You ask "best ever"? Perhaps for your ear, perhaps not.
I considered Passes 150 wpc integrated, and auditioned it...twice! Then I heard the Technical Brain integrated and was floored, I've owned more highend gear than I care to admit (Tube. SS. mono blocks) but for my room/speakers nothing has ever sounded like this Tech Brain integrated & phono stage It would be ideal to use a "multiple step process" before you let go of that hard earned green. Take the Pass home to your system and listen to what it sounds like in your environment, and, you will probably love it, especially if it's a rather large step up from the electronics you now own...the second step would be to return the Pass and try another amp in the same range. See how you react to a few different designs. You might be surprised, then again, you may realize the Pass is what you like...the one you pick will be the "best ever". Your speakers are the mouth piece of your system, so the "basic sound" is something that will not change...it's all the other things that will...tonal tilt, warmth, detail, sound stage...your looking to change the heart of your system. Pass is a strong one!
I considered Passes 150 wpc integrated, and auditioned it...twice! Then I heard the Technical Brain integrated and was floored, I've owned more highend gear than I care to admit (Tube. SS. mono blocks) but for my room/speakers nothing has ever sounded like this Tech Brain integrated & phono stage It would be ideal to use a "multiple step process" before you let go of that hard earned green. Take the Pass home to your system and listen to what it sounds like in your environment, and, you will probably love it, especially if it's a rather large step up from the electronics you now own...the second step would be to return the Pass and try another amp in the same range. See how you react to a few different designs. You might be surprised, then again, you may realize the Pass is what you like...the one you pick will be the "best ever". Your speakers are the mouth piece of your system, so the "basic sound" is something that will not change...it's all the other things that will...tonal tilt, warmth, detail, sound stage...your looking to change the heart of your system. Pass is a strong one!