What's a good alternative to Pass Labs?

I'm in agreement with the others, as I find it hard to believe the Pass amp is the problem. This review on the Pass Labs X250.5 describes the high frequencies as natural, which has been my experience with other Pass products.

This may be the review for your T+A Criterion TCD 110 S that Tom is referring to. The part about being "shouty" is toward the end, but prior to the "Conclusion" section.

IMHO, the issues you describe are not related to each other, so making a single change will not solve both problems. As Peterayer suggests, speaker/room interaction may be a problem.

If you don't use the subs, do you still have the mid-bass bloat? Also, curious as to the cables you are using, digital, IC's, and SC's.

Tls49 is correctnwith the link: here isk the paragraph in question~ "When I moved on to Lara Ruggles’s “Snowflake,” also from Sony’s AR1 SACD Sampler, I found that voices through the Criterions sounded less colored than through my reference B&W 802 Diamonds. The T+As’ midrange actually reminded me a lot of what I heard while listening to this track through Wilson Audio’s Sophia 3s -- Ruggles’s voice was vibrant, with excellent timing and depth, but also a bit harder and cooler at higher volume levels than through the PMCs or B&Ws. This brings me to my one and only criticism of the Criterions: Like the Wilsons, when the T+As are pushed hard, the upper midrange can sound a bit tilted up and teeter on sounding sharp, most notably with female voices. That’s not to say that their tweeters become noticeable, as do the Sophias’ -- they don’t -- but with some recordings, the Criterions’ CD arrays could sound a hint shouty".

I too think you are looking in the wrong place. Trying to find a better amp than the Pass that fits your speakers perfectly in the areas you are not happy with will be an enormous task. And likely not fruitful.

In the realm of SS amps I would never classify Pass as bright.

The sound you describe could be the overwhole sound of your system. I have owned many Pass Labs amps. I own now also the 250.5. Which I will replace by the 350.8.

I have sold Classe for over 6 years of time. It is a nice brand. But it is not in the same league as Pass labs is.

The difference is in the realism of instruments. I also prefer the bigger stage of the Pass Labs.

Mini mac with a dac never convinced me. Why? Because you don't get the 3d image and sharp individual focus as with some gear in just one box. You loose dynamics and also sound realism.

I even think the other parts in your system are the weakest parts of your set.

The pass labs .5 series and Classe have both the properties of a wide and deep stage.

But you need an intimate and smaller individual focus of instruments and voices. They are in real a lot smaller. The combi is not the best choice to be honest.

What kind of cables do you use. Because they have there own properties as well.

Jeff Rowland 625?