Nelson Pass and Forte


Hi Gang, I know this pill has been swallowed before but inquiring minds want to know. I currently have a modded F-44 that sounds really great. My buddy let me borrow his model 2 today and all I can say is holy sonics batman. He told me the 2 is Nelson Pass all the way. My question is this: Is the 44 his design also or had he left by then. I also detected a different logo on the 44 as compared to the model 2. Any info would enlighten me greatly. Enjoy the music!
south43
Here's some sketchy evidence for you:

Per a factory sales brochure, "The Forte Model 40 was developed by Nelson Pass to combine..." And from Audio magazine, November 1991, "The model 4 (power amp) was designed by a team led by Nelson Pass..."

That said, I remember reading soemwhere that Michael Bladelius worked on the remote controlled F44 and the last generation, XLR equipped, Forte power amps. He is now linked with Primare; see
http://www.sumikoaudio.net/primare/idx_comp_03.htm

Enjoy your research.
Many thanks for the replys. My guess is that the 44 is not a Pass design for the simple fact that build quality of the model 2 and the 44 are a horse of a different color. But then that was many moons ago and everyone has moved on. I can say the model 2 and the model 5 amp make a sweet combo. I think I will see if my buddy wants to sell the 2. Stay tuned.
Hmmm, i've never heard the model 2 preamp, but i have a model 40 which i love. i did at one point email jon soderberg about this very question and he was of the opinion that the model 40s were far and away a better unit than the model 2's citing both the design and quality of the components used in the production.

pablo
After some more listening I decided that my 44 has more of a neutral signature than the 2. The 2 seems to lean toward the detailed side of things. Not a bad thing mind you as I like detail but the 44 does has the ability to spread things out. The mods done on my unit I'm sure help to produce this effect. As I said before the combo of the model 2 and the model 5 are sweet but with my Odyessey on the bottom I hear more depth in the music which is primarily jazz. I thank all who have responded.