Quandary

@mrdecibel

I think the Pass was not really designed for the complexity of classical music. It sounds fabulous on all other styles.

btw, Do you live on Long Island?

I scheduled the return of the Pass.

When he picks up the Pass, the guy is going to let me hear a Rogue tube amp while he’s here.  It should be interesting.

@rvpiano , I happen to feel quite the opposite about Pass and classical music reproduction, as I find Pass excels with it. You might in fact be losing details based on the preamp volume control position, which could result in hearing less details. I never lived on Long Island, but many of my customers lived there. Some of my favorite salespeople were out there as well, and I enjoyed visiting/buying from the audio shops. I am going back a few decades. I have many stories to tell, and at 70, I would love to tell them all. Another time, as this thread is about you, and your journey. My best and standing by. MrD.  

BTW, volume attenuation has become a large topic in our industry (it has always been) and it is a very known fact of how it’s design and execution can make or break a system, which could honestly be your PV 11s weakness, with the Pass in the system. Have a great tech replace the stock attenuator with a remote controlled attenuator by KHOZMO (impedance matched of course), as I believe there might be room inside the chassis. Generally, a small receiving sensor can be located outside of the chassis, as opposed to drilling a hole into the faceplate. Or you can always upgrade to a more recent preamp, as I am sure many here will agree (some may not). This with whatever power amp(s) you decide on. Not to put a knife into your weekend, but you could be losing much detail with the CJ attenuator and its user position with the extra gain of the Pass. Sorry, this might not be helpful, but I needed to say it.

@rvpiano The input impedance on the Rogue power amps are very high at 200K ohms (the ones I am familiar with), and your PV 11 output impedance is 500 ohms. This could be an issue. Plus, you will likely have the same problem with the PV11 volume control position. But, if he is not charging you extra for this loaner of a Rogue, you get to experience tubes as well. Sorry the Pass did not work out. I have a prediction where all this will be going, but we shall see. Always my best, MrD.

Unfortunately, he’s not going to leave the Rogue with me. Hopefully I can tell something about it’s character, including the impedance issue, before he brings it back.

The synergy between the Benchmark and the other components in my system is quite good.   
 Unless the Rogue exceeds  Benchmark’s quality, it will be a quick NO.

@mrdecibel 

Well, as I’m sure you predicted, the Benchmark blew away not only the Rogue but a CJ amp he brought over. It blossomed like a beautiful flower. The other two amps sounded dead in comparison. It wasn’t even close!
 As I’ve said, the synergy of my components is outstanding.

@rvpiano , at least you now know. Keep in mind, music and music listening should be an enjoyable and entertaining endeavor. What this means and what I have found by experience with myself as well as others, my mood matters when I listen, before I listen. This is another topic that can be and has been discussed on another thread, in fact. My best Always, MrD.

@rvpiano amplifier is one of the most impactful components in the system and introducing a different amp is a major change. Your system is tuned to the sound you like with the benchmark in your system. That includes all of your cabling. New amp is rarely a plug and play type of component.
You have to be able to hear the potential and commit to making additional changes if you change your amp, including cables and even a preamp. Ultimately it boils down to personal preference. If you don’t miss pass amp when it’s gone, then it’s not for you. 

Sounds like you got a lot of experience for your experiment. The conclusion that comes to my mind is that a major factor in your enjoyment is detail… that is what Benchmark is about… hence a really good choice for you. The Pass and especially  CJ are about carefully walking the line to balance detail, midrange bloom to capture the perspective of music in its venue . Anyway, hopefully you are happy with the experiment. It would have been worth it for me. 

Someday, if possible, try to audition the Benchmark preamp with your system. Not counting the difference in sound, which is still the most important, but only you can tell, the volume adjustment of 1/2 db on the remote will allow you a lot of precision.

With the Benchmark I can set the volume control knob anywhere between 11:00 and 2:00, a much wider range than any of the other amps. The CJ tube preamp has been refitted with Teflon caps and is an ideal match for the Benchmark.
The combination of solid state and tubes works.  The amount of detail, warmth and soundstaging is impressive.

Yes, tube linestages can work well and sound good with solid state amps.  But, the biggest difference in sound comes from using a good tube amp.  I hang out at a very serious audio shop that does not sell ANY solid state amplification.  They also don’t sell high powered tube amps.  So many visitors to the shop are utterly amazed at the sound; for some, it is like a religious experience.  They have never heard this kind of sound at shops pushing solid state and high power tube amps.
 

It is all about the sound.  As good as a hybrid tube/solid state sounds, I don’t think one gets close to the full measure of tube sound without a tube amp.  I’ve used solid state linestages with tube amps, and I prefer that combination to tube linestage feeding solid state.

In my system, at least, the CJ and Rogue tube amps didn’t work out well.

@mrdecibel 

Youre so right about mood being a factor. In fact, I started that discussion on mood you referenced.

Interesting note: The Pass solid state sounded better than either of the tube amps I tried.

It is important to note, the preferences we all have (at least those that know what their preferences are) why tubes or solid state is the right direction to take (speaking about power amplifiers only). Tube power amps do not do it for me. Them the facts. Anyone familiar with and have a preference for tubes amps, and very specific tube amps as larryi above, definitely does not listen to music the way I do, nor have the same expectations, wants and desires as I do. I am sure we listen to different music as well. Right or wrong? There is none. Not with the varied tastes we all have when listening. For larryi, he has found his comfort place/happy place, and I am extremely happy for him, and the many listeners he interacts with. I have found my comfort place and my happy place, and this is all that matters. I have stated over and over and over again, ad nauseum, that each of us are individuals, and we like what we like. Musicianship, composition and artistic expression are what I listen to, first and foremost. Yes, these are sounds. Our recordings have many sounds, so enjoy those sounds in your preferred order, through your preferred system. Enjoy! MrD.

BTW, ditto from larryi's point of view.

Tube gear, in particular power amplifiers, vary much more in their sound than do solid state amps.  It is not easy to characterize tube amp sound and know tube amp ‘sound” from just a few examples—Audio Research sounds radically different from Audio Note.  Also tube amps require much more care in matching requirements of the speakers.  In that sense, good solid state is “safer” in terms of avoiding incompatibility.  I find Pass Labs to be decent solid state stuff; although much more particular in terms of speaker matching, Pass Labs’ other brand-First Watt—is even better sounding to me.

I went about halfway down into the comments, which go all over the place, and just jumped right to this. I’m glad to see you canceled the demo because though Pass amps are generally fantastic and I’m fairly sure you’ll like it over the Benchmark- you can demo any amp you want anytime you want and still get something that sounds terrific with your speakers. Do it in your time and in a deal that makes sense. I’m a guy who has no problem paying a restocking fee for an audition. You can pay restocking fees all over the internet and they won’t be $300.

And like everyone else, I’d never do business with a schmuck who makes such an ill intentioned offer- $300 to bring you a piece of equipment he wants to sell. That’s hillbilly sht. I’m from Brooklyn- I worked for the best goniffs in the business, most of them had a lot more class than that.