Integrated Amplifiers - Luxman vs Pass Labs

OP:

I don't know that I'd say Ayre sound is fuller.  It's ... different... almost alien.  It sounds as if it sucks noise out of the room and everything is coming out of a perfect void.  It's an effect you really have to listen to.

I like them a lot, but budget, opportunity and meters landed me with Luxman. :)

Best,

Erik

Hi @bjesien

I’ve heard Pass in about a dozen situations but can only remember one specifically. I’ll explain in a bit.

At an audiophile’s home near San Francisco I got to hear a full Pass stack with Lawrence audio. It was OK. I mean, I’ve heard many Class D amps from IcePower or A/B from Parasound which would have equaled or bettered what I heard.

In another situation I was at a dealer in the greater Boston area, kind of in the boonies. Unremarkable music presentation is how I would describe it. Everyone around me was excited and I was... meh.

I also went to a show sponsored by Pass near the SF airport where in about 80% of the rooms the amps were Pass. I can’t remember everyone but I can say that the rooms that did not have Pass sounded a lot better. In general the pass sound was scratchy and lean to my ears.

The best I can tell from Stereophile measurements of Pass amps is that the euphonic distortion they are adding is absolutely not working for me. Maybe also a preference for big floppy woofers.  I've never heard Pass with big horn loaded systems myself so I have to go by what I've been told.

I know my view is very much in the minority and often people take me as attacking Nelson himself, and I'm not doing any such thing.  The gear just doesn't go anywhere I want to be.

Since Hgeifman and Erik Squires have mentioned, I might just add a little here. It’s good to note that 2 persons who have made the comparison prefer the Luxman to the Pass Labs.

Although I did not have the opportunity to listen to a Pass Labs, the Luxman, to me is a splendid amp. In my case the L-590AXII. I truly believe it’s my endgame amp, the final destination so to speak. Although I may not have the privilege of trying everything out there (who does anyway), I’ve stopped searching already. Once you get the gear right, it will be out of the way as the music takes over.

Good luck with whatever you end up with, the Pass Labs, Luxman or something else. In the end, it’s the music that matters.

Meo,

I chose the Pass Brand because after seeing Guttenbergs video of Nelson's 

home I thought -If Pass uses Tannoys to voice his amps and I own Tannoys

the hard work is over. Gotta have Pass. 

Meantime I hear Coda is supposed to be better. Never heard it.

As far as Luxman goes, I think they have upped their game in the last few years.

I never had both in my home to a/b. I did hear the $5k Lux Int paired with

Paradigm Founder $5k speakers in November. That was sound I could live with.

I hear your concerns about worrying over tube gear. Hum, wear. I had a Cary

120 amp and sold it to buy the Pass. Now I miss the tube sound so I may look into

the new ARC I-50 Integrated. Waiting for some legit reviews.

You might buy an XA 25 amp and see how you like it. Used they were selling at

$3k. To a/b you will need a to buy the Lux also.

Keep us posted please.

I want to reiterate, I don't personally care if the OP buys a Pass or Luxman.  I do think that in many situations the two are so different the OP will absolutely come out of that shoot out with a strong preference of their own.

These are just not amps you should buy based on anyone else's hearing.