The unmodified McCormack's are great products for the money, but out-of-box they aren't in the extreme echelon of great SS amps. The Pass is noticably better in certain areas out-of-the-box.
However, if budget is a concern, I think going the McCormack route is better because of the cost effective upgrades. For an extra $1000, you can eventually upgrade the amp to Rev A which is used as a reference for several magazine and online reviewers. Better yet, for an extra $1000, you can get most of the Gold revisions which basically brings you as good a SS amp as you can buy. (IMO, the jump from Rev A to Gold is just as rewarding as the initial jump to Rev A)
This is the path I took. It was also great to have Steve McCormack personally work on my amps and even tweak the performance to my specific needs. It's these type of experiences that make the hobby even more fun.
However, if budget is a concern, I think going the McCormack route is better because of the cost effective upgrades. For an extra $1000, you can eventually upgrade the amp to Rev A which is used as a reference for several magazine and online reviewers. Better yet, for an extra $1000, you can get most of the Gold revisions which basically brings you as good a SS amp as you can buy. (IMO, the jump from Rev A to Gold is just as rewarding as the initial jump to Rev A)
This is the path I took. It was also great to have Steve McCormack personally work on my amps and even tweak the performance to my specific needs. It's these type of experiences that make the hobby even more fun.