Classe "omega" vs Pass Labs X600

Muralman1, something we at CTC learned with the preamp project is that it takes excellence in electrical design, parts and layout to make anything really kick ass....The JC-1 started as an absolutely unlistenable Parasound HCA-3500 Curl sent me to play with....I spent five horrible days listening to it before I got my hands dirty......The major problem turned out to be an undersized Vishay resistor and a year later (and 200 parts changes) we had a very nice sounding amp....Parasound found out about the amp at the CES and approached the team to do a mono block HCA-3500....The modified HCA-3500 and the JC-1 use exactly the same parts and circuit and the JC-1s eat the modified HCA-3500 on account of the wonderful layouts that Carl Thompson did....Curl is the principal designer of the JC-1, but it would not be the same product without attention to parts and layouts......Sorry to go on, but we all did the best we could and there are three parts to the puzzle....

I am sure the JC-1 is an excellent amplifier. Hopefully this will be echoed for years to come and the amplifier will maintain its status. It does make me wonder however, what recourse one might have who purchased one of these "unlistenable" Parasound 3500 amplifiers? Seems to me that any company, or individual, possessing any integrity would offer to change or correct this "unlistenable" discrepancy especially since the main culprit was just a Vishay resistor. I doubt Parasound or the 3500 designer informed any prospective buyers that the amplifier was unlistenable. Was a recall or revision issued on this amplifier?

Nealhood, I understand the new Ford performs better than their older models as well, but don't see them stepping up to update their older models.....The performance of HCA-3500 is what it is and it did not do very well in the market on account of it. Most any make and model can be "improved" and there is a specialist market for such modifications...We at CTC discovered the tweak for the HCA-3500 well after the last run had been built and bought four of them, all they had left and "B" stock at that....We published the tweak on several sites for those interested in more performance for the discontinued model.....This involved one part per side whereas the complete rebuild of the unit involved over two hundred parts.....

Jtinn thread is very accurate. I would go on to say that the Pass also does not have the musicality or layering (natural acoustic perspective) of the Classe Omega.
The Omega's are superb amplifiers!

peter jasz

I have not heard the Classe Omega. I would bet it is a fine amp for most purposes. I wouldn't hazard it on my system though. That is what I am using the Pass Labs 600 for. Because the Omega is discontinued, comparison between the two isn't possible.

I can't help but take any dealer's, or even more so, designer's, opinions without some note of suspicion. I know, I know, the majority are honest in their dealings. However, one's own children are always the best, aren't they?

My experience with the Pass X600 matches that of other 600 owners. The music just simply, and naturally, comes alive in my listening room. The dynamic range of the Pass is huge while discreet. It will whisper and roar all at the same time, and without a hint of electronic artifice. No detail is lost or smeared, and certainly not exaggerated as brightness. As for the bass, some people just will always like tight thumpy bass. The Pass X600 does not favor one type of bass over another. The bass is played out like all the other frequencies, that being with utter naturalness.