You've tried other amps and ended with Pass, please discuss

I just picked up my FirstWatt J2 today. I’m going to set up tomorrow. My first round with a NP design. Hopefully I’ll be don amp shopping for at least 3 or 4 years. 

Eric
I bought a Pass X150.8 blind.  I had a good amp (ATC P1 - also a dual-mono).  The reason I bought it was that Pass have a good reputation and the price was right.  It has downsides - very heavy, takes a long time to warm up, and runs hot.  Soundwise it has a bit of warmth and that suits my taste.  It drives my speakers (Magico A3) with control and the net results are (1) I have easy enjoyment of music (2) the combination does all the audiophile things, eg soundstage.  Finally I am happy with its looks - just a little bling with the power meter.  Would I ever upgrade? No* because to upgrade it would cost too much and if I had that sort of dosh I would rather upgrade my speakers.  Comparison:  The ATC P1 uses a module (also mosfets) that are used in professional Active Monitors around the world.  A very solid customer indeed and a steal at the price.  The Pass is similar sounding but has a bit of something extra - hard to put my finger on it but perhaps a bit more authority / control over the speakers.  It has a little higher class A bias.   *Never say never so if something fell into my lap at the right price I might go for it.
Andrei

No sense in arguing, Pass Labs has set a benchmark on build quality and sound quality for solid state amps. Short signal path, high quality parts and excellent engineering makes for a superb listening experience. Properly set up they will be tough to beat. However there other designs that can compete and if you are a tube guy it's possible they will not serve your needs. However some of the Conrad Johnson solid state amps, not all will easily give them a run for the money.

Hi phd
While I appreciate the fandom, Pass has plenty of positive threads here.

What I want to encourage are direct comparisons with other amps I might have heard recently.


If you've had the change to compare them to other similar amps I'd love to hear your thoughts and any specific differences.


Best,

Erik

@phd I would respectfully disagree about CJ solid state vs Pass. I presume you are referring to the old Premier 350.
It is a different sound. CJ solid state is less ballsy than the higher wattage X 0.8 or XA 0.8 Pass. It is a good balance between the CJ tube amp sound and solid state grip

On the other hand depending on your music preference and tastes, CJ tube amps do beat Pass in terms of musicality and dimensionality. With well matched components and more sensitive speakers, even the LPS 60 is a good contender. They do not have the bass slam, speed or visceral sound of Pass though. Again, as you have observed, this is probably more a tube vs solid state thing.