Compare EDGE NL10, Pass Labs X350, ML 336

I'll take a stab at answering your question, if I may. I am an Edge dealer and still personally own the Levinson 390S CD player and 20.6 monoblocks and have listened to the 331 thru 333 series many times and it's successors the 334-336 series a number of times. I have heard Classe and Pass Labs a few times as well - but hopefully someone else can jump in here who knows them better than I.

The Edge is very smooth (there is a natural flow to the sound, that, combined with the speed, lets any and all PRaT thru to the speakers), very fast, and very detailed with just a very slight touch of refinement and NO solidstate artifacts/glare.

The Levinson, by comparison, is slow, omits details in order to try to sound smooth, and still has solidstate artifiacts that tend to give one a headache after some length of listening time.

The Pass Labs I have heard are refined (like there is a golden glow applied to each note to make it sound better - but no where near as much as say Rowland), more so than the Edge, but again not as fast and nowhere near as detailed and have a solidstate glare that is about the same as the new levinsons (maybe a little less?).

The Classe I have heard are like the Pass Labs, but with more solid state artificats and less refinement and probably the least detailed of these all.

The NL12 has more power than the NL10, more than just the difference in wattage might suggest - so if your speakers are at all a difficult load the NL12s will be worth the extra expense.

Hope this helps.

-Mike (Audio Federation)

Uh Mike, Im just curious what Pass amps "you have heard". I own a x-350 and it is the most detailed amp ive ever had in my system. Your comment that the pass has nowhere near the detail of the edge amps kind of stumped me. Tell me, is the Edge that much better??

I've heard the Aleph 3 and the X-600. Yep, the Edge is that much better. Do yourself a favor when you are next in amp-upgrade mode and audition one (or a pair).

-Mike (Audio Federation)

I just finished comparing the NL-10 to the Pass X-250. I agree with Mike's Levinson commnets and most of his description of the Edge NL-10. I did not find the Edge to be more detailed than the Pass X-250, it did have slightly better bass, was clearer sounding, and slightly more dynamic meaning it is very very fast. Not that the Pass is slow, but the Pass has a silkiness (golden glow) and it holds onto notes longer which I think makes it sound slow. On one particular song Krall CD there is a small drum solo with brushes on the snare drum. The Edge sounds like bacon is sizzling, very crisp and clear while with the Pass you seem to hear an echo of the drum more than just the brushes scraping on the top of the snare head. So I depending were the mike recorded the sound you could say that the Edge was not miked as close as the Pass and maybe the mike for the Pass was under the drum so that it captured the echo making notes decay longer, sounding slower. On P Barber, when she takes a breath, it sounds like the Edge records her inhale from a few feet away, while the Pass makes the breath sound like you are hearing the air come out from her throught and lungs again more decay and slower sounding. I liked both and you cannot have both. If you have heard fast amps and like that sound, the Edge is for you. If you want a slightly warmer sound then the Pass maybe for you. Unfortunately, I was unable to hear the X-350 and it may produce more dynamcis and bass do to no negative feedback and larger power supplies etc. Call Pass on it. If the amps were the same price (NL-10 to X-250) I would probably lean towards the Edge but I would have to listen more or bring them home in my system. If you need lots of power the X-350 would be a no brainer. Since they are not the same price meaning the NL-10 to the Pass X-250, the extra $4500 does buy a nice CDP front end unit and that is another thought. Without a better front end, it all becomes meaningless IMHO.

BTW I own the Pass X-250 and did not originally audition the NL-10 because I but the money into better cables, Elrods on the Pass X-250 were the end all and I have money to improve my sytem elsewhere. Also none of the amps sounded edgy or anything just slightly different presentations.

Hope this was helpful.