Pass Labs pt1 – Who is Nelson Pass?
A universal truth: Everyone loves music in some form. For those of us that have enjoyed their favorite tunes on a home hi-fi system, I ask you to say a brief thank you to Nelson.
Who..?
Let me introduce you to Nelson Pass, one of the
pillars of the hi-fi music world. Just
how did this humble and unpretentious man acquire monolithic status? A 41-year
legacy of innovative brilliance in the world of amplifier design and several
patents will do the trick.
Let’s go back in time a minute…
Armed with a Physics degree from UC-Davis and experience
gained working in the audio field, Nelson began work on his first amplifier
designs in 1974. A year later this work
begat his first commercially released amplifier, the 800A under the Threshold Electronics
label. Further creations for Threshold were
the CAS-1 and CAS-2, followed by the Stasis 1 amplifier, considered a landmark
in amplifier design.
Nelson departed Threshold in 1991 and founded Pass Labs, which this year celebrates a 25th
anniversary. (Threshold Electronics was
sold in 1987.) The first products were
the ALEPH series of amplifiers, which garnered further critical acclaim for
Nelson. Currently producing amplifiers,
preamplifiers, phono stages and a headphone amplifier, Pass Labs continues a
steady march of product refinement and innovation, all with the stated goal of
keeping listeners “emotionally involved in the music”.
Over the years Nelson has been guided by a couple of
principals which I believe greatly contributed to his success. The first is his philosophy of simplicity,
stating “the goal is to explore the possibilities of simple designs with
regards to sound quality”. Bookended
with this mindset is Pass’ belief that listening tests and evaluations are of
utmost value, refusing to rely solely on instrumented testing and
measurements.
To this day the man remains as passionate and inquisitive as
ever. Along with Pass Labs, Nelson runs First Watt and is essentially the sole
employee, as he hand-builds small quantities of low power amplifiers, allowing
him to explore new avenues of design. He
is also a proponent of the DIY audio
world, interacting with many of the build-it yourself hobbyists.
Thank you Nelson Pass…
You’ve made the ears of a great number of music lovers very happy!
Next up, I’ll take a look at the Pass Labs current product
line and production facility. Stay
tuned…