Mr. Pass makes very nice Solid State amps, among the best out there. Hes a cool guy !! Unfortunately, solid state amps typically require a certain amount of negative feedback, which adds an OUT OF TIME component to the music's playback.
Fortunately for music lovers, there is an inherently better device called the triode vacuum tube, that when done well, can operate without feedback and can become a better-sounding amplifier than ANY solid state device can be made into.
There are two problems with tube designs however
(1) The best performing amps will be 3 Watts or less
(2) 99.90 percent of the tube amps built, past and present, simply don't cut the mustard
The solution to number (1) above, is very easy : select the best sounding amplifier ( which is THE weakest link in the system ) as the FIRST priority in your State of the Art Hi Fi system. Then, find a really good high-efficiency speaker . I am thinking of a simple two- way, ALTEC, GPA and ALE.
The solution to number (2) above, which tube amp to buy, is very easy. There is only one person, known to me over the past dozen years, who builds the best performing tube amps ever made. He is out of Livingston, Montana , USA, and his name is Dennis Fraker. His small company ( one man ) is called Serious Stereo.
I would simply suggest, anyone who seeks the best listening experience, to visit Dennis at his place in Montana, and allow him to demo his late-2018 system for you. You will know, right away, from what you hear !!
Also, he is a very nice person to interact with, smart, caring, and honest. Look him up on the web, you can call and talk to him !! But most of all, visit and listen for yourself. The proof of the pudding .
Well, now you have the truth, at least as " I " see / experience / hear it. Go visit and listen for yourself. You will be educated.
Jeff Medwin
