Macintosh vs Pass labs

No one has mentioned it; but what preamp do you have?

You really need to try Pass X1 preamp or something at that level before changing your amp out.. I find the preamp can provide one of the largest flavoring or clarity controls.. If you haven't heard a premium preamp you have no idea what you are missing. Also make sure to run Balanced as my friends X1 really sounds better with XLR inputs and outputs because of the fully balanced design.

Since you have VR speakers you probably like to listen with a little volume, try to go to the 501's instead of the 402 if you are a bass head.. The MAC 402 uses a parallel design versus the higher end design in the 501 and the 1201 amplifiers and keep in mind autoformers don't double in power as impedence drops so your X250 has more 4ohm current than the MC402, and the MC501 are a different design.

One of my friends owns the MC402 and loves the look and flavoring and even more so with the latest Mac Preamp.. His system has very good synergy and the Mac gear tailors to his musical preferences..

Between those two choices I would lean towards Pass X250.5 or an X350.5 since more power never hurt anyone. I have a friend with VR 4 GEN III SE and he uses a pair of Parasound JC-1 which have insane control over his bass modules, and the adjustable Class A bias (10 or 25watts with a switch) he enjoys. The Parasounds need 1200+ hrs to break in but are a bargain in my opinion.

Oh yeah don't worry about how many are for sale, audiophiles are just obsessive... there has to be something better right ;-) how many of us have upgraded and ended up moving backwards... The good thing about Mac gear is the dealers don't discount much so the prices on the used market stay high so you can always turn it.

I've never heard Pass but have heard mcintosh and do like it. Interesting though I know someone who was a very large Pass dealer and brought in Conrad Johnson and at that point the pass sales declined to the point he dropped the pass line. He said with the two on the floor at the same time the cj sound won out in most cases. I own cj stuff and its hard to want anything else although I'm upgrading now and no cj dealer here but my main dealer I buy from sells mcintosh and I will give them a strong look out of loyalty to the dealer.

I see Pass amps come up for sale X250,X250.5 and are gone in one day. Not just on one ocaasion. Also after more research I think Audfile's analogy is on the money. I also think that for the VRSR the pass is a perfect match. I am going to confirm that with Albert. Any one who has not listened to these speakers should. Just upgraded mine to the mark II and they sound even better then I could have imagined.

It seems that Macs are are very synergistic with karaoke systems because I've seen a few of those.

If we're making Euro auto analogies I'd argue that McIntosh is more like an Audi A8L than a Buick...

Though McIntosh autoformers deliver rated wattage at 2, 4 and 8 ohm terminals, they still double power as they go down. That is why people experience thermal overload when hooking up B&W's to the 8 ohm taps. The current draw heats up the unit and it shuts down.

The 501 monoblocks were tested by Stereophile and found to deliver 720 watts into a 8 ohm load (and similar from their respective 4 and 2 ohm taps) so the overall 500 wpc rating is quite conservative.
Hook B&W's up to the 4 ohm terminals and the 501 is capable of delivering over 1000 watts into 2 ohm load.
Conversely, when running off the 4 ohm terminals the 501 is only delivering approx 250 watts into an 8 ohm load.