Shannere, I have never owned a Pass, nor an Ayre. I’ve never tried to steer anyone away from either of those brands, which is not the same as saying I don’t like some more than others, I do. Rather, I post amps which to my ears sound pretty different.
I’ve not heard Mc in a very very long time, and not for any period of time, unlike Pass, Luxman and Ayre, which I’ve been fortunate enough to audition for a few hours here and there.
It makes no difference to me if some one buys Pass or Mc, but generally speaking, I do recommend listeners in the price range try a triad:
I recommend these exactly because they sound significantly different from each other. I think listeners will immediately develop such a strong preference that nothing I could type would change their mind. especially if they listen with their own speakers, which they should.
In answering the OP’s question, I could not comment on Mc, and didn’t want to comment on Pass, but I felt if the OP listened across these three, he’d have a better feel for the house sound of Pass, and I’m always curious what people think and what they listen to with them.
If I actually tried to steer someone away from Pass it would read very different.
If Pass sounds the best, then no one should worry that listeners go any other way, but I do not believe in absolute truths, and that may annoy the Pass-is-Best camp. You will see my sincere apology to them in a future posting. Please wait for it with bated breath.
Best,
E
