Thank you all again for your excellent suggestions. I'll keep them all in mind.
Here's what I've done in the meantime: I've picked up a vintage Quad 405-2 to use in the interim. And it is fantastic. It's got the sweetness in the mids, much like my old Quad 909 did.
The Pass X250.5 surpasses the Quad in quite a few areas; namely it has more of a wraparound enveloping stage, more authoritative bass, better separation and layering, larger image size. In general, just a bigger and bolder sound.
But the Quad definitely trades blows! It's more tonally neutral and doesn't homogenize the sound as much as the Pass. I've found that the nuances of the original recording are better preserved with the Quad. The Pass had a tendency to transform all recordings into a larger-than-life version, which is awesome at times but perhaps unfaithful. The Quad also has a more refined smooth treble than the Pass in my opinion. Most importantly, the Quad has a better sense of immediacy or urgency, whereas the Pass could almost sound too relaxed at times.
The best part though? The Quad 405-2 cost me $400. I've generally had in my mind that price correlated with quality (though not ironclad), but this recent pick up is seriously challenging my beliefs.
This pick-up will allow me to sell the Pass with no regrets, and further to that, I feel no urgency to pick up another amp. I'll really take my time to consider my options and wait for the right opportunity to find a replacement amp in the upper echelons.
Here's what I've done in the meantime: I've picked up a vintage Quad 405-2 to use in the interim. And it is fantastic. It's got the sweetness in the mids, much like my old Quad 909 did.
The Pass X250.5 surpasses the Quad in quite a few areas; namely it has more of a wraparound enveloping stage, more authoritative bass, better separation and layering, larger image size. In general, just a bigger and bolder sound.
But the Quad definitely trades blows! It's more tonally neutral and doesn't homogenize the sound as much as the Pass. I've found that the nuances of the original recording are better preserved with the Quad. The Pass had a tendency to transform all recordings into a larger-than-life version, which is awesome at times but perhaps unfaithful. The Quad also has a more refined smooth treble than the Pass in my opinion. Most importantly, the Quad has a better sense of immediacy or urgency, whereas the Pass could almost sound too relaxed at times.
The best part though? The Quad 405-2 cost me $400. I've generally had in my mind that price correlated with quality (though not ironclad), but this recent pick up is seriously challenging my beliefs.
This pick-up will allow me to sell the Pass with no regrets, and further to that, I feel no urgency to pick up another amp. I'll really take my time to consider my options and wait for the right opportunity to find a replacement amp in the upper echelons.