Pass Labs Amp X350.5 or X350.8 anyone compare?

I'm used to pressure.

I just received my X350.8 Amp and I am now listening to it...

Dgarretson, Thanks for the info. I'll give it some time.

Mtrot,
From The Pass Labs website.
In Class A the X350.8 35 watts.
In Class A the X350.5 40 watts.

Hifimaniac, odd that you would describe the Pass Labs Amp as bright. But I guess based on way we assemble our systems anything is possible.
I have the Eggleston Works Andra 2 speaker and with the Esotar tweeters they have never sounded bright.

To upgrade or not that is the question...

Jl35, I agree with you it does sound strange.But, I just talked to Pass Labs and Reno HiFI and both said it is minimal in actual usage and the newer technology uses it more efficiently.
Anyway, I ordered one (X350.8)to compare to my Pass Labs X350.5.
So, in the next few weeks I'll be able to post my comparison.

Dave_72, Thanks, I have been so pleased with the Pass equipment that I doubt if the newest version will disappoint.

Acurus, Thank you for your comments. Really based on your experience is what prompted me to go for the newer version. That plus Reno HiFi is excellent to work with.

Whitecap, thank you. I should have it next Tuesday. Probably won't be able to play it much until perhaps that weekend.

Dave 72, First impression. Pretty good...
Deeper soundstage, better bass and treble. Even at this early stage, I'm sure its a keeper.

I've had the Pass X350.8 plugged in now for about 5 days. Playing time is about 10-15 hours.
The sound stage is deep but seems a little dark. That is, with little air around the instruments, and the treble seems to be a little muted.
Though this somewhat concerns me, it is probably normal for the amount of time on the Amp.

Just an update on the X350.8. I have about 70 hours of actual playing time and it has been plugged/turned on for many days 24/7. I'm really not sure how many hours it will take to reach optimum, but to me it seems like it is there.

The Amp is much different than the X350.5. The soundstage is much deeper with a darker (more Analog?) presentation.
Has anyone else purchased the new .8 series Amps?

Thanks for the comments. I also am running direct from my PS Direct Stream to the Amp. The Direct stream is known for its analog presentation.

Dave 72, I wouldn't say the midrange and treble is subdued. Its just different from what I have been listening to over the past several years. To go from the front row to perhaps the middle is the difference in my opinion,

After 80+ hours of actual music playing time and several hundred hours with the X350.8 turned on, I can honestly say that the .8 Amp does have superior sound quality over the X350 .5 version.

That is; better bass performance, along with dynamics from a blacker background. There is no lack of high frequencies and the midrange is great! I am going to keep the X350.8 and trade in my X350.5.

Comparing this Amp new out of the box to an Amp that has been used for 5+ years was a little tiring. Both of these Amps have different presentations. The .5 has more of an up front sound with the upper midrange being dominate. So, through the years of ownership I have adjusted my room to smoothen out the sound.

The .8 soundstage is deeper but with all of the frequency range being equal. At first, I thought there was a lack of treble, but after listening for all of these hours, what is there, is more blackness between notes. When a cymbal is wacked it is startling.

To those who like using banana’s, finally this Pass Amp can accept them and also bare wire!

Now that the X350.8 has enough playing time, this weekend I'm going to re-install my X350.5.

I know that I stated previously that I was going to keep the X350.8 but since I'm not rich, I would just like to double check one final time.

As this thread shows. I have had the new Pass Labs X350.8 for comparison purposes to my X350.5 amp. At first I wasn’t sure if the new .8 was an upgrade over my X350.5. Then I thought I was sure it was, but once again I have changed my mind.

I have been tweaking things to get the best sound out of the X350.8. But, I always thought that there was something wrong with the ‘presence’ range. You know that area that defines voices and the general soundstage. The .8 always sounded darker than the X350.5. And the treble sounded distant.

After many hours of playing the new X350.8, I reinstalled the X350.5 into the system a few weeks back. And you know what? I like that sound better. I knew it as soon as I turned on the power button that was the sound I was so familiar with and preferred.

Now, I can’t imagine that Pass Labs produced a new amp that is inferior to the previous model. No, I guess I would have to conclude that my preference to the .5 is that my whole system (including cables) were voiced with the X350.5 amp.

Changing to the .8 version was just not right with my present equipment and perhaps with my old man hearing.

So, I boxed up the X350.8 and sent it back to Reno HiFi. What a great guy Mark is and how lucky I am that he allowed me to really put the X350.8 through its paces for comparison purposes.

Reno HiFi was excellent, I had to pay for the shipping both ways. Otherwise yes, I got a complete refund.