I have an R8. I’ve been in audio for 30 years. I’ve never had better sound. I’m driving Martin Logan Spires. I have all the headroom I need. Do I feel the need to sample anything else? Absolutely not. I’m very content. Vinyl is sublime. I have the luxury of sampling any tubes I choose. I go back in forth between the Svetlana Winged C EL34’s and the Tung Sol 6550’s. Bass is remarkable with the Tungsol’s . The Svetlana’s offer the finest Midrange. It’s a very plug and play amp that’s musical right out of the box. No 5 month break in period. The Pass won’t allow you to do that. $5k better? Absolutely not. And you can’t expect to go from a tube integrated to a SS amp and obtain sound worth comparing. All my opinion only. Good luck!
Pass INT-25 better than Wilsenton R8?
I have recently purchased a Pass Labs INT-25. It replaced a Wilsenton R8 with NOS tubes (EL-34). I feel that the sound im getting from the Pass is not 5000.00 better. Has anyone purchased a INT-25 and not been blown away from the sound? I do think that the 25 has a wider soundstage.