Bell Canto VS Pass Labs

Take the camels.... better mileage.

26-lbs. (13-lbs x 2) vs. 150-lbs. pretty much sums it up, and believe me PASS has put that extra 124-lbs. to very good use...apples and oranges...PASS X350.5 all the way.

Mlawitm,

Very tempting! I had purchased the amp before the speakers. I was having issues with my ML 333. The capacitors had blown three times in 9 years. The service tech was candid on the phone and told me it was due mostly to a design issue with the ML 3xx series. I traded it in right after it got fixed for the Pass X350.5 A few months later, I sold my Thiel 3.6, which I had for 10 years, and bought a pair of Parsifal Encores. The order of upgrade kind of went out of sequence as I had been contemplating to change speakers for three years when all this happened.

Anyways, after I finish building the listening room, I want to get a pair of Usher BE-10s. I think I will need the X350.5 to drive those....

FrankC

I actually believe the poster that said weight is a significant factor. Most of the metal goes into transformers. Unfortunately much of the wieght is in the case work. I have heard that those pretty cases account for 50% of the cost.
If the trannies Voltage capability is going to be high to give you head room its going to be heavy. That is an observation. I don't think your only consideration should be weight alone but it matters. Like the 300 BP my car has from a 3 liter engine compared with 300 HP from a 396 cubic inches is different.
As they there is no replacement for displacement.
Pass has a very fine reputation I never hear a bad word about them. Bel Canto is also highly regarded especially the 1000. I have the same problem others have mentioned however with all class D amps, to me they have a very sterile sound lacking rich, lush, fullness.

Mechans not only are the Pass mechanical cases beautiful, but they are necessary in order to close the loop on the thermal design. It's more than gilding the lily; it IS the Lily