Does anyone have any first hand experience with these mono blocks? How do they sound and rack up and sound amongst their peers?

Thanks,
Ken

no sound, truly transparent, just amplification of signal without added salt or pepper

isnt this is what an amp should perform?

agree, no added sugar or salt. it is a very clean amp with tremendous power and excellent bass slam. they are great amps, but i am biased.

Pass Labs is one of the few really expensive amps that I'd waste my own money on :)

Pass Labs is one of the few really expensive amps that I'd waste my own money on :)

+1

alimental

are you serious?

i am. i love pass amps. if i were fabulously wealthy, i'd have a pair of those brutes 'just because'.

How would you describe their sound? Are the highs overly bright?
Ken

Cannot say enough about these amps....truly transparent and accurate.

made my 802's SING! Probably the best I've tried, period.

I've never heard that amp, but I've never heard a bright sounding Pass Labs amp either.

yup, ive never heard a bright pass amp either. in my quet of comparin ss amps, i found the pass amps to be very pure and transparent. there is just a touch of sweetness with the newer x.5 series from the older x that is noticeable when do a comparison. i had the oler x250 and went to an x350.5 and couldn´t be happier. they are awesome amps, read some of the reviews on audiogon as well as some of the magazines.

Thanks for the replies. I am auditioning a pair in my home next week. I will give you my opinion.

Thanks,
Ken

I heard the built-in Pass Labs amps in the Rushmore speaker...all I can say is WOW. If I ever go back to passive speakers I'd strongly consider Pass Labs amps.

Thanks for the replies. I am auditioning a pair in my home next week. I will give you my opinion.

Thanks,
Ken

Look forward to the report. I've only heard those monoblocks once and they sounded great. Pass labs in general is first rate. Not much to complain about with sound quality. There is only one professional reviewer with whom I tend to always agree, Antony Cordesman. He uses Pass labs.

Ken, didnt you just wire the ML monos to the 20's? I thought you said it sounded great to your ears.

I look foward to comparison.

[QUOTE=DOMAIN64;13333338]Ken, didnt you just wire the ML monos to the 20's? I thought you said it sounded great to your ears.

I look foward to comparison.[/QUOTE



I did, but unfortunately I have that needle still stuck in the vein in my arm. My dealer is going to let me listen in my HT. He is great. All of the pieces of equipment that I have gotten were under the conditions that if I do not like it, he will take them back and give me my money back.

My brother said that if I don't want the ML 436's he will take them for what I paid for them. I should have the new amps in about 10 days.
Ken

[QUOTE=DOMAIN64;13333338]Ken, didnt you just wire the ML monos to the 20's? I thought you said it sounded great to your ears.

I look foward to comparison.[/QUOTE



I did, but unfortunately I have that needle still stuck in the vein in my arm. My dealer is going to let me listen in my HT. He is great. All of the pieces of equipment that I have gotten were under the conditions that if I do not like it, he will take them back and give me my money back.

My brother said that if I don't want the ML 436's he will take them for what I paid for them. I should have the new amps in about 10 days.
Ken

Man you are getting back into home theater with a vengance! Nice choices. It's been a long time since I have heard the Levinson stuff.

Hi Bulldogger. Hope all is well with you. I think I have about another week before they arrive. I will post my findings with the amps.
Ken

Hi Bulldogger. Hope all is well with you. I think I have about another week before they arrive. I will post my findings with the amps.
Ken

Ken,

So how did they sound?.....Impressions?

They sound great. Very open and a lot of slam. I am using three of them for my Aerial 20T's and CC5. What I give back to the electric company, I save on me gas heating bills. :)
Ken

They sound great. Very open and a lot of slam. I am using three of them for my Aerial 20T's and CC5. What I give back to the electric company, I save on me gas heating bills. :)
Ken

Are you keeping them? It will be summer soon:). Maybe you need some summer amps now that you have chosen your winter amps.

I have to keep them. I can't lift them. :)
Yes, I am. they sounds great. It is hard to describe the sound. Between these amps, the Meridian 861, Aerial 20T's and MIT Magnum MA cables, the sound is amazing.
Ken

glad you're enjoying them. i really like my 350.5. as you mentioned, the bass slam is not apparent until you compare them to similar powered amps and then realize how much they're pumping out. the quality on the pass stuff is supreme, im sure you'll enjoy them greatly.

Curious,

Why are there not alot of posts here regarding these amplifiers? There are alot of folks that support the quality of this line.

Am I missing something? I realize there is alot unsaid here but besides Ken there are no real supporters. Please explain.

Paul

Curious,

Why are there not alot of posts here regarding these amplifiers? There are alot of folks that support the quality of this line.

Am I missing something? I realize there is alot unsaid here but besides Ken there are no real supporters. Please explain.

Paul

says who?

you may wanna try other subforums! I've posted several thoughts on this amp, and it is quite simply the best amp money can buy, bang for buck!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f38/ssabripo/MyHTsetup%2001-08/setup_0408014.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f38/ssabripo/MyHTsetup%2001-08/setup_0408004.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f38/ssabripo/MyHTsetup%2001-08/setup_0408003.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f38/ssabripo/MyHTsetup%2001-08/setup_0408008.jpg

Curious,

Why are there not alot of posts here regarding these amplifiers? There are alot of folks that support the quality of this line.

Am I missing something? I realize there is alot unsaid here but besides Ken there are no real supporters. Please explain.

