Meet Pass Labs’ Wayne Colburn, he works with Nelson Pass

[@ALBERTO-mg1sq]

Pass Labs best Amplifier Ever and Nelson Pass is in my opinion the most concrete and serious Hi End costractor till today.Thanks so much 🌟

[@billdunn8542]

The Audiophiliac at his best. Thanks to Wayne and Nelson for their time and expertise. 💜👍🔊🥃

[@jimomertz]

Love these interviews Steve. Nice to meet the geniuses behind my INT-60. Of course I would like more technical questions but that wouldn’t be interesting to the majority of the viewers. Thanks Nelson and Wayne for doing this!

[@512bb]

Wayne Colbhrn, world class pre amp designer & Porsche master mechanic, it doesn't get much better.Keep giving them hell guys!!!! Thanks Steve.

[@morris7025]

Pass Labs has the best Customer Service in the industry. They stand behind their product 100%. This can't be overstated. Loved the interview, as usual!

[@brandonburr4900]

I don't have any pass labs equipment but what other company can you call them and speak to the designers themselves? Unheard of today. Their stuff is not cheap but it will outlive those who have it. Heirloom type stuff😀 I'm guessing that their resale value is right up their with mcintosh gear. That's no easy task😀

[@morris7025]

Pre-Owned Pass gear can be had at great prices. And you’re getting pieces that are made to last 20+ years no problem. 🙂

[@brandonburr4900]

@@morris7025 your right. Still by no means cheap bit I have thought about selling some of my gear to get a nice integrated or a nice class a amp from pass labs. My listening has changed over the years and think I could live with a system that has less boxes. Found out that simple is usually better. That same thing can be said for pass labs stuff. It's not overly complicated stuff made to please those who need the latest edition. They don't churn out stuff stuff unless it better. You can't really go bad even with their older stuff. Most of the stuff nelson has designed is built to last many years as you say. Like some of thresholds older stuff is still great. Or Nelsons aleph preamp and power amps from the 90s. These get snatched up quick on the used market and seem to have gone up over the years. Also thought of getting a older forte model 4 class a amp from back in the late 80s to early 90's. Folks still using this amp to this say still saying how good it is. And you can still work on it. Not terribly complicated and nelson himself at diy audio has even chimed in to say how to work on his older designs and service them if needed. Where have you ever heard that ?! Sorry for my rant. Out of curiosity what pass gear do you have or have experience with?

[@Geoduck.]

How very interesting and enjoyable to get a peak behind the curtain from two kind and talented human beings.

[@Audiojunkabus]

thanks for this gem! . . amazing insight that can only be obtained from the Audio Elders.

[@NickP333]

I love these Nelson Pass interviews, but this one was especially special to have Wayne there too answering questions. They’re the dynamic duo of HiFi. Hey, they’re superheroes to me at least as well as rock stars. I don’t look up to rock stars, although I do look up to these guys. Pass Labs and First Watt are easily 2 of my favorite HiFi companies. Thank you for bringing this interview to us, Steve! 🎶🔊🙂

[@512bb]

So well said Nick, I agree with you completely.

[@NickP333]

Thank you, Scott!

[@brettb5257]

2 years later ... I third this Nick! Well said.

[@고로다이]

Wayne's headphone amp 'Whammy' has been a gift to the community and to me especially. Thank you, Wayne

[@vptuma7347]

We have owned the Forte Model 40 Pre Amp and the Model 6 Power Amp since the early 90's and they still work beautifully. Very elegant pieces and obviously well made. It's nice to meet the designers after this many years, although I had heard that the Forte Power Amps were designed by Michael Bladelius, a European designer. Many thanks for such fine products!

[@lynnpoole7830]

In case Nelson and or Wayne will read this I thought Id let you all know that I bought your ACA kit. I have not built it yet but will soon. Looks like quality stuff and has great instructions. I really enjoy the interviews. Cool that Nelson likes Porsche cars. I've owned three so far and am currently looking for a good (911) 996 Turbo.

