Moscode 401HR vs Pass Labs X150.5

05-24-10: Jeffga
It is not recommended for 4 ohm speakers...

That's not accurate.

The quote from John Atkinson's Measurements section of the Stereophile review states:

The Moscode 401HR offers pretty good measured performance, though it is clearly not happy driving loads below 4 ohms.

The difference here being *below* 4 ohms. If you read the measurements section, you will see that the amplifier did fine into 4 ohms, but faltered into 2 ohms.

The OP's speakers have a minimum impedance of 4 ohms (even though they are marketed as 4 ohm speakers, which usually means 4 ohms *nominal*).

I don't believe the Moscode 401HR will have any problems with these speakers.

That said, I am not recommending the Moscode over the Pass Labs, or vice versa. The choice is an issue of subjectivity, IMO.

I have yet to hear or read about any reliability issues with the Moscode 401HR. In this community, I would think any reliability problems with the latest Moscode amplifiers wold have surfaced.

I don't believe one can apply the reliability of Moscode amps manufactured 12 years ago with the latest offerings.

Almarg, how do Infinity Kappa 8's relate to this thread? The OP owns Dynaudio Contour S3.4 (4 ohms, 88dB).

Almarg, how do Infinity Kappa 8's relate to this thread? The OP owns Dynaudio Contour S3.4 (4 ohms, 88dB).
Tvad (Threads | Answers)

Nevermind...I see Thesoundhouse owned Kappa 8 speakers back when he owned early Moscode amps.

The ARC 100.2 is likely revealing the differences in the recordings, which any good amp or component is supposed to do.

Before you invest more dollars into components other than an amp, why not measure your voltage at the outlets with an inexpensive multimeter to learn if in fact you are experiencing voltage swings.

Do you have all your components plugged into the same outlet? If not, try it. Use a simple household power strip if necessary.

Fredorama, it's good to know you've made some inexpensive adjustments with big gains.

Grounding issues (hum/buzz) are a PITA. One would think that for the cost of the gear we own, manufacturers would employ grounding schemes that work interchangeably, but such is not the case. Grounding schemes among manufacturers is not consistent, and this contributes to ground loop problems.

Some of my gear has been absolutely quiet, and other gear has been noisy regardless of how many hoops I've jumped through.

I recall that I used a cheater plug on my Moscode 401HR, which knocked out all the noise.

Of course, you realize that using a cheater plug is not recommended as a long term solution. However, when there's no buzz, and you've spent hours and dollars trying to eliminate the buzz the proper way and it still persists, then the risks of using an effective cheater plug sometimes seem worthwhile.