Phoenix Gold Phorum

Im a bit embarrassed to ask this but how are the zpa line in terms of SQ?

A buddy of mine was always interested in those amps but never forked over the big bucks for one. I must admit, im curious myself. He has been hinting to me about running zpas for his iasca car for a while now.

I've pretty much all PG amps except the zpa line. It appears that they have the most stout power supply when compared to other PG amps. But how are they sonically?

Sound same as MS/M?

smgreen20


ZPA's will have the same sound essentially as you get from the MS, they just feature a bigger shinier set of balls.

I will be finding out myself soon ....I have a 0.5 on its way to me

I got that quote from Erin. Just thought I'd give credit where it was due.

To most, and I will agree, they are the purest SQ amp PG has ever made. When I get back on my feet I plan on getting another 0.3, maybe two of them???? for the mids/highs.

Back when they came out it was the MS2250 and ZPA0.5 that wanted so bad over ANY other amp. I'm still wishful for the MS too.

I really like ZPA amps, but honestly I have mixed feelings on them.

They are a purist amp as far as overbuilt and the circuitry involved. I do not feel their power supplies are as stout as a MS2125 / MS2250 type amp though. The TO247 devices used in the MS amps are pretty brutal, and 8 of them is almost downright crazy.

The dual power supply voltage / load sensing / power changing aspect is something I am not sold on. I think it really limits these amps. These amps are not true dual mono like a MS2125 / MS2250 is. They have a complex single power supply generating both rail voltages at the same time.

They have a very nice signal path using all discrete parts, so that is a big plus, but as a minus it requires immense input voltage to drive.

And lastly, I really hope I don't offend anyone here, but if you take apart a ZPA and look at the board, it is really for the most part junk. The concept was solid, but it never seemed to make it past prototype stage. Many parts are in bad places, with several seemingly placed as an afterthought. I am sure the V2 version solved a few part issues, but the board layout is still not very mature, and therefore not the most reliable. A V5 ZPA had one ever been made would probably be a better amp.

So to sum up, the ZPA was a great concept which probably due to PG marketing putting a stop on it, never made it to full development and full success.

So as Eric said all we need to do is a head-head with the ZPA .3 & 2125 and the ZPA .5 & 2250 and let our ears be the judge.
I was always led to belive the ZPA series was the flagship of PG, as with Erics comments on parts and what not it sounds like it would be a fun test to run and see what series is the true PG flagship

It would be nice to have a big blind A/B test setup at the dabor for some fun phorum listening tests but I really don't think that's going to be compatible with party time.

fuzzysnuggleduck wrote:It would be nice to have a big blind A/B test setup at the dabor for some fun phorum listening tests but I really don't think that's going to be compatible with party time.

Just remember I cant make it and everybody needs to have a few pops for me (especially on monday, its ma b-day )

oldskoolmseriesfan wrote:So as Eric said all we need to do is a head-head with the ZPA .3 & 2125 and the ZPA .5 & 2250 and let our ears be the judge.
I was always led to belive the ZPA series was the flagship of PG, as with Erics comments on parts and what not it sounds like it would be a fun test to run and see what series is the true PG flagship

XENON!!! I knew there was a reason I was collecting them!

mr tibbs wrote:

oldskoolmseriesfan wrote:So as Eric said all we need to do is a head-head with the ZPA .3 & 2125 and the ZPA .5 & 2250 and let our ears be the judge.
I was always led to belive the ZPA series was the flagship of PG, as with Erics comments on parts and what not it sounds like it would be a fun test to run and see what series is the true PG flagship

XENON!!! I knew there was a reason I was collecting them!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Meh. Throw an eq in the chain and you can make em all sound the same.

thanks for the info guys

Being the owner of 2 ZPA 0.3 and 2 ZPA 0.5. I,m alittle biased. I,ve had the M series and the ZX.
Swaping from the ZX to the Zpa and the sound difference was a great improvement. Speakers came " alive" witha real depth to the sound.

So for me. Best I,ve every had.

