inna, let me try and pull this thread back to center.
I own Pass Labs equipment. I presently have the X-350.8, XP-30 and XP25. I upgraded from the X-250.5, XP20 and XP15. Before that I was using Bryston equipment. All great sounding products. I decided on the Pass Labs equipment because I liked the richness and warmth of the Pass Labs sound. Deep, strong bass. Soundstage is wide and deep. Excellent midrange sound and highs that are smooth and sharp with extended decay. I like the industrial look of Pass Labs equipment, especially their latest versions. As for the heat issue, I think this is being exaggerated here. Yes the amps run warm, warm not burning hot as some people have stated. You can't fry an egg on top of the amp. I have just finished a 4 hr listening session and the amp is warm. I can hold my hand on top of the amp and on the side of the heat sinks comfortably. Now I don't listen at the concert level but I have the room rockin, its pushin some power. Amps generate heat, lets move on. Pass Labs provides plenty of connection options (XLR and RCA) plus a tape loop, which is important to me because I have a reel to reel connected to my system. Another thing I like about Pass Labs is that they come out with new and improved products about every 8 years. When they issue new equipment it is a significant improvement over the previous model. They don't just change things to try and generate new sales. They are committed to only issuing upgrades when it makes a noticeable sonic difference. A lot of R&D is performed first before an upgrade release. I like that because now you are not chasing the latest and greatest every few years.
A negative could be for some people is the amount of real estate Pass Labs equipment can take up in the rack. The XP-30 is a three piece unit. The XP-20 is 2 pieces. The XP-25 is 2 pieces. For my setup it is 6 pieces between the amp, pre amp and phono stage. That is a lot of space but I think it is well worth it. Another negative could be for some is that there is no off button on the pre amp and phono stage. They are always powered up. The amp can be put into a low power state but still has power going to it. Since going to Pass Labs equipment my electric went up about $15 a month. All in all I am very pleased with my Pass Labs system. Just one man's opinion.