[@tomhohum4275]

Fascinating interview!! Thanks and looking forward to more of these.

[@cafe80s]

Audioman! Watch in amazement as fiber optics grow from his head!! Coming this summer to a theater near you!

[@migalito1955]

Thanks for the video Steve, I really like the Nelson Pass interviews. I think it is because Nelson has the kind of kindred spirit of Gee Wiz what can I create or discover today that also infected me except in my case the field of interest is mathematics as opposed to electronics and audio design. On the other hand I can't imagine why anyone would give a thumbs down to the interview other than perhaps 1 out of 50 is the relative frequency of those that dislike just about everything.

[@progressiveguy9959]

I believe the thumbs-down people are always the same people whom have a dislike for Steve. If Steve came down from Mount Sinai,they would give a thumbs down of that also.I wrote about this subject,in the past.

[@lttexan]

I love the story about Wayne and troubleshooting the Porsche 911, he just intuitively understood the problem. Genius.

[@stephencosta6814]

Loving the video love those two guys love you too Steve you cannot find videos like this anywhere with that legendary amplifier designer thank you so much Steve you're the best keep up the work a big fan Steve and Kathy Costello

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Steve Costello Thanks so much!

[@brandonburr4900]

Steve, Thank you for another great video with Nelsons wizard assistant wayne😀 I was hoping to see a video with him. Only other time I have seen him talk was a video on you tube of Waynes whammy class a headphone/preamp . He presented it to the diy audio community a couple years ago during burning amp festival. I have yet to put it together but have heard tons of great reviews on diy audio😀 a story and video of Wayne and his whammy would great! Wayne has done a line stage preamp on diy audio as well I believe. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a whammy Wayne was selling on ebay last year of so made my him and his students for a upcoming trip. I was gonna have everybody including Wayne and possibly nelson sign it😀 I was conflicted as I already had all the parts here to build one but not finished😀 anyways thanks steve and thanks Wayne and nelson for everything you guys do. Maybe someday I will be able to afford the more expensive pass labs stuff to complement my system 😀

[@youme112233]

The Whammy HP amp sound amazing ! . You will be thrilled . Must Make Yourself . :)

[@tonyharrison2542]

Excellent Steve!

[@johnnytoobad7785]

I love this classic "Audio History" stuff...

[@NickP333]

Agree 100%. I love it too. I doubt HiFi would be as far forward as it is without these 2 guys.

[@keeferdog5617]

TWO OF THE VERY BEST!!! “Love me some First Watt”

[@Maxiinti]

Super interview Steve

[@ianorigbo7617]

Nice video again Steve. Still looking forward to the ohm Speakers review.

[@lttexan]

The things behind Wayne’s head! Reminds me of the movie “The Thing.” 🤣 (80’s remake)

[@jlmain5777]

Awesome, great job. Now I want to build a pre-amp.

[@brandonburr4900]

Build Waynes whammy class a headphone/preamp. You can build it just as a preamp, class a headphone amp or with a switch do both headphone and preamp. Heard it pairs terrific with the amp camp amp that nelson designed. The whammy parts kit along with the amp camp kits are available at diy audio site. The power supply that is in Waynes whammy is a thing to behold. Think I remember Wayne saying it has enough it could power a small set up speakers😀

[@miguelbarrio]

Lovely. Thx Steve.

[@dsdvinylrec1428]

Great interview. It's obvious that Wayne is not very comfortable on camera. Anyway I build his phono stage preamp Pearl II. Great design.

[@robertthweatt1900]

Stll using Forte model 2 preamp, bought used in 1992, IIRC. No problems yet!

[@carlosbauza1139]

Fascinating peek into these designers' minds! How long did they keep the turntable platter rotating? Was that a test for reliability?

[@presidentpotato222]

Difference between .. smart and the spark of genius .. Wayne Humble .. If Nelson Pass says it was a great loudspeaker .. IT WAS A GREAT LOUDSPEAKER

[@bolsesolheim7469]

I remember when visiting Nelson in Sacramento ! He Was driving a Porsche 924 ! I Grew up with Big American V8 and used a big Chrysler ! I scared the Shit out of Mark Glazier my Passenger ! Later Mark Levinson gear like 20-6 and the teflon 25 and 26 ! Nice sound !

