The Mystery Package Arrives!

[Rich]

I sat around all afternoon yesterday waiting for Mr. UPS man to bring me a present. Finally, late in the afternoon, it arrived. A behemoth and incredibly heavy brown box was laid at my doorstep. Took everything I had just to get it in the house and unpacked. I spent the rest of the evening playing with it.

My wife is making me go out of town today, so you will just have to wait for pictures and official unveiling. Joey, Tom and Stesom already know what it is (but they're not telling). Gordon, JTWrace, Diamonds, and Babydoc also probably have a pretty good idea. The rest of you will just have to wait. :devil:

 

[eknuds01]

new amp...either a Pass or Plinius.

 

[discocarp]

Its a puppy isn't it!

 

[IWalker]

I sat around all afternoon yesterday waiting for Mr. UPS man to bring me a present. Finally, late in the afternoon, it arrived. A behemoth and incredibly heavy brown box was laid at my doorstep. Took everything I had just to get it in the house and unpacked. I spent the rest of the evening playing with it.

My wife is making me go out of town today, so you will just have to wait for pictures and official unveiling. Joey, Tom and Stesom already know what it is (but they're not telling). Gordon, JTWrace, Diamonds, and Babydoc also probably have a pretty good idea. The rest of you will just have to wait. :devil:

Were you playing with the box, or what was inside it?

 

[Rich]

new amp...either a Pass or Plinius.

You're getting warmer . . . (almost as warm as this new amp). OK, I've said too much. I really have to go out of town now.

 

[Charliemike]

Were you playing with the box, or what was inside it?

Hey-o! He's here all week folks! Don't forget to try the veal!

 

[TomDac]

Charles knows what it is too.. but he's not telling...

 

[Gordon Gray]

To "X" or "XA", that is the question

Hey Rich,

If I'm guessing correctly from your hints, you are going to be a very happy camper. The only question remaining is what model.

Congratulations on your new "baby".

GG

 

[edwinr]

I know what it is too - It's a really nice present for your lovely wife... :angel:

 

[discocarp]

Muhaha. I stumbled onto the post on audiogon by your alias. I know the answer!

 

[lugano]

Bring it on, I'm sick and tired about this:

*System Description Under Repair -- Look for New System, Coming Soon . . .

 

[Rich]

I know what it is too - It's a really nice present for your lovely wife... :angel:

Uhhh . . . yeah. Needless to say, she was just thrilled with it.

 

[Rich]

And the Winner Is . . .

Alright, I'm back from out of town and ready to sit down and do some serious listening to my. . . brand new, slightly used, mint condition . . . (*drum roll*) . . . Pass Labs X-350.5 Stereo Amplifier.

I really haven't had much time to do any critical listening yet, so please bear with me. I'll be posting my impressions along with some photos over the next couple of days. But so far it sounds pretty damn good. Incredible dynamics, depth and power. Absolute control over the speakers. Nice timbres. Instruments sound really lifelike. Voices sound great. Doesn't seem quite as sweet in the midrange as my CJ 140, but we will see how it does with a little more break in.

I want to thank Gordon, Jtwrace, Diamonds and Babydoc for their helpful insight as I was doing my research. I was vacillating between Pass Labs and Plinius (and would have been happy either way), but in the end it came down to simple supply/demand economics. (I was demanding an amp and there was no supply of used Plinius available.) I found a mint condition X-350.5 for a decent price and I just couldn't resist.

I would have preferred to go with the XA-160's (full class A) but I was told they could not handle the impedence swings of the Martin Logan speakers. So I decided that I really wanted the X-600.5 monoblocs, but I haven't seen any come up for sale on the used market and I just got impatient. So I guess I'll have to "settle" for this sweet little X-350.5.

My intention is to pair this amp with an X-3 for a five-channel system (Summits, Stage, and Clarities) for my dedicated listening room / home theater that I am building in our new house. My next few purchases will include a surround sound pre/pro (leaning toward Anthem D2) and a Tube Pre for two-channel (leaning toward ARC Ref 3) and a projector (JVC RS1). We have one more month and then we will finally be moving into the new house.

I'll post more listening impressions and some pictures tomorrow.

:cheers: Cheers,

 

[discocarp]

Congrats Rich!

 

[MotorToad]

New gear! Huzzah!

 

[eknuds01]

Uh...where's my prize?

 

[Joey_V]

New gear! Huzzah!

Huzzah!!! So YOU'RE Avadia!!!

I think I spelled that right....

:cheers: :cheers:

 

[Rich]

Uh...where's my prize?

It's in the mail. Should be there any day now.

 

[Rich]

Huzzah!!! So YOU'RE Avadia!!!

I think I spelled that right....

:cheers: :cheers:

Yep, that's my new alter ego. Thanks for the input on my thread.

 

[jtwrace]

where are da' pics?