Hey @Bjesien
Pass makes no secret that he strives for including euphonic distortion in his amps, and it's in the Stereophile measurements too. I don't have a problem with that at all. My favorite of all time amps remain Conrad Johnson Premier 8 and 12s, so I'm the last person to suggest an amp should be antiseptic.
What I do believe is going on is that that signature of his just works really well for a lot of people, but just doesn't work for me. It's like pineapple on a pizza, and trying to determine the absolute right answer to that will never be a good idea. :)
Sorry, no experience with Sugden.
Erik