Class A: Accuphase vs Pass Labs house sound?


I have always been fascinated with Accuphase (Japanese audio in general). I've never heard an Accuphase amp in person. I've heard Pass class a/b amps a few times. I own a FirstWatt j2. One thing I really like about the feature set of Accuphase that it includes a gain level control. I would find that handy since I have 101 efficient (measured at 98db) Zu speakers. Since I run a tube pre, tube hiss can be an issue if I do not keep tabs on the gain when choosing components. No worries with the J2 since the gain is super low. However, I may look to upgrade my amp in the future. Pass 30.8 is something that looks like a nice unit. Also the Accuphase A-48 or A-30.

Just curious if anyone has compared both...sound wise and build wise

 

 

aberyclark