Mcintosh 452 vs Pass Labs XA 30.5

As opinionated as bo1972 is, with as many posts as he has, there is no mention on his "home page " as to the components he uses to create this " "TRU FI ", as he says. Besides, anyone who bashes horns, and says they are not lifelike, is a totally BS kind of person. I also read past his posts. If bo1972 would like to comment on my post, it would mean NOTHING to me, as his opinions mean nothing to me. I have been at this for over 50 years, and I go where my ears take me. Enjoy ! MrD.

I know many people who work in  audio who have the same opinion as I have regarding horns. We will use people from the conservatorium to show people how instruments sounds in real. And we will show them how an audiosystem sound what can reveal all the different propertis of sound. 

Audio is all about music and how it sounds in real. So this is the best way to show people how things sound in real.

Real instruments played by people can proof that horns create both sound and the size of instruments a lot different than in reality. Comparing and using real music is the best way to make people understand how instruments sounds in real compared to audio brands and products.

People don't like to read negative information about products they own. So it becomes personal. As you always can read in their reactions.

People need to learn to look further. At the end the sound and stage you hear will tell the truth. People prefer to hear the things they would like to hear. They even prefer it than hearing the truth.

We let people hear their music by Tru-Fi, so they can decide what they think of it. People will always choose and want that sound and stage what they prefer. That is the simplicity of audio what I love most.

On each recording you will find the details and all the different properties of sound. So you need a system what can reveal this. There is not even any discussion possible about this. But when you focus and listen to most audio products the truth proofs that they are incomplete. We are talking about facts and this has nothing to do with personal taste.

When I ask people how the human emotion works regarding music and audio they have no idea. This proofs again that they have no idea what they are doing making their choices. The great thing about the internet is that you can find and read many articles about the human emotion.

I can garantee you that this will make you understand music and audio a lot better than you know now. 

@hugh_jahol; only by using these words proofs how weak you are. You just need to focus on the thread. You have the freedom to give your own opinion about this thread.

Stop making it personal, just wrote your thoughts and ideas about this issue. It is that simple

When I talk to people about audio they often talk about emotion. So I ask them a simple question. How does the human emotion works regarding music?

And they say; I have no idea. You were talking about emotion but you can not tell me why and how it effects our emotion? And again they say; No I can’t

You cannot use words and assumptions when in real you have no idea what it means and how it works.

When you want to understand things you need to learn how it works and this comes not by it self. You need to take time to find the right information about it. The internet can give you when you want to all this information.

Sound contains of different properties. This has nothing to do with personsal taste. We are talking about facts. There is enough information about music and about sound.

In over 20 years of time I did spend a lot of time in reading about many different aspects of both sound&music. As I phoned and talked a lot with different specialists in different parts regarding audio. And I did many tests to learn how it works.

Most people who have audio as a hobby or they work in this world as I do believe that they have a lot of knowledge about audio. But when I talk to them they cannot answer almost all the simple questions about audio. Beside this they agreed that most things they say are based on information they got from distributers. Most are just assumptions. And can easily be proven by sound that they are not even true.

Most people who love audio and who work in audio are running on very thin ice. Based on the fact that even the most simple things they don’t understand.

When you want to understand and guide audio you need to understand a lot before you can manage and guide it. I wrote it many times overhere and I will say it again.

When you all are listening to your system at home you are listening to all the different properties of each single part in your system, the acoustsic and other parts like smog, magnetism and high frequent noise who negatively influence the sound and stage.

This has nothing to do with a personal taste. We have a personal taste in music. But voices and instruments are build on different properties. Again we are talking about facts. You need all the different properties of sound to be able to hear the song of the recording the way it sounded when they recorded it.

When you just focus on brands and products it is very easy to proof and show that most brands and products cannot reveal all the different properties of sound. When you let people hear with their own music a system what can reveal all the aspects of sound we see how simple it is for them to understand why this is so much more attractive and emotional to listen at.

This has nothing to do with personal taste. All different properties of sound van influence our emotion. When we let people listen to a Tru-Fi system they agree all that it is a lot more exciting and emotional then their own system.

This can be founded on facts. Because the sytem can reveal all the details and different properties of sound. This has nothing to do with personal tatse as most of you believe. I believed it as well untill januari 2016. Untill a client said; you have proven and thought me that personal taste in sound does not excist. It took him over 1 hour to persuade me.

Based on assumption I thought that I was 100% sure that audio is based on a personal taste. But the music it self is what it is. And the emotion tou can experience is founded on all the different properties it owns.

Humans can experience sound and music in a 3D spectrum. But the most audio brands and products are only able to create a 2D stage. Agaain we are talking about facts. The sound and stage proofs what you hear and how it is being projected into a room.

