I have just had my pair of amps rebuilt/refurbished by Pass Labs. After 300hrs of listening (suggested break in time) these amps are sounding spectacular. These are driving a pair of Vienna Acoustics The Kiss speakers and I can retire the dual REL T9 subwoofers as I no longer need them. This amp has such a tight controlled bass. I previously had a very good tube mono block amps that I thought were great. No comparison, the pass has everything I love about tubed amps and everything I love about SS in one fantastic package. I think along with my Cary SLP 98P with all factory upgrades including the Lundahl MC phono transformer. This amp is a forever am-. So very impressed by everything about these musical amps. Price used $3k rebuild inc shipping around $1k So worth it.

They do run warm, bonus in winter but class A amps do run at full speed.

Excellent soundstage,Vivid,Transparency,Details,Warmth,
Sonically marvelous

Hot!!

It get's the music right and true. The sound is very warmth and clean. Its just a perfect combination in the bass,midrange and tweeter area. The soundstage is very transparency ,very wide and depth. I'd appreciate any comments on the Aleph2, excellent soundstage, vivid, transparency, details, warmth,
qualities, reliability,sonically marvelousperformance and musical etc....

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSA-300S,Pass X-350,Audio Research VT-100,Mark Levinson 23.5

Detail, image, sound stage and purity

Runs hot. Those sharp fins edges can be dangerous.

Amazingly detailed and fluid. I find myself able to close my eyes and see the music which I was not able to do with the KSA250. If the music is discribing an medieval battle field, through the KSA250, you feel the cavaliars thundering and you see knights charging at their enemies in a storm of dust. With the Aleph 2, you see the knights charging, waving their swords,eyes wide open, you might even smell their sweat. But there is no dust storm. You might call that the weakness of these amps. As for me, I'll prefer to touch the flowers than to feel the thunder, any time.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSA250

To put it bluntly, i have NEVER heard a pair of amps sound so damn good in my system ever. I have had the good fortune to have been able to audition many of the best amps on the market in my system, (krell,audio research,levinson,vtl,sonic frontiers,etc.) These amps grab hold and control a speaker in a manner that i have not heard before. Each instrument and voice is portrayed in it's own seperate pocket of air within it's immense soundstage. The most striking thing is how it seperates images front to back. It is marvelous in this regard. You can also easily approximate the size of the recording venue without having to strain to hear it. The purity and correctness of tone is exceptional. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

System: Meridian 508.24
Audible Illusions L1
Pass Labs Aleph 2
Martin Logan SL3
Cables: Kimber Bi-focal XL
Kimber Silver Streak

I wish you could hear these amps in my system because it sounds incredible.

Wanted !!!I listen Pass Aleph 3. I really impress with that sound. Can anyone send me Electrical Schemes for this.

The Pass Lab 2s are sensational amps. Two things will come to impress even the most experienced (jaded?) listener.
The purity of sound is really quite something. These amps don't sound like the typical solid state stuff nor do they sound like most tube amps. They're not lean sounding or overly warm. There's absolutely no grain or bleaching of musical colors. Unless you love the artificial "technicolor" of some of the tube stuff, you'll be captivated by what you hear. Cymbals and other difficult instruments are particularly well done.

I never really knew exactly what hearing the air around instruments or body really meant until I listened to these amps. It's more than just soundstaging. Its a sense of three dimensional singers, guitars, pianos etc. It's pretty subtle, but listen and you'll hear it. Some of the best single-ended tube amps may do an even better job, but I'm not sure that what I'm hearing with them isn't slightly exaggerated-- that it's really on the CD or record. Cymbals and other difficult instruments are particularly well done.

Taken together there's a bit of life to these amps that you won't hear listening to others. In all other respects dynamics, tonal balance, soundstaging etc. etc. they're as good as most anything out there.

Make sure these amps are warmed up for at least an hour before auditioning or you may not care for them much.

The sound

None

I recently did a major upgrade to my audio only system. After purchasing a pair of Nautilus 801s and a Sony SCD-777ES SACD player to go with my Audio Research LS3 and Muse 175 monoblocks, I decided it was time to upgrade my amplifier. After auditioning all of the major name brands, Krell, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, etc. I honed in on the Pass Labs line of products. I finally took the plunge and purchased the Aleph 2s. At first, I was a little disappointed. The treble was overly harsh and the base was not very well controlled. I decided to wait on passing final judgement until they had burned in 100 hours or so. Wow, what a difference this made. Everything just snapped into place. The soundstage became immense while the imaging of individual musicians was precise and very localized. The manual says to let these amps warm up 1 hour before listening. I have found letting them run playing music is a much more effective warm up than just having them powered on. A slight edginess to the sound that occurs when the unit is initially turned on smooths out nicely after this warm up period. The final result is the most realistic musical experience I have ever had. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Bryston 4B, Muse 175 Monoblocks