Conrad Johnson 350 vs Pass Labs X amp

Ethnos - thanks for your post, I will be very interested to hear what you think of the 350 in that set up as it would be the same as mine if I bought the 350.

I got a chance to audition a 350 a few days ago and compared it to a MV60 which is meant to be similar to my Prem 11A. There is no doubt that its a much more dynamic amp with better definition and speed, particularly in the lower registers. It is however a shed load of money as we say here in the UK and a X150.5 would be a lot cheaper. As a bonus it also looks wonderful. Now if I could only afford a pair of XA100s my decision would be easy . . .

I have a 350 and it is very good, the best I have heard to my ears. It drives difficult loads with ease. My Gamut L5 will shut down my Meridan 605s after making the heat sinks very hot. These amps drove my Apogee Dutettas easly. The heat sinks on the 350 get barely warm. I might be loath to use them on Quads because of the power; if you do use restraint.

Martin Colloms found them very good also

I had the pleasure of listening to this outstanding CJ power amp mated w/ the Act2 Series2 CJ pre-amp.  Today, this is still my reference until I can hear an ART3 CJ pre-amp.  My listening sessions took place in 2007/08.

Would love to read more about those who have demo'ed this amp.
Keep me posted & Happy Listening!

The Pass Labs amps are said to be ideally suited for pres with low output impedances and balanced outputs. The c-j's are obviously most likely to be very compatible. c-j has recently introduced some new ss amps. While some have noted that the newer ss amps don't seem to have as sturdy transformers as their earlier offerings, they do appear to offer some upgraded teflon caps and other parts. Perhaps a lower powered c-j with such upgrades might be a consideration. Not knowing your speakers, etc., makes making recommendations problematic. The Pass Labs might be slightly better at handling low impedance loads. FWIW, I fan of both c-j ss and Pass Labs.