What's a good alternative to Pass Labs?

04-20-14: Abrew19
Colonel, did you say less bright and less warm at the same time?

Let me rephrase. With regards to warmth, there is a little to much warmth in the mid-range--it's especially apparent in women's voices with medium-higher pitch. Also a little bloat in the mid-bass--the sound is exaggerated & larger than life.

With regards to brightness, I'd classify the x250.5 as ever so slightly bright. It is by no means ruthless, nor is it forgiving. Given that a lot of the music I love isn't particularly well produced or mastered, something slightly forgiving may end up making me happier.

How confident are you that your speakers and listening seat are in the right places? The tonal balance issues you describe can be altered by addressing how the speakers are reacting to the room and where you are sitting.

Start with sitting in the spot which has the smoothest bass. Then work with the speakers. This will cost you nothing. If you still have the issues you describe, then consider equipment changes.

In my experience the older Coda amps were very good and yes they do have a warmth to their presentation. I certainly haven't heard all the newer amps, but I have heard the 15.0 that Ren mentioned. It does have a rich midrange presentation, but I would not call it warm, rich and layered, yes. Not warm...

IMHO, the issue is not the X250.5. Rather, the Pass amp is revealing issues elsewhere in the chain, most likely upstream: source/pre-amp/dac.

You may want to RE-visit the review of these speakers. The reviewer says that they are "shouty" at higher volumes. You may be sensitive to this region of hearing frequency??? I think the perceived bass warmth comes from the transmission line architecture. You just will not get the tight/taught response from the drivers with large surrounds and there is an 8" line/port that helps to reinforce the bass, but causes timing issues with the mid bass drivers which are faster. This may cause you to lose some detail/resolution.

Do you always use the JL subs when listening? (they may be faster or slower than the main drivers). Integration can be tricky.