NELSON PASS & MIKEY talk amplifiers and speakers.
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- I met Nelson nearly 20 years ago when I was touring the Sierra Nevada foothills on Motorcycle. What a pleasure to have Nelson on the HiFi Tribe channel to discuss amps and speakers with us .
Nelson is the founder of Pass Labs though his passion lies within his "side" project called First Watt.
Here we talk about both companies and how First Watt has no boundary in the creations, and First Watt is what gets me most excited about our entertaining HiFi listening. Nelson pushes the boundaries and explores design elements that may otherwise go unspoken about.
This is the first part of a 3 part series with Nelson and I .
Enjoy !
#firstwatt
#passlabs
#hifi
#highendaudio
So appreciate Nelson Pass. I've admired the man for decades and I always learn something new from him. What a treat.
And Mikey, I thank you so much for allowing this legend (Nelson Pass) speak without interruption and make his points. So often, it seems, the interviewer will constantly cutoff, interrupt, make unfunny and ill timed jokes and simply turn the discussion completely around and make it all about him rather than the guest. You refrained from this and really appreciate that Mikey. Well done.
Bla Bla Bla Bla
This is just freakin' great Mikey. Nelson, you're a gem.
What a pleasure to listen to one of the most revered designers in audio, give it up so to speak! He's so easy to listen to and full of knowledge that he is eager to share with everyone. Can't wait for part 2 Mikey, thanks for letting us meet "the man".
A great privilege to have a generous and honest designer share some of his philosophies and choices. Far more educational than 99.9% of reviews and forums. Thanks Nelson and Mike, from Melbourne (AUS)!
Mickey best ever interview with one of the best legendary stereo amp designers. I think you have found your calling, of interviewing individuals you look like you are having a blast. Well done!
How cool to have Papa spend a little time with us. Nelson does SO MUCH with the DIY community and the field of audio and engineering in general. I like how all the FW amps have distinct personalities... will build a few of them one day.
It is Awesome to see Nelson still has the Creative Spark and Desire to keep experimenting to find and create pleasurable Sound Equipment! ✌️👍
Nelson Pass IS the MAN. I kneel before you sir. Your products make my ears happy. Thank you for all you do.
Thanks friend !
Love your interviews Mike ,….My first higher end amplifier was a used Nelson Pass Statis 3 I picked blindly to drive one of the first Magnapan 3 speakers back around 1983 . The dealer was no help and didn’t understand what type of amplifier should be chosen for Magnapan. The Stasis amplifier was a beautiful match for the Magnapan 3s.
I was 18 years old in 1983 had picked up my first Absolute Sound Magazine and the rest is history though I stopped all my audio magazine subscriptions by the early 1990s I realized it was all marketing every word of it .
Today I am very happy with a modest digital system comprising of a Rose Audio 150-B server and a fabulous dac from Switzerland the Merason Dac 1 , this pair to me gets timbre more right then any previous front ends I’ve own including a Rockna WaveDream Net server and WaveDream XLR dac for thousands less.
Happy 50th Anniversary Nelson! Love my Pass Labs XP-20 Preamp, the foundation of my solid state system. Also own a First Watt M-2. I owned a collection of several First Watt amps. But they weren’t getting the rig time they deserved and I needed to thin the herd. The lone survivor is the M-2. It is a hard thing to determine and say, but I guess from my actions and decisions, to me, it is one of the best bang for the buck First Watt amps that Nelson has made and is my favorite.
Outstanding…thank you for this. Nelson is our Gandalf. And you were a marvelous host 👌🏼🙏🏼
Thanks John... !
This is great Mike & Nelson, I like the conversation and questions well done!
This was great, Mikey. I enjoyed it very much. Many thanks to you and Nelson.
Thanks Nick !
Thank you Mikey, always enjoy listening to Nelson. One of the great designers in the industry. You can tell he's so humble and always thinks about the average person that doesn't have a tonne of money to throw at hifi.
Thats him Lazz !
Excellent guys! I’ve owned Pass gear for years and I love my gear. Great company to deal with to-
Really cool interview!!! Looking forward to part two!
Always a joy listening to NP. Audio Nirvana should be added to the list of great makers of full rangers. I have extensive experience with their 10 and 12 inch drivers. They are truly full range, from deep and full bass to sweet treble and very high efficiency too.
Way cool... I wonder if there are other younger Nelson Pass' around that have the same passion to carry the torch for the next 30 years ???
This is soooooo good Mikey !!! Thank you...
