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I bought two pairs of Pass Labs X-600 monoblocs and a Pass Labs X-02 preamp. The sound was very good. I inserted an Audio Research Ref2 MkII instead of the Pass preamp and got immediate improvement. I again inserted an Audio Research Reference 3 preamp into the system, it was head and shoulders above the Pass Labs preamp. Both preamps were $10k at the time and both were flagship preamps of their company at the time. For me, this blew a huge hole in the brand symmetry theory. Brand symmetry sounds like a good idea, but I still believe that you have to listen and audition multiple components to see what works for you.
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I bought two pairs of Pass Labs X-600 monoblocs and a Pass Labs X-02 preamp. The sound was very good. I inserted an Audio Research Ref2 MkII instead of the Pass preamp and got immediate improvement. I again inserted an Audio Research Reference 3 preamp into the system, it was head and shoulders above the Pass Labs preamp. Both preamps were $10k at the time and both were flagship preamps of their company at the time. For me, this blew a huge hole in the brand symmetry theory. Brand symmetry sounds like a good idea, but I still believe that you have to listen and audition multiple components to see what works for you.
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