width of the speakers. The A650 likes to play music for you to listen to and enjoy, sure it can do background music, but it can also do the full ‘sit down and listen’ experience where you crank up the volume and luxuriate in the enveloping sound it makes by grasping your speakers and convincing them to perform at their best.
If you want to be able to pick a performance to pieces or try and seek detail extremes or find the deepest bass in your collection, then you are missing the point of YBA who’s products are designed to play music just for the pure enjoyment of doing so and not to be used as an analytical tool. It can of course party when asked to do so and won’t shy away from your party playlists so don’t think its just for personal listening events. Searching Tidal’s new album releases I came across ‘Escapades’ by Gaspard Auge, a French DJ and producer (seemed fitting somehow) and this electronic album was presented with lots of dynamics and interest and made me feel like I was at a live event and listening to real instruments.
For the full emotional vocal replay, I chose ‘Dying Light’ by Oh Susanna and her voice was just as it should be with sincere and sometimes strident but not shrill vocals without turning her into something soft and slushy. One of the last tracks I played via the YBA A650 was ‘Nothing Yet’ by Tracy Chapman whose unmistakeable voice was a joy to listen to. This track and indeed the whole album has distinctive rhythm, deep bass when called upon and is complemented by her heartfelt vocals throughout and always at one with the backing instruments and vocals. The A650 showed just how important it is to have a really good amplifier in your system.
Conclusion – This is a great sounding amplifier that I know from listening in our showroom tends to works best, but not exclusively when connected with other YBA products such as their Passion P550 preamp. It’s very well built and is designed to last a long time and indeed YBA are one of those companies that don’t upgrade their products just for the sake of doing so meaning their product ranges stay current for many years. It should definitely be on your shortlist to audition.
Bob – Team Reference Audio