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

and here's the funny thing...I have an XA30.8 that I really enjoy in the way it fits in my system.  I really don't care much for any Pass amps outside the XA series and I definitely don't like the Pass pre's as I feel they are a bit too hifi-ish for my listening priorities.  I wouldn't like my XA30.8 if I weren't pairing it with a tube linestage and tube phono stage.  The XA30.8 gives my system better bottom grip when needed compared to a tube amp but still gives me a tube-like Class A sound I like.

In a 2nd system I have a Cary SLI-80HS.  The SLI-80 is the only piece of gear that I think Cary ever got truly right in its history.  I'm not married to the house sound of any manufacturer and am very deliberate and discriminating about which components find their way into my system.  To cast a net over Pass (or any other brand for that matter) and ask people to reflect on why they ended on that brand isn't really asking the right question if what you really want to know is how certain components incrementally provided the full sonic experience we were seeking or are on the path to achieving.  

It was quite arbitrary, so what?

In particular it was because I hear a lot of Pass fans who talk about it as a closed ecosystem as if no other amp exists and I was very curious to learn about how they got there or left.

That's the privilege of the poster. :)



Best,

E

like dpac996 above, I’m reading with amusement the answers to the questions along with the ax-grinding posts referring to who-knows-what drama from other threads. I’m interested in the answers to the questions as someone who is a potential future Pass owner, regardless of what labels someone may attach to me as a result. I’m relatively new to the pursuit of what I would term ‘complete’ sound out of my system, so I’m very interested in others’ journeys, and their hits and misses along the way. My current area of interest is primarily pre amps, and I’m likely to add a tube pre to my otherwise SS setup, since I’ve read so much about the success others have had with that. I read here with great interest about a ‘theme’ I’ve heard with the XA amps bringing ‘tube-like’ sound to SS components. Ignore the stupidity, and please keep posting answers to the original question, those who can.
thanks

I have owned a few Pass components and my reasons are the following:
- Great amercian company 
- Great customer service 
- Love the looks & physical qualities
- Owning something that Nelson Pass creatived. He's a cool guy and my age. He's like a mad scientist!
- I love the sound of Pass Labs equipment. Obviously if I didn't like their sound all of the above wouldn't matter.

Hi @english210
Noble quest--complete sound, that is. I applaud you. I can only speak to my experiences with Pass equipment. I have had many of the AB "X" series amps with, mostly, Dynaudio speakers. The Dyns have the hallmark of smooth and natural with awesome imaging potential, but not the worlds most "punch you in the head" kind of dynamics other high end speakers might offer. Long term listening pleasure is what I admire.
Pass Labs have been wonderful on the various Dyn models i’ve owned over the years. The only XA amp I owned, was the XA30.5--I loved every second of music sessions with that. Never played a sour note. Just incredible.

The answer is system dependent; currently I am using Luxman amplification (pre and power) and i’ve been tuning the system to optimize this gear. EVERYTHING matters, and it’s not simple enough to just swap amps and hope for the best. Sure you can do that but to really find the potential it takes patience with trial and error of other supporting pieces. I am still learning this lesson today. Power cables on the amp alone can totally make or break the entire result. I am a trained EE and active in electronic design. I gave up trying to figure out how/why PCs make the kind of difference they do. I use my ears to measure and the differences can be startling.

A few fellow goner’s recommended Triode Wire Labs, for instance, and I am currently evaluating the Obsession PC. It has transformed the amp in ways I never thought possible.

Balance
If your speakers have metal dome tweeters and are super revealing, (and maybe like 88-90 dB sensitive ) and your room is about 12x20x8, and you don’t listen at ear splitting levels all the time, I think a Pass XA30.8 would work wonders.

If your speakers are soft dome, lower in efficiency, you might consider an X150.8/250.8...
If you have some form of high frequency tinnitus or irritation to harsh sounds you can’t go wrong with Pass (and Luxman, TBH, both are awesome in their unique strengths);

Your source cabling and component set matter greatly in this too...
You can have too much of a good thing-- tubey preamp, XA "type" power amp, warmish cables, warmish front end, smooth speakers (Harbeth/Spendor/Dynaudio) and find yourself swimming in a sea of pleasant mush...will not offend your ears in ANY way but quite boorish perhaps with a homogenized sound.

Again, good luck on your quest!!
-Dave