The imperfect amp: Pass or Ayre?

Weird how my own preferences cause so many people to act so butt hurt. Actually, gentlemen, if I am allowed to use the term, my question is more about WHY.


Both Pass and Ayre are two amps which eschew technical perfection.


Both Ayre and Pass stand in contrast to say, the Halcro amplifiers, which were famous for their absolute dominance in technical terms.  Ayre and Pass however have ended with different followers.


Compared to an ideal SS amp, both Pass and Ayre are absolute failures, with different followings. Aren't you curious why?


I am.

So yes, I am asking the same question in different ways. No, I don't intend to prove a brand is better than another, that's for the buyer. I don't care. I truly do not. I do care more about why. What kind of imperfections are we drawn to?

mrdecibel - You may pay for my answer with meaningful contributions and not selling cables.

When you have done so, I'll bother.

@three_easy_pieces
You are not wrong, but what I meant was that these two amps have given up on the measurably ideal, straight wire with gain.

Much more so than other solid state amps, not to mention, they are pretty expensive.

So, the relatively high distortion, and high price makes them interesting to pit against each other as we try to figure out what it is that makes an audiophile.

well in general, the question what kind of distortion are you attracted to is certainly valid and reaches into the realm of the psycho acoustic, a rich vein as yet not fully mined....so few audiophiles own an SPL meter yet claim to understand the origin of the loudness button..... probably a different thread...

I do dabble is semi serious listening while writing and reading....like a heavy deep dive of Linda R while reading her book Simple Dreams...

peace

jim

Of course, Halcro is gone, but Pass and Ayre both are apparent financial successes.


Why?


If we discuss that, we are discussing the very heart of what it is to be an audiophile.