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Pass Labs X-600 vs. X350.5 vs. SoundLabs?

I hate audio ... I really do ... Crack addicts pass me on the street and I call tell that they're thinking "at least I don't spend MY money on $2,000 power cords!" But I digress. ...

I recently sold my beloved M-L Prodigys and replaced them with a pair of SoundLab ProStats. We're talking 9ft x 4ft of radiating panels here people!

So far my wonderful Halo JC-1s have not even broken a sweat powering these monsters. But I've got a hankerin' to try a Pass Labs amp, only because my preamp and phono stage are Pass equiment.

Perhaps courtesy of the impending D-day of April 15th (isn't it the 17th this year?) there are a few Pass Labs X350.5's for sale for under $6K. Yet for the same price I can also buy a pair of X-600's (NOT 600.5's, of course).

So my questions for all those out there are these:
(1) Should I leave well enough alone and keep the wonderful JC-1's and spend the extra money or something frivolous like a medical checkup or car insurance?
(2) Should I be a true-blue audiophile and dump a great product that's served me well so that I can try something else? If yes, then what would be a better ... well ... I don't know .... "value" I guess? The pair of X-600's or an X-350.5?

To assist you in answering, I live in a condo so turning up my amps to "11" to hear "Smoke On The Water" is not an option. I don't need to have my filling fall out from the decibels. I listen at what most of us would consider "moderate" levels and my music of choice is small combo jazz, chamber and opera and alternative.

In terms of synergy, the system is as follows:

VPI TnT6/Triplanar VII/Dynavector XX-2 L.O
Esoteric DV-50S
Magnum Dynalab 108 Triode (a freakishy great tuner, BTW)

Pass Labs X0.2
Pass Labs XOno

Kimber KS-1130
Kimber KS-3033

So, X-600, X-350.5, stay with the JC-1s or ....?
veloceracing
jameswei
883 posts
 
First, if you're happy with the JC-1s, I'd stay with them.

Second, if you really must try the Pass amps, the X350.5 is supposed to be more liquid and pleasing, as well as the more current model. While the X-600s are arguably the best of the X series and really do sound great (I have a pair), it seems like you don't need the extra power.

Third, the only real way to make a determination of which of the three amps is best would be to audition them in your system. It would be real hard for me to be able to discern a difference between these three great amps without knowing how all the system synergies will work out. Is there any way you could try the Pass amps at no cost or minimal cost? (Of course, you could always buy them used then sell them for about the same price.)
honest1
586 posts
 
For insight on the 600 vs. 350.5 debate, check out Teajay's excellent reviews of the Pass line. He has had X, X.5, and recently XA amplifiers in his system, along with Aleph and Edge.
I have heard great things here about the JC-1, but can't recall comparisons to Pass.
teajay
1,687 posts
 
First, thanks to Honest1 for your kind remarks concerning my reviews of different Pass Labs gear.

Veloceracing, if you enjoy your JC-1's now, I believe you would find the 350.5 would offer another level of refinement and musicality to your system. Remember your amps give 20 watts of class A before going into A/B biasing. The 350.5 gives you the first few watts in single ended class A then goes into class A for 50 watts before it goes into A/B biasing. You will hear the difference with the speakers you drive along with your excellent upstream gear. The 350.5 I believe is a better sounding amp then the 600 monoblocks and offers great power to drive any speaker to high DB levels. The .5 series really was a qualitive improvement over the first generation X-series.

Jameswei, is quite right you have to try the amp in your own system to really tell if its for you based on system synergy and personal taste. I still assume, seeing the rest of your systems' gear, that you would love the 350.5 in your system. Let's be serious more insurance for health or for your car, when an up grade can be done for your system, are you MAD, of course you go for the amp, everthing else can wait!
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I have had a passing interest in the x350.5 for a while, to drive my Wilsons, so thanks teejay for your input. I always knew this was thee place to come for comfort and guidence in prioritizing things audio, and how they interact with life's choices. Having sold my first-born I would know. (The buyer wants a refund.)
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