Upgrade bug has hit, interested in Pass Labs Amps

Hi Tim, how long have you used the BCs? Are you using Bel Canto Ref 1000 Mk.1 or Mk.2 monos? If you own the earlier version, it is my understanding that the very recent Mk.2 version is musically signifacantly enhanced and that the cost of the upgrade is quite reasonable. I am breaking in a pair of Mk.2s and am quite stunned by their musicality. Granted, I would not call them 'warm' per se, but neutral and harmonically complex. My 20 year old Rowland 7Ms could be rated as 'warm' instead but I much prefer the sonic signature of the Bel cantos R1000 Mk.2s.
If you want to try the Pass series, and your preference were for a sound on the warmer side of neutral, why not have a look also at the Pass XA.5 series? They are said to be even slightly more refined than the X.5 models, and slightly warmer as well. Guido

One more thing to consider is connectivity and PCs. . . What are you using right now? not everything works well with any electronics, and Bel Canto amps are no exception. Guido

Messelt, I agree that your Kimber USB cable could be part of the issue. . . my experiences with listening Kimber wiring is that they tend to be a bit on the tippy side. Not sure that going to a glass connection would improve things though. . . a glass fiber connection means that the electrical signal is converted to light pulses at one end, then back to electrical signals at the other end of the wire run. . . that introduces additional potential for timing inaccuracies or jitter. . . which we perceive as edginess in the sound. What power cords are you using on your Ref 1000? I am having excewllent results with Cardas Golden Ref on the Mk.2s. G.

Hi Messelt, I am grasping at straws of course, but I suspect that the Oval 2 may be a better choice for the BC amps than the Oval 10. . . I know that Oval 2s are often recommended with other class D amps like the JRDG 201s and 501s. . . I even heard Oval 2 on the big JRDG 312 and it works quite well. If i interpreted the descriptive page on PCs on the Analysis Plus web site correctly, the Oval 2 PC has a braided shielding. I just recently read somewhere on Audiogon that shielded PCs may be appropriate for some switching amps. As far as I know, the Cardas Golden Refs are shielded, and they sure work well on the BC Ref 1000 Mk.2s in my system.
Yet, I also suspect that the Kimber USB cable may be part of your problem set. . . . I heard very good things instead of the Ridge Street Audio USB wire. . . mind you, I am not speaking out of personal experience. G.