Review of Pass labs Intergated 60

[dwest1023]

After many years of being an audiophile, I decided to purchase a dream amp. I have owned many high end amps in the pass, but got tired od chasing the holy grail. I previously was using a jolida tube intergrated in my bedroom. Even though this was not an expensive amp it had the typical beautiful tube midrange. Eventually I upgraded my speakers and the Jolida just did not have enough juice to drive them to full potential. Enter the pass Lab. This amp is class A to 30watts. I would describe the sound as Mellow and liquid. It has a very pleasing sound and is never harsh sounding. You can listen until you ears just tire out. It grips your speakers and take full control. It does all the things and highend amp it suppose to to. Wide soundstage, 3 dimensional, air around all the instruments and reproduces all the music from your source. I believe the term is detail. Midrange is not tube,but vocals sound real as if in the room. If I had a complaint about this amp it would be it takes a good while, for the amp to get hot and sound its best. The Pass is an amp that does everything right and nothing really wrong. Until it breaks, this is my last amp purchase.

 

[TLS Guy]

After many years of being an audiophile, I decided to purchase a dream amp. I have owned many high end amps in the pass, but got tired od chasing the holy grail. I previously was using a jolida tube intergrated in my bedroom. Even though this was not an expensive amp it had the typical beautiful tube midrange. Eventually I upgraded my speakers and the Jolida just did not have enough juice to drive them to full potential. Enter the pass Lab. This amp is class A to 30watts. I would describe the sound as Mellow and liquid. It has a very pleasing sound and is never harsh sounding. You can listen until you ears just tire out. It grips your speakers and take full control. It does all the things and highend amp it suppose to to. Wide soundstage, 3 dimensional, air around all the instruments and reproduces all the music from your source. I believe the term is detail. Midrange is not tube,but vocals sound real as if in the room. If I had a complaint about this amp it would be it takes a good while, for the amp to get hot and sound its best. The Pass is an amp that does everything right and nothing really wrong. Until it breaks, this is my last amp purchase.

When we get posts like this here, we inquire as to your active list of hallucinogens.

 

[TechHDS]

umm...9 grand, Pass Lab, went check that integrated 60 out. Beautiful integrated amp even checked out the specs the build and read up on the dudes who designed it, but is it really that good? I will never own one unless I win one in a Lottery or someone one donates one to me. Maybe one of the ole timers who has had one or one of Pass Lab amps will enlighten me as to what a 9 grand amp sounds like?

 

[lovinthehd]

Man you must have some incredible bedroom speakers to buy them a 9k amp!

 

[dwest1023]

Man you must have some incredible bedroom speakers to buy them a 9k amp!

I got the pass labs new for much less the 9K. That is the retail price. Believe it or not, I am using NHT c-1 mounted on the wall with brackets. Also I am using a bowers and Wilkins bd3d sub. The integration of the sub and speakers is perfect. The pass amp has a way of upgrading the sound of speakers. I have tried much more expensive speaker, and they do not sound any better or not much better then my NHT’s. I have been at this hobby since I was 12, I’m now 63. Yes, the Pass is an expensive amp, but you only live once. I’m sure I could have bought a less expensive amp that could or might sound just as good as this pass, but then I would have always wondered what the pass could do. Now I don’t have to wonder -

 

[slipperybidness]

umm...9 grand, Pass Lab, went check that integrated 60 out. Beautiful integrated amp even checked out the specs the build and read up on the dudes who designed it, but is it really that good? I will never own one unless I win one in a Lottery or someone one donates one to me. Maybe one of the ole timers who has had one or one of Pass Lab amps will enlighten me as to what a 9 grand amp sounds like?

Sounds like the $1K speakers that it is driving

 

[TechHDS]

Sounds like the $1K speakers that it is driving

@slipperybidness, Top of the morning!. Was asking cause I do know there are amps out there that cost a lot more, and the Peeps that have money to burn has them. 9 grand uhu?

 

[slipperybidness]

@slipperybidness, Top of the morning!. Was asking cause I do know there are amps out there that cost a lot more, and the Peeps that have money to burn has them. 9 grand uhu?

Yeah, I was really making a joke there.

My point being--You would likely get better performance with $9k worth of speakers and $1k worth of electronics than vice-versa.

It really is a tough concept to actually put into practice, I admit. I fall into the same trap from time to time, but not quite as severe as this example.

For example--I really want to pick up a used Oppo HA-1 Headphone amp. But, at the price of that amp, it would only make since if I were using it to drive headphones in the $1500 range or so. Doesn't make sense to have that nice piece of gear for a $200 set of cans.

 

[TechHDS]

Yeah, I was really making a joke there.

My point being--You would likely get better performance with $9k worth of speakers and $1k worth of electronics than vice-versa.

It really is a tough concept to actually put into practice, I admit. I fall into the same trap from time to time, but not quite as severe as this example.

For example--I really want to pick up a used Oppo HA-1 Headphone amp. But, at the price of that amp, it would only make since if I were using it to drive headphones in the $1500 range or so. Doesn't make sense to have that nice piece of gear for a $200 set of cans.

Totally agree with you, no doubt better speaks are where to invest the bulk of your money in my opinion too. But yeah got the pun on the amp thing.

 

[KEW]

I’m sure I could have bought a less expensive amp that could or might sound just as good as this pass, but then I would have always wondered what the pass could do. Now I don’t have to wonder -

The point being made here is you should be wondering what $9,000 speakers could do instead of what a $9,000 amp can do. NHT makes a good speaker at a fair price, but the audible differences that can be had with better speakers far surpass the audible differences between amplifiers.

