Macintosh vs Pass labs

I had that same urge as you for years and I am glad I have finally been able to own the Mac gear.

As others have already said, your comments that you are very pleased with your Pass amp speaks plenty. As someone that has messed up systems I have enjoyed, my advise is to keep on enjoying your system, or as others have said, go to the 250.5 if you must. Nelson Pass is highly regarded for the amps he makes and has made through the years.

The 350.5 is a big improvement over the 250.5 , O-Well it's only money.

I had a 402 and sold it when I tried the 250.5. The Pass had WAY more authority, muscle, and clarity from top to bottom. The Mac sounded "soft". My speakers at the time were VR-4Jr.

McIntosh is like a Buick Park Avenue. Where Pass amps are more like a BMW M5. Performance, design and implementation of the Pass Labs amplifiers is heads above the Mc.

And what's up with the cheap turn buttons on the Mac? Do they just visit some junk yards looking for some 1950s, 1960 cars, rip the buttons off their radios and mount these on their amps and preamps? C'mon!
Take a look at the latest McIntosh creaton - their turntable. It's as beautiful looking as Pontiac Aztec. Who aproved that design? Stevie Wonder?

IMO the higher-end Mac's sound better than the high-end Pass amps. I've listened to both and although I had high expectations for the Pass stuff, I just wasn't impressed. Listened to a nice setup on some huge Genesis speakers. It did sound different but not that great. Also the volume was scratchy when adjusted which gave the appears of lower quality. The high end Mac system I heard on Focals was one of the best systems I'd ever heard - in my top 3 of all time in fact. Now the low-end Macs (integrateds) are a different story.