jafant...
No, I almost bit on a used INT150 from Upscale which I balked on for a reason that escapes me now. I heard the Neo through a pair of Wilson Somethingorothers - $16,000 - prior to my purchase months before at Audio Den, the shop within walking distance from my house.
Sorry, but for $16,000 speakers would have to make me coffee every morning as well, maybe even make my bed. After the Wilsons we hooked up the Maggie 1.7 and .7 speakers which, at the time, had me favor the .7. To my ears the .7 were more articulate, finding the larger 1.7's to lose a little definition in the high end by comparison - believe it or not. Perhaps because the larger bass panel seemed to round out the overall sonics?
I believe the INT150 was around $4,000. The Neo, which was returned to Simaudio as part of their trade-up program, was $4,500 after a 20% discount off the regular price, along with a full factory warranty and participation in the program as well. This is the top model with phono input and DAC.
In retrospect I believe I would have jumped at the INT150 had it been available through Reno Hifi, with whom I've purchased 3 Pass amps in the past. This isn't a knock against Upscale Audio by any means since I haven't conducted business with them, but Mark at Reno has earned my business through his outstanding knowledge and service. I don't believe that Upscale offers any sort of warranty on the INT150 - I think it's still for sale at this time - so that's what ultimately steered me onto the Neo.
You already know well of my affinity for Pass Labs with Thiel. The synergy between two products that present timbre, presence, and depth so well is, for lack of an almost over-blown descriptive, utterly amazing.
For the record, I am not related to nor personally acquainted with anyone from Pass Labs, Thiel, Reno Hifi, Simaudio, Balanced Audio Technology, Magnepan, or Audio Research. My previously unsolicited opinions on their products were offered as results from real-time, hands-on, Audiogon-induced experiences. Damn this site...!
I still reserve a place in my heart for the vintage Marantz, Pioneer, and Sansui receivers, all of which represented the absolute sh*t during my introduction to high fidelity back in the '70's.
It's proven to be a long strange trip, indeed.
