Tubelike solid state: Ayre Vs Aleph

I have a McCormack DNA-2 Deluxe that i think would fit the bill, that is 300 watts into 8 ohms , and 600 into 4 ohms. You can read the reviews on audioreview.com.

Before throwing the 5's out the window, how about calling up Pass Labs and asking them if there is anything that they can do to increase bass attack ? While i will guarantee that there are mods that can be done, i don't know how willing they would be to do them. After all, you'r basically happy with the amp and power output, you just need greater bottom end impact.

If that is a no-go situation, the X series from Pass Labs has far greater bass impact than his previous efforts but the treble sounds quite a bit different to me than the Aleph's. I can't really describe what the differences are or what i'm hearing, but i would suggest checking into these amps if you basically like the Aleph's but want more oomph. They do sound different but retain the delicacy, air and detail that Nelson is famous for. Sean
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How about Pass's new X-200A monoblocks!

First of all, I'm a genuine fan of the Pass Alephs. I love their midrange, but as John notes, they don't really have that bottom-end slam thing. I've found a solid state amp that does both, and I became a dealer for it. This amp is the Warner Imaging ER-300MSE, reviewed at SoundStage in October 2000.

Another very nice amplifier line you might consider is Clayton Audio. Yeah, I sell that line, too. I really like powerful, somewhat warm solid state amps with really good midrange, because that's what sounds good on the rather demanding speakers I sell.

Best wishes on your quest.

I also run a Pass Aleph P & am using an Ayre V-3 with VR4 Gen III's. I also ran an Aleph 5 before the V-3 & the only reason I sold it was because it didn't sound right when playing rock. I didn't have the VR's at that time so it's hard to make a comparison.

The Ayre/VR combination is great. Tremendous bass & I can crank it if I want to. Pretty impressive for an amp rated at 100, but we all know that ratings are a basic guideline & not a true reflection of a particular pieces ability.

Another possibility is that the room is giving you problems or even the speakers themselves.

As for low level listening, again I have no complaints. In fact it seems like the very first click on my "P" is so loud it will wake the house during the wee hours. I did have the power supply rebuilt & the transformer upgraded on the P so that may be a factor too.

Only suggestion I can make is just change one thing at a time & listen to them for a while before the next one. I made the mistake of changing too many things at one time several years ago & it made comparisons invalid.