I own all these amps....here is my view of ranking, of the amps that I would actually buy

MS
ZPA
ZX
M


The M series only finds itself on bottom b/c that series was lacking in power. In all actuality the M series has the same exact signal path as a MS amp does and " should " produce the same sound.

so why the Ms over the Zpa
I really don't think you would hear much differnce in these 2 amp the MS and Zpa lines we all have to remeber the ms2250 was there flagship amp also???
anyone else?

kg1961 wrote:so why the Ms over the Zpa
I really don't think you would hear much differnce in these 2 amp the MS and Zpa lines we all have to remeber the ms2250 was there flagship amp also???
anyone else?

I would not put a 2250 over a ZPA......I will be more precise
and the TA line would not count at all

MS-2125
ZPA 0.5
ZX500
M100

What PG considers their flagship.....and the amps that actually were their flagships are 2 totally different things.....the ZPA was more of a concept amp....IMO....the design was never perfected, and the run didn't go long enough to work out all the kinks...but they still sound great. The ZPA's also have a higher faliure rate(b/c people try to run them to death)

I think YOU may not hear that much difference....but I can hear everything, at this point....there are only certain PG amps that I would buy....I think the difference between a original MS-2125 and a ZPA 0.5 is night and day......people are always trying to say that all these amps sound the same....that is so far from the truth.....I can instantly hear the difference between any PG amp....even different board revisions are producing different responses.....so I know I'm not crazy....I just spend 2 much time with this stuff......without a number of modifications I can't be happy with the sound anyway...IMO...the stock sound is " alright " on any PG amp....there is serious room for improvement...IMO

I buy these amps to use them as a " base " or starting point for what I really want to do to them.....

for me...


i would take the ms over the zpa as they seem more reliable, don't have failure prone crossover boards, and don't take 8volts of input signal (or more) to work properly.

I might be slowly going crazy.....someone save me from myself......I HAVE ROBOT EARS....AND ROBOT LEGS


Tom Where did the crazy face go ?

I thought it was funny

Im assuming that the Xover boards can be bypassed all together?

Sorry dB... I deleted it.... but here you go!!

dBincognito wrote:I think YOU may not hear that much difference....but I can hear everything

nice!!!

vin78 wrote:Im assuming that the Xover boards can be bypassed all together?

actually....i don't think they can without soldering a mod to bypass them

iirc, they complete part of the signal circuit, so if you want to run full range, you actually need a "bypass" card

Bfowler wrote:

vin78 wrote:Im assuming that the Xover boards can be bypassed all together?

actually....i don't think they can without soldering a mod to bypass them

iirc, they complete part of the signal circuit, so if you want to run full range, you actually need a "bypass" card

that is correct...you need a bypass card......there is a seller on Ebay that has them 2

Bfowler wrote:

vin78 wrote:Im assuming that the Xover boards can be bypassed all together?

actually....i don't think they can without soldering a mod to bypass them

iirc, they complete part of the signal circuit, so if you want to run full range, you actually need a "bypass" card

What a pta.

So MS>ZPA in terms of simplicity and reliability?

The only reason why my buddy and I are interested in the ZPA line is because its supposedly has the most stout power supply (vs all other PG amps). I've read some complaints about reliability issues, where the MS is pretty much bullet proof.

That alone will likely keep us away from this line.
I've always wanted three .03s for my active set-up, but I think i'll stick with the MS amps

Another thing that kinda sucks is that you'll likely need an LD so the amps can run to their full potential. I may be nitpicking, but the MS allows my system to be LD free. I like the simple set up of HU to amp only and nothing in between.

As Eric mentioned, I also like that idea that the 2125 is a true dual mono vs the ZPA which isn't.

Very interesting indeed. thanks for the info guys.

I would still like to start up a zpa collection one day

vin78

I would still like to start up a zpa collection one day

How soon do you want 2 start

I've been trying to make a decision....either I'm keeping the MS stuff or the ZPA stuff...not both...no decisions yet though

dBincognito wrote:vin78

I would still like to start up a zpa collection one day

How soon do you want 2 start

I've been trying to make a decision....either I'm keeping the MS stuff or the ZPA stuff...not both...no decisions yet though

donno, "one day" could be week to 5yrs or even longer. The latter sounds more like it though.

I have too many expenses and my job blows at the moment. Thats why adding on to the collection is on hold.