Are Pass Labs amps good at low volume levels?


I am considering the Pass X250.5/8. Nearly all amps I have tried aside from the Mark Levinson 532H sounds like something is missing at low volume levels. The Levinson manages to sound great and not feel like I'm missing anything other than the bass.

I am considering an upgrade from Levinson to Pass but am curious how it handles low volume listening as it seems many amps require a medium or high volume level to sound their best.

nemesis1218

Showing 2 responses by tomcy6

I meant no disrespect for Nelson or his fine amps. I was just passing along a bit of information from wcss’s thread.

This guy has spent more time and money swapping amps and other components in and out of his system than anyone I have ever heard of. He even built a listening room in his garage after his wife ran him out of the house over his loud music. I thought he would be a good resource for the OP since they had the same take on the ML amp.

It's always good to get honest opinions that go against the conventional wisdom.
In his very long thread on amps whitecamaross  also stated that the ML 532H sounded very good at low volumes.  I don't recall him noting this for other amps.  

He liked the Pass amps early on in his journey but once he listened to the Simaudio 860 and the Luxman M-900 and even higher priced amps, he changed his opinion on Pass, calling them midfi.  Send him an email.  He'll give you his opinion on what might work for you.