[@charlesschwab1858]

Fun Video Thanks for Posting. Chuck :)

[@dippin1523]

I own two Pass Preamps. They sound great. Good job Wayne and Nelson!

[@Hey.Joe_Ridley]

Steve, photo composition! What is that growing out of Wayne’s head? I need to try and take this seriously.

[@keeferdog5617]

Nice to see Wayne getting some “ink”

[@MrStingraybernard]

Another good interview, like the acrylic turntable in the background

[@les5309]

A great interview Steve. I can see why you provided us with this extended series of vids. BTW, is that a Basis Audio turntable spinning on the shelf to the right of Wayne?

[@NickP333]

I believe it is, Les. That’s at least what I thought. 🙂

[@paulallen7848]

Basis Audio 2500 Signature Series.

[@les5309]

@@paulallen7848 Thanks Paul. Nelson knows 😉.

[@dilbyjones]

The guy is really smart for not letting his name get “sold out” WISE

[@MickeyMishra]

11:29 what does this mean that there's a first order and a step response in the crossover between a 6 dB and a different analog crossover? the gentleman on the right says that the digital signal processor takes care of that issue and gives you a square response? I'm not quite sure what that means

[@ertatta]

Wait, was Wayne discussing a speaker that was marketed in the mid 90’s by threshold or forte? i do sort of recall that. Any more info here about what that was! These interviews are super enjoyable, thanku Steve!

[@johnstone7697]

Quadrature....a separate company run by Nelson's ex partner Rene Besne.

[@lawrencetate145]

Love of troubleshooting is not common among engineers. I understand exactly how Wayne feels about it as a software engineer whose best skill is troubleshooting. Nelson's comment about the "ability to ... cut to the chase" was right on. I'd love a bit more audio hardware acumen. Would Nelson consider a 60yo apprentice, I wonder? ;-)

[@TheBababa420]

I just want to say that I catch crap all the time for my wardrobe at work.. Nelson Pass and I share the same designer.

[@MickeyMishra]

4:02 this was probably the best part of me growing up was finding all this audio equipment everywhere and I would bring it home and try to fix it unfortunately I usually wasn't very successful but I still had fun

[@johnbuford8715]

I can barely hear you when u do interviews It can be confusing

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

That's not a plant. Those are conductors!!!😁🎶🎵 An acrylic turntable spins ready to.....🔈🔉🔊👍

[@sportscarnut]

A turntable platter is rotating on the left side of the frame... What were you listening to? :)

[@PINKFL0YD-s2h]

Just exactly what I want to know! 😂

[@PINKFL0YD-s2h]

Great pair

[@salvadorrodenas3071]

My God! That Dutch turntable Spohein la leche or something like that, wow, who's the owner of that? Mr. Pass doesn't seen to fit as the owner. More extravagant appetite for Mr. Coburn perhaps? One thing I can say for sure, Nelson Pass explains like a Star of TV, he manages to communicate so well that even a journalist like Steve pales in comparison.

[@johnstone7697]

That's Nelson's turntable.

[@salvadorrodenas3071]

@@johnstone7697 aha aha, well for Mr. Pass!

[@rw3915]

This is really awesome. Just two really salt of the earth type fellas. Now, if they would only hot rod my Aleph 1.2s for me...hah! By the way, my Aleph 1.2 amps paired with the X0.2 linestage preamp is spectacular! It makes my Von Schweikert VR6s really sing.

[@hl5bxw]

These two 'gentlemen' reminds me of the scene from Pulp Fiction after shower.

[@robertchauval2492]

Dotmatrix CV... CLASSIC!!. Its very hard to find a good crew to work with. When you find em, keep. 31 yrs.. impressive. When I was hiring my staff I would tell them "Ive hired you to be a problem solver, thats what I our customers ask us to do. If thats a problem for you then the interview is over.." Thats a nice TT spinning in the back ground. Got any info on that setup?