My clients all understand how big the diffences are between 2D audio and 3D audio. Because they all came from 2D audio, as I came form 2D audiuo as well. When you hear live music and after time you learn what 3D sound is and how it works. This is what you want. Because it makes the experience of music so much more intense and emotional.

It is not natural and it even does not make sense when audio is displayed in a 2D stage, based on the fact that we humans can experience it in a 3D stage. When we let people experience their music between a 2D and 3D system we see that they all react the same way.

Again this can be explained. Due to the fact on how our hearing and emotion works regarding music and audio. Even this has nothing to do with personal taste because this can be explained on facts and how our emotion works.

People become very personal when they read things they do not like. I understand that, but you cannot runaway from facts and things which can be explained. When you want to get to a higher level in audio sometimes tou need to learn to do things differently. When you are not open for this, you will stay where you are right now.

At the end each human being prefers a more natural and emotional sound and stage. This is what we create and how we do both sound&vision. Maybe you hear things you do not like, just be a man and take a listen. After that you can judge yourself.

We want to use conservatorium students because live music did learn me a lot about music and sound. And that is why I want to use it so other people can experience the same as I did in the past. So they will understand it as well.

I'm also interested in some first hand experience of the MC452/MC152 vs. XA series. Seems like so far it's just conflicting hyperbole of them both taking turns blowing each other out of the water. Can someone describe what the difference is that's making one better than the other? What is the key difference between the Mac and Pass house sound?

One of the things mentioned is that the Mac is slow, but from everything I've read, the MC452/MC152 generation is the fastest of the Macs...

I auditioned them both many times. I did own different XA monos in the past. When I audition the Mcintosh with my own music I always miss depth and width regarding the stage. The diversity in sound with the Pass is a lot better. It reveals also moere layers in the middle frequencies.

You never will see a show where people can hear them both wiht the same amps, sources and cables? This is how silly audio is. At the end it is all about shootout. Most are only interested in their own stuff and will not allow you to compare them.

It would be so much better if they become a lot more open and honest to audio lovers. I wrote it many times when they want to they can imply parameters. But they will not do this. They want audio to staf as fague as possible. So people have no idea about sound and music. It becomes a lot more easy to sell what they want.

They don’t care about the truth and best quality. They only focus on how much money they can make. When they want to give the audio busienss a boast they need to stop with all those lies. And create better products for customers.

Ive owned a Pass int-250, mc9000 and a luxman... The pass was the best when it came to overall sound. I liked the Ma9000 next and the Luxman 509x was crap. Sounded like cheap Yamaha gear to me. I hate the way Pass gear looks (great build but just stupid looking).  That being said I always find myself going back to Mcintosh. I LOVE the way they look, and I also love what they do with the human voice. I listen to allot of music but I also listen to a ton of talk radio and how an amp renders voices is SUPER important to me. Currently running a Schiit Frey + (spectacular preamp) with a Mcintosh mc452 into a set of JBL 4365's. And I love it. 

There are great sounding and well built MacIntosh products and great sounding well built Pass products. Most of the time their owners are great people too. A lot of people own both. But so much of the time these threads end up more about ego and feeling superior vs facts. Too bad. We have so much to learn from each other.

I have a modest pass syetem and have owned older mcintosh. Maybe not a comparison but I find the Pass Adelph 3 and Pass L pre very addictive. Sound just seems to hang in a very holographic way.

I do think Mcintosh and pass lab com out the different sound, they are so different, and someone prefer this one while others prefer that one. There is no right or wrong. I bought  Mcintosh Amp brand new and used for about 7-8 years and go to Audio Research near 30 years ago. I have clear memory about the Mcintosh and maybe later, I will buy  one as second system, THE MAIN POINT IS

I FIND RELEASE IN THE SOUND.

The following is coming from chatGPT and I agree.

Comparing the sound quality of amplifiers, such as those from McIntosh and Pass Labs, is subjective and can depend on personal preferences, the rest of your audio system, and the type of music you enjoy. Both McIntosh and Pass Labs are reputable manufacturers known for producing high-quality audio equipment, but they may have different sonic characteristics.

McIntosh is often recognized for its warm and lush sound signature, with a distinctive visual style and a long heritage in the audio industry. McIntosh amplifiers typically provide a smooth and musical listening experience.

Pass Labs, on the other hand, is known for its focus on transparency, accuracy, and detailed sound reproduction. Pass Labs amplifiers are often praised for their clean and precise audio delivery, making them appealing to audiophiles who prioritize accuracy.

Ultimately, the "better" sound is a matter of personal taste. Some people prefer the characteristic sound of McIntosh, while others may lean towards the precision and transparency of Pass Labs. It's recommended to audition both brands if possible, preferably with your own audio source and speakers, to determine which one aligns better with your preferences and complements the rest of your audio system.