2. amps-preamps
  3. 1397957984

What's a good alternative to Pass Labs?

Owner of the x250.5 (pass labs). It's a remarkable amplifier, it just doesn't seem to synergize all that well with my speaker. Something a little less bright (a little more forgiving) and something slightly less warm. It seems to get warmest in the mid-bass (bloat), and brightest of course in the higher treble. The mid-bass warmth/bloat exists at lower as well as higher volumes, the brightness starts to get bad at louder volumes. I think they that Pass is a warm neutral, so perhaps i'm just looking for something that's just neutral. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

budget less than $10k. used or new ok.
coloneltushfinger
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Just got 350.8 wow great dynamics,great stage.wonderful imaging.The alternative get a Soulution 711 its only $65.000.00 i think its a little better.
timlub
2,039 posts
 
Coda 40.0 meets your requirements
omsed
145 posts
 
The amp is very, very unlikely to be your problem. You are far better off fixing the offending component. And if it is the speakers causing the brightness problem you can work all you want to use compensating equipment, but the distortion causing the brightness, and the distortion causing the "fixit" components to cover up the brightness, will all just add masking distortion.

In the end, you will end up getting rid of the offending component anyway, you might as well avoid years of trying to fix it and a lot of wasted money, and get it out of there now.
bo1972's avatar
bo1972
2,789 posts
 
When you still own the T&A loudspeakers I would sell them
directly. They are very poor in crossovers. To be honest I could
not sell this to my clients. In this price range there are
enough better speakers. The biggest limitation in audio is that
over 90% of all products is not worth their money in my personal
opinion.
jafant
18,964 posts
 
Colonel-

you may want to re-think your preamp. Any preamp is going to be the heart of any system. If you do not get this right, nothing else matters...

List your cables/powers cords as well. IMO, this is the 2nd most over-looked aspect of any rig. Keep me posted!

Happy Listening.
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