[@robertthweatt1900]

Basis Audio

[@robertchauval2492]

@@robertthweatt1900 Thanks. Any idea what cart hes running?

[@progressiveguy9959]

I am confused.Hopefully someone can clear it up for me.At the begining,I heard Wayne say he answered an ad and brought his resume.Later, Nelson said he tapped Wayne and made him a partner.Which one happened?

[@johnstone7697]

Wayne interviewed with Nelson at Threshold. He then joined Nelson at Pass Labs as a partner.

[@progressiveguy9959]

@@johnstone7697 Thank you for clearing that up for me.

[@ConcernedPublic]

Wayne's shirt is cool!

[@GTRGTX999]

I aspire to be as calm as the dream team duo.

[@lttexan]

The turntable is turning.

[@BlankBrain]

The first amp I built was a SouthWest Technical Products (SWTP) Universal Tiger. Etched the circuit boards, wound the transformer, and designed/manufactured the aluminum chassis. It was unstable as hell. www.swtpc.com/mholley/Catalog1972b/Page04.jpg

[@tokobjork]

Thanks for a very interesting interview. :) But here one thing you might consider for improvement: I find it somewhat difficult concentrate on content of the interview because I find that the sound quantity is lacking. Perhaps you should invest in better mic setup. It is "hard" to listen when levels are off and distortion occurs. Sound should also be somewhat leveled.

[@angusvanhalen2886]

Simply...amazing

[@davidstein9129]

Do any viewers here have any experience listening to the Pass Labs XP-20 Preamplifier? It's a combination of a preamp & power source...So, 2 seperate consoles Thanks!

[@gregmcneil9676]

Love your interviews, but my old ears have a hard time hearing and understanding the interviewer (you)! Another mic would sure be nice.

[@andrewgillis8572]

shout out to South West Technical Products

[@BrianDRidgway]

Steve, can I hire you for a half-hour on a video call to ask a few questions?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Brian D Ridgway well, you can become a subscriber for $50 a month and we’ll talk for 15 minutes every month.

[@BrianDRidgway]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac, I am in. Where do I do that?

[@rockmusicvideoreviewer896]

I'll talk to you

[@gylfi6369]

So Colburn has Porsche Healing Powers. This just gets better and better! But none of you bothered to turn off the turntable...

[@willmac5642]

Best pre amp designer!

[@rockmusicvideoreviewer896]

Anyone else look at Nelson and think Independence Day?

[@tylercarlos4333]

First comment! I’m your biggest ear bro!

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

thanks

[@inforobob]

Please folks, watch your levels. Guttenberg was much lower in volume.

[@FOH3663]

Yep, Steve was way down in the noise, Nelson nicely placed about -6dB, but Wayne a touch hot and up against the 0dBVU point with occasional overs! Akin to an over-application of DSP auto-correction of "presence"... ;)

[@rockmusicvideoreviewer896]

that's what happens when you cheap out on cables.

[@inforobob]

@@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 It's more an issue of preproduction and/or using something like Levelator in post. It is a common yutuber issue and most annoying.

[@GranMastaDee]

When did 'homeless' become a good look? Also, Steve sounds like he's behind the mic, obviously so, but he's an audio guy, no he's the Audiophiliac!....ah...the stoners. Gotta love 'em.

[@johnstone7697]

If that's "homeless", then you've never met a homeless person. I'd say that "look" is more "I live in Sea Ranch, where we don't answer to anyone about how we dress".

[@lynnpoole7830]

Rude and presumptuous.

[@NickP333]

@Lynn Poole I agree! Show some respect to 2 guys who’ve pushed HiFi ahead of the game by leaps n’ bounds. Oh, and hello again, Lynn. We “spoke” yesterday on the PS Audio channel, but I’m sure you’re aware of this. lol

[@NickP333]

These 2 guys are true innovators, not even close to homeless looking.

[@willmac5642]

With success, you can dress how you want.