@chorus
i can characterize the difference between the Pass x350 and ARC Ref 160s. The difference is profound. Both have house sounds of their respective companies.
The most obvious difference is in slam and detail. The Pass amp has notably more slam and the details are more up front and highlighted. Before you have a real positive reaction to that… it is not a complement. The Audio Research has much better bass… bass doesn’t sound as it if of a narrow frequency… but a full rich wide band rendition of bass… sounding much more realistic like would be heard in and acoustic concert. It hits your chest as opposed to being a quick slap. The treble has a very different character as well, the details are all there if you listen, but they don’t unnaturally stick out.. the brass of cymbals more like brass and less undifferentiated treble. If you go to an acoustic concert… you hear the same thing. But then put on some loud electronic music like Yelo and the bass and detail within the bass and the layer out wide frequency response is incredible with the Audio Research tube amp. I had planned on switching my Pass x350 back and forth with the ARC… but never did… there was no reason. Later I found out the ARC amp I was auditioning was not broken in… it sounded better and better over time. Overall musicality was far far better with the ARC tube amp… it sucks you into the music quickly… the Pass sucks you in to listen to all the details and contrasts of sounds. The Pass exceeds at high contrast (using a visual comparison), the ARC a higher resolution low contrast.
They are both very quiet amps. The Pass XA series sound more like the ARC… but not nearly as far along the continuum as the ARC.
i can characterize the difference between the Pass x350 and ARC Ref 160s. The difference is profound. Both have house sounds of their respective companies.
The most obvious difference is in slam and detail. The Pass amp has notably more slam and the details are more up front and highlighted. Before you have a real positive reaction to that… it is not a complement. The Audio Research has much better bass… bass doesn’t sound as it if of a narrow frequency… but a full rich wide band rendition of bass… sounding much more realistic like would be heard in and acoustic concert. It hits your chest as opposed to being a quick slap. The treble has a very different character as well, the details are all there if you listen, but they don’t unnaturally stick out.. the brass of cymbals more like brass and less undifferentiated treble. If you go to an acoustic concert… you hear the same thing. But then put on some loud electronic music like Yelo and the bass and detail within the bass and the layer out wide frequency response is incredible with the Audio Research tube amp. I had planned on switching my Pass x350 back and forth with the ARC… but never did… there was no reason. Later I found out the ARC amp I was auditioning was not broken in… it sounded better and better over time. Overall musicality was far far better with the ARC tube amp… it sucks you into the music quickly… the Pass sucks you in to listen to all the details and contrasts of sounds. The Pass exceeds at high contrast (using a visual comparison), the ARC a higher resolution low contrast.
They are both very quiet amps. The Pass XA series sound more like the ARC… but not nearly as far along the continuum as the ARC.