Pass Then vs. Pass Now

I have not heard the bigger commercial Pass amps but I just changed over for the season from my Rogue Sphinx v2 to my DIY Pass F6. Despite their very different topologies,Class D with tubes, Class A, they have more in common than different. Mainly I would say the F6 throws a bigger stage and does reveal some more texture and detail. But both are great driving my KEF LS50s supplemented by a trio fo Syzygy subs.

I would consider the change to Pass just that, a change not necessarily an upgrade. But then I don't look at hifi as a competition. Like Nelson P often says, it is just entertainment. It is supposed to be fun.

Audiogon is a little strange in that things here so often get heated, like this is some kind of contest to see who has the best system. Not my view. There are many things to appreciate in many, many systems. My rule is never overstretch your budget because there is fun to be had at all price levels. Building is a lot of fun, better than just spending money. Check out the DIY store if you are into Nelson Pass. An ampcamp amp is a fine little piece of class a equipment within the capabilities of almost anybody who has the will and the time to build one...and you will also encounter a very nice on-line community that seldom argues and always helps.

It’s really amazing that a designer of that caliber would contribute so much to the DIY community. Pass’ love and passion is what drives him and that’s why Pass Labs have been producing such fine audio equipment and have one of, if not the best, customer service in the industry. 
 

But this is a thread where a question was raised about vintage Threshold vs. modern Pass Labs XA30.8.
Comparing Pass kits built by a DIYer to commercially produced amplifiers from other manufacturers is misleading and irrelevant to this discussion. It also won’t help the OP or anyone reading this thread now or in the future. 

Agreed that the F6 is a different model than the XA30 but I disagree about the relevance of who builds it. When the important parts and design are identical I would expect the resulting performance to be too.

i have had the fw f5 and f6 as well as the pass models i mentioned earlier (currently have the int150, xa30.5 and a modded f5 in my collection of amps)

nelson pass has been interviewed many times, these vids are on youtube, he speaks at length to steve guttenberg and others about how each gen of pass amps, different generations of them, and different fw amps are all his playing with available components (especially various transistors, some no longer available) in various ’less is more’ circuits to produce amps of different capability levels and with varying sonic traits... he is very articulate about how different types of distortion leads us to hear certain attributes in the music

there is also a terrific thread on one of the other forums where he directly participates, and he speaks about his take on how various first watt amps sound different within their respective power envelopes...

these interviews are worth watching, easily found on youtube with a basic search, as is that excellent discussion thread where you hear the sound of various of his described by the man himself

audphile1,

  What is your point now? Just drop it. Move on. Grow up.