Next week I will receive a Pass Labs X350.5 I think I will buy a .8 series in 2015. After the XA30.5, XA60.5, XA100.5 and X250.5, it is my 5th Pass. I owned the XP-20 for over 2 years of time. I liked the pre amp, but in my personal opinion Pass create stunning Poweramps and good pre amp, but not stunning.
In 2010 I became Onkyo dealer. I sold it also in the past. But...I didn't know that Onkyo can create a deep and wide stage. Even the cheapest one does. Compared to Marantz, Denon, Cambrigde, NAD, Yamaha, Rotel the stage is a lot wider and deeper. These other brands I sold and tested a lot in the past as well. I test every single tool for all parts of what I call Total Sound. Depth and width is also a part I always test. All the other brands are 2 dimensional. Every brand which have no depth till about 1 metre I call 2 dimensional amps.
In 2012 I became also Audyssey Installer. I use the knowledge and insight I have with acoustic music ( classical) and the knowledge in highend for the way I measure. When I measure at the Audyssey way, you loose dynamics, details, focus and even soundrealism. So I had thoughts about doing it differently. I know from many many brands and even every single product all properties. Because I collect properties and with these properties I build my physical 3 dimensional image and my personal overall sound. I started to measure at different places and heights. Cause of my photographic momory in sound I can compare every single measurment with eachother. This makes it a lot easier to create a higher endresult. Because the difference between the Audyssey way and my personal way is superior. There is so much more drive and dynamics, a lot more details, sharper individual focus, deeper stage, wider stage, better blacks and a much more involving natural sound.
I use the Onkyo PR-SC5509 these days as a pre amp. With Audyssey Volume and EQ you can reveal details which are not there even with the best highend pre amp. I give you a few examples. Compared to the XP-20 you hear word endings on a sss, ttt of th so much more clear than with the XP-20. Moving lips and breathing of singers are so much more clear when you compare it with the XP-20. Instruments and voices are so much more loose from eachother. 2nd and 3th voices are more apparent, but also louder and more easy to follow. Physical apperance of instruments and voices is a lot better than with the XP-20. I can play louder with the 5509 compared to the XP-20 before the needle starts to move. It drives the Pass poweramps more efficient. You do not have any acoustic limitation anymore. The volums of each spaker is exact the same at the sweet spot. Also ther is more control and authority over the whole freq. range. I have talked a few times with Desmond of Pass Lbs to ask them for a highend pre amp with professional roomacoustic measurement. I also modified the stand for the miscrophone. I can measure at mm precision. And that is how I work.
I also created stealth low freg with a subwoofer. I never auditioned any subwoofer at a shos in over 16 years of time or a set of a highend client with this level of integration. A surround specialist said; you have gold in your hands. Stealth low freq. means a full integration of the subwoofer. The energy and dynamics is comming from were it is at the recording. This has to do with timing. Without this pro meaurment I never achieved this level of integartion with any subwoofer without this system.
With Audyssey pro I can create targetcurves. I can adapt every single freq hz I want. I read a lot about human hearing. I wanted to know wich freq. is the most sensitive part of us human beings. What I got is that I could reveal the timbre. edge of a voice. We compared some recordings with other highend pre amps and it was gone.
The fun thing is that people don't expect this. But the easy thing is comparing. Facts counts and the best and most convincing sound always wins.
Now these are only words, but I can promiss you that it is exactly how I discribe it. I had a few talks with MonitorAudio. I want to give this way demos for them in the US. Because I want to demo this during an audio show. In about one year the new Monitor Audio Platinum series will come out. They will be the best for the money in the world. This is always their goal. This time they also will create a more expensive highend loudspeaker. I hope I can demo them.
Soon I will compare the 5509 with my measurment with an Audio Research Ref5 with Spectral amp. I will tell the outcome after we compared it. Comparing and testing is the fun part of audio. I love this a lot, that is why I have done thousends of tets in over 16 years of time. It is a very addictive thing for me to do!
