What are the weak points of Pass amps and pre-amps ?

@dgarretson

I was just making sure I could smell what the Rock...was... cookin!

I will say however, right now my wife and kids are not home, I am in my audio room with my 250.8, XP12, and my Ohm Walsh 5000’s and getting my dose of Metal and Classical all at once. Metallica S&M.

Feeling pretty emotional listening to Metallica and the SFSO rock One, just knowing Sandman comes next and closing with Battery.

Of course, that could be the emotion of pure Joy,  90+ db’s and no one to tell me to turn it down.

dep14, turn it UP!!!!

@jetter 

Yeah... I under estimated the volume again.  Definitely hitting peaks over 100db+

Oh, on the subject of Pass Labs no question they underestimate power and the class A bias.  Bias meter barely moving.

87db 6ohm nominal load on the 5000's.  Don't HAVE to have big power, but man they respond.

Interesting comments in this thread.   I own big Class A amps and really like much about the sound but there can also be advantages to how Class AB amps present certain types of music.  Another thing I have found to matter is whether the output stage is driven by MOSFETs or bipolar transistors, with the MOSFETs usually IME offering a somewhat softer sound that is sometimes described as tube-like.  PASS and BAT use MOSFETs.  I tend to like amps with a bipolar output stage (like my Claytons), although I would like to hear the GamuT 250i monos and Pass' 260.8s both of which use MOSFETs.
I have heard good things about the sound of CODA amplifiers (bipolar output stage) but have been a bit confused as to why they have so many offerings.  IMO they would do better to establish a more concise line-up and stick with it - and offer more monoblock options.  The cosmetics seem a bit dated also but of course that is personal preference.