Pass Labs ALEPH 5 vs ALEPH 2

Save your money.If your speakers are 8ohm and ~ 90dB the aleph-3 is the one to get.
The bass is better than most (who havent heard one) think and the soundstage is huge.The inner detail and transparency is top notch.
As the reviewer from Stereophile mentioned in the review of this amp "its like listening to air"

Hi:
I am a dedicated Pass lover and have had several amps, including both the Aleph 5 and Aleph 2. Let's clear away some misconceptions.
1. The Aleph 5 has 60 watts, not 100, and a smaller power supply.
2. The Aleph 2 has 100 watts per chassis, with larger power supplies dedicated to each individual chassis.
3. Thye have the EXACT same number of gain stageds and circuit topology, possibly excepting the feedback loop--I don't know if they use the same amount of feedback, but it is low in both cases.
4. Both are wonderful sounding amplifiers, with that spooky magic that audiophiles love. The Aleph 2, however, will sail along in situations where the Aleph 5 will clip or shut down.
5. For further questions, yalk to Perter Perkins at Pass Labs. The man is a saint and quite knowledgable.

Good luck,
Jeffrey

my 5 has never shut down, never heard of an aleph that did!

At the time, I was living in an area where temperatures easily exceeded 100 degrees. I was driving Quad electrostatics on a very hot day and sitting far back in a large room. I was playing very loud and very dynamic jazz that had been recorded live. I think the combination was just too much. The Alsph 5 heat sensor, I believe, turned it off for awhile.

Otherwise, I have never had a single interruption, let alone failure, of any kind with Pass stuff. The best designed, best built electronics in the business, IMHO.
JT

I used to have Aleph 0 (75 WPC, 3 gain stages). Now, I own both Aleph 2 and X-600. They are all excellent power amps.

Some facts:
Aleph 0: 75WPC, mono blocks, 3 gain stages.
Alpeh 5: 60WPC, stereo
Aleph 2: 100WPC, mono blocks, power consumption 300 watts for each (600 total). One transformer for each.
Aleph 4: 100WPC, stereo, power consumption 500 watts. One bigger transformer (I believe) for both channels.

Not sure why Pass Labs will release Aleph 4 after Aleph 2, since they are both 100 WPC, the same design and same grade of parts and I don't know which model is better. Maybe just to reduce some cost without sacrificing the sonic performance for marketing purpose.