PASS Labs x350.5 vrs. Parasound JC1


Hello, I was wondering if anyone has had the pleasure of hearing the differences between these two amps that could offer their opinion on which one they felt was a better sounding unit?

I currently have a PASS X250 amp that I have been using for several years and really have no complaints on its performance but I am thinking of upgrading to something with more Class A output power.

I like the idea of amps that transition from Class A to Class A/B operation because they will ensure I have plenty of headroom during those aggressive listening sessions.

The current Pass X250 is driving a pair of B&W 803 Diamond series speakers. By my estimation, room size and listening habits it looks like I would need about 35-40 watts of Class A power to stay in Class A operation for most of my listening (90-105db).

The specs on the speakers call for up to 500 watts of unclipped power into 8ohms. I believe they can hit 3ohm at certain points so I want to ensure which ever amp I get can keep up with their needs.

Based on my research either of the two amps in question could fit the bill easily in terms of power with the advantage going to the PASS as far as more Class A output than the Parasound. My gut tells me to stick with PASS Labs and I can't go wrong but I have always had an interest in the big JC1 also. I like the fact that the JC1 has a seemingly endless supply of output power as the speaker load drops which the B&W's are known to do often.

Please post your experiences..Thanks
eniac26
The JC1's are absolutely killer amps. Nothing against Pass as they are also outstanding amplifiers, but I'm a sucker for mono's and the big Parasounds are nearly impossible to beat at their price point.
Dracule, my first problem was picked up by my dealer (after one year), then returned to me repaired. Parasound has a record of that repair so I must assume they did the work. The recent failure I paid for shipping to Parasound (at 6.5 years old) and they covered the return.

I believe comparable Pass amps are of similar size/weight so not a consideration for the OP's question. However you may rule both out for this reason.
Like Pryso, I have owned a pair of JC-1s that I purchased new six years ago. They have a hell of a lot of playing time on them and I have never had any problem with them. I run them in the high bias position driving a pair of Duntech Princess speakers which go down to the 2 ohm range . Wonderful sound.
Violin