New x260.8
 

Just pulled the trigger on a pair of x260.8:banana: I was looking for an upgrade to my current Macintosh amp and this fit the bill. Mark at Reno HiFi took great care of me. Should have them by end of next week.

Congrats, being an owner of the same pair for the past year and a half I see no reason why you won't be completely satisfied.

Congrats! Great sounding amps!

George

Pass makes amazing gear. Congrats. We love pics!

Congratulations!

Congratulations with them.

A new one in the family Pass, congratulations...

Jdsmoke,

Congrats on your upgrade. Your whole system looks fantastic. Exciting times for sure.

I'm presently considering either a McIntosh (w/ Martin Logan 13A) or Pass Lab - INT 250 or 250.8 or 260.8 - (w/ Magico A3) purchase. Two different sounds ... and I like them both.

Since you've had the Pass for sometime now and have experience with McIntosh can you describe some of the differences (sound stage, imaging, etc.) you are hearing?

As you know hearing amps in a show room isn't the same as hearing them in your own system. Both set ups I've heard above sound amazing. However, with short listening sessions it's difficult always discern the difference in amps, speakers, etc. While I know it's my ear that will make the final decision, your insights would be greatly appreciated.

And if you don't mind, one other thing you could help with is commenting on the heat generated by the Pass Labs monos. I live in FL. so, I already have too much heat and humidty. :) While I know it's more than the Mc, is it any kind of real issue per se, or just something people - including one of my dealers - talk about?

Looking forward to your insights. Thanks in advance.

I love the pass amps. I would say compared to Mcintosh they have a wider sound stage, and are more dynamic. Now I will say that I was running a MC152 vs dual monos w the pass. The Mac has a great laid back, very musical sound which I enjoyed. I actually loved the C1100 w the pass amps. Had the speed, soundstage and dynamics a w a more tuby presentation. I’m still assessing if the ARC ref 6 was a step up or more lateral move. I have heard the pass w the Magico and it was a great setup. The only drawback is the pass put out some heat. I have a small listening space and it gets warm. You better have good ventilation and AC if you are in FL.

Jdsmoke,

Many thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it. It does help.

The wider sound stage of the Pass is a large part of what I'm after. l personally enjoy systems that can reveal this. So, that's very good to know. Pass amps have been a long time favorite of mine. And paired with Magico, probably my dream system (well at least one of them).

However, I heard what you did in the showroom concerning the laid back musicality of the Mcs. My dad ran Mcs for decades way back when ... While I didn't much care for his genre of music - in let's say my rebellious long hair teen years - he really enjoyed his music and system ...

Both brands are very nice and great performers in their own unique masterful ways. I don't think I could make a wrong decision either way here ...

The Pass heat really concerns me though. But the house will be brand new (we close next month, I hope ...) with a good AC and it's a very large room (but unfortunately not dedicated to only audio - it's going to need some room wife approved room treatments). While I'm leaning towards the Pass, the heat is a real issue ...

Thanks again.