 

[slipperybidness]

The point being made here is you should be wondering what $9,000 speakers could do instead of what a $9,000 amp can do. NHT makes a good speaker at a fair price, but the audible differences that can be had with better speakers far surpass the audible differences between amplifiers.

Or, $7,000 speakers + $1000 of measurement gear + $1000 of room treatments

Measurement gear and room treatments are often overlooked.

 

[KEW]

Or, $7,000 speakers + $1000 of measurement gear + $1000 of room treatments

Measurement gear and room treatments are often overlooked.

I agree, but you have me curious!
How would you spend $1000 for measurement gear?
What more do you get after USB mic and REW?

 

[dwest1023]

Or, $7,000 speakers + $1000 of measurement gear + $1000 of room treatments

Measurement gear and room treatments are often overlooked.

My room HAS room treatment sir. At this time cannot put 9K speaker in my small room. I plan to buy another house, and at the point I will do better with speakers. I must tell you though I would put my speaker setup against a lot of 9K speakers. I have owned NHT 3.3’s that were bi amp with Krell that did not sound as good as what I have now.

 

[slipperybidness]

I agree, but you have me curious!
How would you spend $1000 for measurement gear?
What more do you get after USB mic and REW?

Yeah, I was exaggerating

 

[Mikado463]

The point being made here is you should be wondering what $9,000 speakers could do instead of what a $9,000 amp can do. NHT makes a good speaker at a fair price, but the audible differences that can be had with better speakers far surpass the audible differences between amplifiers.

I agree with Kurt in so far as the 'expense ratio' is concerned but to the Op, don't get to rattled by the negativity around here when you inform the masses of a purchase beyond that of some run-of-the-mill AVR !

Congrats on your PASS integrated, one sweet piece for sure !

 

[highfigh]

After many years of being an audiophile, I decided to purchase a dream amp. I have owned many high end amps in the pass, but got tired od chasing the holy grail. I previously was using a jolida tube intergrated in my bedroom. Even though this was not an expensive amp it had the typical beautiful tube midrange. Eventually I upgraded my speakers and the Jolida just did not have enough juice to drive them to full potential. Enter the pass Lab. This amp is class A to 30watts. I would describe the sound as Mellow and liquid. It has a very pleasing sound and is never harsh sounding. You can listen until you ears just tire out. It grips your speakers and take full control. It does all the things and highend amp it suppose to to. Wide soundstage, 3 dimensional, air around all the instruments and reproduces all the music from your source. I believe the term is detail. Midrange is not tube,but vocals sound real as if in the room. If I had a complaint about this amp it would be it takes a good while, for the amp to get hot and sound its best. The Pass is an amp that does everything right and nothing really wrong. Until it breaks, this is my last amp purchase.

I would be interested in knowing why your ears become fatigued- that shouldn't happen.

 

[dwest1023]

I love the sound of my set up so much I listen sometimes as long a 8 hours. I just get tired of hearing music after awhile. I dont know about you, but I am a very serious listener, so I am sitting in a chair and looking straight ahead.

 

[highfigh]

I love the sound of my set up so much I listen sometimes as long a 8 hours. I just get tired of hearing music after awhile. I dont know about you, but I am a very serious listener, so I am sitting in a chair and looking straight ahead.

I almost never get tired of listening to music. I may be tired of the music that's playing if I have no control over it, though. If the sound annoys me, I tire of the sound, not music.

 

[MrBoat]

I almost never get tired of listening to music. I may be tired of the music that's playing if I have no control over it, though. If the sound annoys me, I tire of the sound, not music.

As it is, I have to 'make' myself turn it off and go to bed. 20 hr marathons are frequent. I don't sit looking straight ahead though.

I've been at this for 40 years. In spite of being surrounded by friends with deep pocketed audio habits, I have managed in that time to compete and often exceed their to-do's on a lot less money.

Speaking of that magic mid range, expensive tube amps or what not, there is another direction and that would be, full range driver speakers. Same result but without the hefty price tag. I think it is the best idea yet with regard to the sat/sub trend.

 

[highfigh]

As it is, I have to 'make' myself turn it off and go to bed. 20 hr marathons are frequent. I don't sit looking straight ahead though.

I've been at this for 40 years. In spite of being surrounded by friends with deep pocketed audio habits, I have managed in that time to compete and often exceed their to-do's on a lot less money.

Speaking of that magic mid range, expensive tube amps or what not, there is another direction and that would be, full range driver speakers. Same result but without the hefty price tag. I think it is the best idea yet with regard to the sat/sub trend.

The speakers I built make usable sound in the 32Hz range- it's not the same as 38-40Hz, but it still makes the floor vibrate and I can feel it easily. I'm fine with that- there's not that much below 32Hz in what I listen to, I don't worry about surround (my system is 2ch) and I consider many special effects 'cheesy'. If I hear another loud explosion in space, I may puke. Seeing people shot and flying across the room, street or whatever? GMAB!

Music, OTOH, is completely different. We had music playing almost constantly in our house and even in the garage, when I was a kid. We had our little pocket radios and when a bunch of us would get together at night, I found that placing them near or leaning against a wall made the sound much more full (at about 8 or 9 years of age). We would tune them to the same station and group them against a wall and it was great, for that time. There was no such thing as a boom box, cheap cassette player or anything good, but we enjoyed it. I also play a few instruments and to be honest, I think that becoming tired of hearing music would be a bad thing.