Any Reliability Issues with Pass Labs INT-150 and Simaudio i-7 ???

dunstansim -- Sun, 08/16/2009 - 22:59

Hi,
I am thinking of upgrading to either the Pass Labs INT -150 or the Simaudio Moon i-7 integrated amp. As I will be buying from an overseas dealer (no high-end audio dealers where I live), reliability and durability are important factors for me to consider. I have heard that these products are not reliable/durable with poor after sales service. Pass Labs INT -150 is known to generate a lot of heat and I am told that products that generate a lot of heat are prone to breaking down. I am not sure if this is true as it comes from another dealer I spoke to.
Has anyone used any of these products and can you tell me your experience with these products in terms of their reliability, durability and after sales service from manufacturer.
Many thanks

antono yuwono (not verified) -- Mon, 08/17/2009 - 03:59

I still have a Pass Aleph 3 from around year 2000 , and they are still working flawlessly..anyone telling you that
Pass labs products are not reliable must be mistaken.. and another important thing is that Pass customer service
are one of the best in the business..
My Aleph 3 are hot as hell ( of course they do----they're class A amp.. ) but they are also one of the best power amp
ever ..
best regards
antono yuwono

Steven Stone -- Mon, 08/17/2009 - 13:25

My Pass X3 power amp has also been completely reliable for the past six years of regular and continuous use.

Pass Labs customer service is also very accessible for owner's questions via phone and email.

Whoever told you that Pass is unreliable or delivers poor service is so wrong as to be totally suspect for any additional "information" they may have given you. If it was a dealer or other seller of audio gear RUN don't walk from their establishment.

Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications

Sam -- Tue, 08/18/2009 - 14:26

LOL, most every dealer I speak to thats the standard; they ask what you are looking for and what system you have. When you tell them what it is(even stuff in the Thousands of $$$ praised all over the world) they will distroy it into pieces making you feel you bought the worse stuff ever and that the stuff you are looking for is also useless. Dealers always have the best and most reliable product to match your system and its the one that they sell. After sale service by dealers are worse at best, they stop returning your calls or emails. In fact the product manufacturers are much more helpful with things and I would pay extra if I could only deal with the companies that make the product. Dealers are just the middle man that hold an equipment, let you demo it with other stuff, and take a fat benefit/profit on it and do nothing as far as I see it but act like snobs. Buy a few cars and audio components and youll get used to these guys as well as how to deal with them. What a joke! There are a few, and I mean FEW great hi end dealers in the country that take their stuff seriously and some of their names were mentioned in another blog by Robert Harley.....I think it was called demo or die...something like that. Call up or visit the guys in that list......the rest are not even worth your time. If they make outrageous claims and give you a bad feeling get the heck out of there....its your money, use it wisely for something that you will enjoy. In Most other buisnesses the ultimate goal is customer satisfaction with a product and service which brings even more success ultimately........I wonder why hi-end audio is dieying out and Apple is doing so well, go to their store, online, support, thats customer service and thats why they kick butt of everyone in competition with ipods that are under $500.