A big thumbs up for the master ‼️
Good job Mikey. We interviewed Nelson April 2020 in early covid. He is a classic. I own his INT25. One piece I will never sell.
Who is "We" ? he is good shit... '-)
@@OCDHIFiGuy We is the Arizona Audio/Video Club and the San Francisco Audiophile Foundation.
Hmmm...I remember meeting Nelson at the Chicago Consumer Electronic's Show back in the mid 80's ...very nice guy...Ty Mikey...
Best guest yet, Nelson is too amps what Tesla is to electricity.
Thanks Mikey
Great interview , Mikey!
Thank you Mikey that was great !!
You bet Marc.
Moth was a cool outfit, their electrical offerings had an uber vintage industrial look to them, the amps looked very interesting
Very cool
The Greatest!
Please continue the interviews with the greats while they are still with us. Maybe a round table with Van Alstine, Vandersteen, Levinson, Paul of PS Audio, etc
I talk with the guys I know ... Mark is on deck.
Nelson's a genuine "swell guy". I mean that as a high compliment.
Hes totally great stuff, for sure !
Great video.
Thx Ramsay
the slot loaded open baffle is a neat design
For sure !
I used to have the Threshold Stasis Class A amp back in the day. Thought it was great. I wonder what the Pass Labs products sound like now.
I always wondered just how the signal is combined with the current. And give me high efficiency "monkeys coffins" anyday.
2 Dudes with intelligent 'Bullett" shaped heads...Genius is obvious!...Ha,ha,ha
AER full range drivers are amazing
Oh yes I agree its very hard to do full range with one driver. Ive seen and heard my full range get wonky when I turn it up.
Didn’t mention Harbeth speakers, lower 80’s efficiency but fine with my 30 watt class A intergraded.
Thanks for your feedback!
I wonder what’s Mr. Pass opinion of Altec full range drivers like 604 or their current GPA versions, seems like the would be a good match for his First watt amps.
So good Mikey. You asked some great questions and like a good interviewer listened and didn’t interrupt. You may have found your nitch. Nice to see you enjoying HIFI outside of listening to music.
Nelson is such a class act. Like to see interviews with Steve Deckert from Decware and Jeff Rowland of Rowland Designs next. U go Mikey, but stop that ridiculous hand waving bullshit. WTF
Rethm from India is another brand that does full range.
What the heck did Nelson do to his hallowed face? I miss the God-like countenance he used to have!
Aside from larger motors behind the woofers, "underhung woofer voice coils" also cause low efficiency. Legendary British loudspeaker maker ATC use an underhung woofer voice coil where the height of the voice coil is shorter than the height of the top plate gap. Most drivers are overhung with the coil longer than the gap. Underhung drivers are more linear because the magnetic lines of force are spaced more linearly in the center of the gap. They are less linear at the top and bottom where they fray. Magnetic linearity equals superior reproduction linearity.
My SET amplifiers on horns can play pipe organ at massive SPL.
Cool !
I have a threshold FET 10 feeding an Adcom GFA 555 mark 1. I’m wondering what amp would be better
If you are happy and connecting with the music, then nothing.. But I could take a longshot and say a Rowland 125 would throttle the Adcom.
@@OCDHIFiGuy they do make some nice stuff. At $3,500, is should. I've also been looking at an aragon 8008bb
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Mr. Nelson Pass can I please have one of your Amplifiers🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Sure you can! He sells them to you as well 😄
@@bikemike1118 ☹️
Juju from the Guru. Give it away now.
Why no talk of adcom
Why would we ?
@@OCDHIFiGuy just curious pass designed the 555 and the 5500 if I'm not mistaken and although they are probably not worthy of the typical audiophile snobbery and bullshit they are good bang for the buck equipment and have been solid for decades the company is still making them and I never see any reviews from anybody even the budget minded reviewers oh well whatever I don't really give two shits I was just wondering why no love for adcom but rave about other budget minded gear that is shit like literal shit I do realize your channel is more high end focused I asked generally to all the hifi enthusiasts
Is pass labs his company or he's just an engineer for the company 🤔
Both
First rule of thumb...quality over quantity...simplicity over comlexity...least amount of complexity in order to achieve a certain acceptable audio benchmark/goal...no such thing as the perfect resistor/capacitor/amplifying device(tube,transistor.chip,etc;)...because of the aforementioned therefore fewest devices in the signal path will do the less damage to the signal...use no more or no less than is necessary to get the job done is my audio philosophy...u can apply this to many technologies...why try n reinvent the wheel,right???