Paul

Pass Labs does not have a lot of dealers. About a year ago, they had almost none and stated that most of their sales were overseas. However at that time they were supposed to be revitalizing their U.S. dealer network. As a result of so few dealers, many are just not exposed to the brand. The reviews are always stellar and Nelson Pass is well regarded as a designer. This a case that is not uncommon in the high-end, stellar product but poor marketing. http://www.stereophile.com/news/050707pass/

i agree. here in toronto, canada there are only a couple of dealers that carry pass stuff. that plus very little advertising makes them unfamiliar to the mega brands. however, i will say that their money goes into their quality and craftsmanship. their products are exceptional not only in performance, byt quality control and responsiveness is second to none. i am a long time pass user having owned several of their amps and continue to support nelson. i email him and get a response from him within 24 hrs. every time even regarding silly questions. i am a very happy customer.

Yes I would agree,

Their website is a nightmare and you have to email them for current dealers.

As a FORMER Pass dealer and current user I can attest to a nice sounding amp but from a dealer stand point they suck as their product was dumped all over the Internet and I sold ZERO of them but demoed like a fool.

Tough to carry a line that everyone wants to see and hear and take a lot of your time up over and all the time knowing full and well they will not ever buy from you. When Pass said they were dissolving all dealers and a new application process was starting I saw it as time to part ways. The folks at Pass are first rate to work with and I wish nothing but the best for them. Their stuff is built like a tank and never bright except for those huge blue meters. In an audio system this is fine but for a theater it is too much.

Another alternative is the Theta Citadel much more dynamic but less power.

Their stuff is built like a tank and never bright except for those huge blue meters. In an audio system this is fine but for a theater it is too much.
.

What do you mean in a home theater it is too much?
Ken

What do you mean in a home theater it is too much?
Ken

I think he was refering to the blue lights being a little too bright for some home theaters??

I thought about that after I hit send before.
Ken

Sorry I ment the bright blue lights. I have to block them out when I fire up the projector as the are very intense.

Like McKintosh intense?

I would go for Bryston 14B SST instead. Cheaper, more power, 20 years warrenty and transparent as few (any?)!

I love my Pass:

http://alhull.com/room7v2/Room7v2017r.jpg

http://alhull.com/room7v2/Room7v2027r.jpg

It does everything very well.

My experience with Bryston is that they are bright sounding but this seems to be the flavor of sound most prefer. So with that, it might be fine for most and they are cheaper for sure.

Will:
I would say about the same. The pass are very bright blue which if they had to be any color this is the least influential. I talked with Pass about a switch in the back so you could turn them off and they just could not get it. These guys are stuck in a room with the lights on and only 2 speakers. Were they to, at the least, consider that there are folks who enjoy "GASP" VIDEO also and "GASP" more than 2 speakers they could in fact sell a lot more amps. Some are slower than others to the party and some still are circling outside in the parking lot.

In this day and age you can not afford to ignore any segment of the market IMO. And a simple $2 switch would go a long way to adding folks to the fold.

Boy no kidding! My rack is starting to look like one of those engineering stations in an old sci-fi movie. Some of the boxes are attractive, but all those little lights make me feel like putting presents around the base and maybe hanging a few stockings.

How hot do the Pass Labs amps get? I would have about an inch on the left and right side and about 3 inches above it in my Salamander stand. I am thinking the amp will run way too hot to be inside the stand, but I thought I would ask.

My experience with Bryston is that they are bright sounding but this seems to be the flavor of sound most prefer. So with that, it might be fine for most and they are cheaper for sure.


The 14B SST is not bright at all, it is extremly neutral and transparent. They could not find any coloration during a Before/After test.
I do agree that the Pass amp looks better. :)

The 14B SST is not bright at all, it is extremly neutral and transparent. They could not find any coloration during a Before/After test. I do agree that the Pass amp looks better. :)

Same holds true for the Bryston 7B-SST. If you hear brightness, the problem is elsewhere (like may be the speakers). For example, I would NEVER use a Bryston on any Wilson speaker. I haven't measured the most recent version of the Wilson speakers but on every previous version, there is a 3 to 4 db peak around 14K. Put in a neutral amp (Bryston) and you will hear it.

You may or may not like the sound of a Bryston, but if you don't it is not because THEY are bright.

The "Oreo looking" cable elevators add a nice touch. Cool looking room.

My experience with Bryston is that they are bright sounding but this seems to be the flavor of sound most prefer. So with that, it might be fine for most and they are cheaper for sure.

Will:
I would say about the same. The pass are very bright blue which if they had to be any color this is the least influential. I talked with Pass about a switch in the back so you could turn them off and they just could not get it. These guys are stuck in a room with the lights on and only 2 speakers. Were they to, at the least, consider that there are folks who enjoy "GASP" VIDEO also and "GASP" more than 2 speakers they could in fact sell a lot more amps. Some are slower than others to the party and some still are circling outside in the parking lot.

In this day and age you can not afford to ignore any segment of the market IMO. And a simple $2 switch would go a long way to adding folks to the fold.
Strangely, somehow I don't think Pass Labs is too concerned about selling "a lot more amps". They seem to sell all they can make into Europe and Asia, especially with the exchange rate, while having a ridiculously small dealer representation in the US. I think Nelsons mass manufacturing days are behind him. He seems to be in it more for the love of the job. Who else is doing anything like his First Watt project/business and his support of the diy community in addition to Pass Labs.

I agree a switch or a dimming function might be a nice touch but that would be a departure from the form follows function, or KISS, character of Pass.