Pass Labs XP-10 & XP20 Users

MrChips,

I have had my unit for 4 days and have played if for about 20 hours so far. The first few hours sounded nice, and it has just gotten better. It seems like most of the break in occurred during the 1st 24 hours, but I have heard some improvement since then.

Ozzy,

I actually have a Hi-Fi fuse that will fit the XP-10. I may try that later. I ended up spiking the plaform the XP-10 rests on and put a light sandbag on top of the XP-10, and the unit now has the perfect blend (in my system) of detail, crispness, bass detail and warmth. I am afraid to experiment right now becuase it sounds perfect to my ears as it is.

But, like the rest of us, I am sure the temptation of even better sound will get the best of me, and I will try the other fuse. It is an easy test. :-)

I am lucky that so far all my sources will work with the 0 Gain setting. It would have been better though if each Input could have a different Gain setting.

I also wish that we could select Balanced or Unbalanced for the Bypass. That could be a software option I'm sure.

I'm glad you found a cord and outlet that works for you. Synergy is the key, eh?

Dmccombs, My suggestion is to keep it simple and dont change too many things during the break in stage so you can tell what is happening.

Once the unit is broken in, unplugging it will cause a loss of sound quality for a short time.
At first it took hours to return but now it only takes a few minutes.

I have tried sandbags and spikes and thus far find that my X10 sounds better with just the unit sitting on a quality spiked platform (or shelve).

You are lucky with the gain settings, I have a Cary 306 SACD Pro CD Player and it has a huge difference in output compared to my other sources.

You will really love the X10, it is a pure sounding gem

Isn't it amazing that no matter how amazing a product is we immediately feel the urge to improve on it?

The XP10 is supposed to be one of the best preamps on the market, you seem to love it in your short time owning it, and yet you want tips to make it sound better. What am I missing? This is the part of our 'passion' for better sound, that sometimes (like now) gets in the way of just enjoying the simple act of turning a song on and enjoying it w/out thinking about what silly fuse will improve the result. These could be the death throes of me as an audiophile. Pay no attention. Carry on.

Dpac,

Nothing is getting in the way of enjoying the music. I have played the heck out of this thing and am having a good time. Just because I have also tried some simple tweaks doesn't change that. I have enjoyed numerous CD and movies. It is possible to do two things at the same time.

Did you have a bad day or what? WTF?

Dmccombs,
I am glad that you are also enjoying the main point of upgrades, to appreciate the music more (at least this is what I tell my wife). My comment was less about you and more about a general trend we audionuts find ourselves in. Sorry for hijacking your thread a bit with this, i should a put it somewhere else. I was not saying it's impossible to do both; that is, enjoy music and listen for changes from tweak to tweak. Rather, at some point "it" transforms, in many cases, into listening sessions where it is less about the actual musical enjoyment and more about, "did i hear this difference between cables, thie latest bag of sand, this oak block of wood, this steel tipped 500 pound audio rack", you know wwhat I mean?
You have a sweet piece of gear. I had a Pass X2.5 and X1 a while back. I was floored with the microdetail that both of those units are capable of. Right now i'm back to tubes, but I have been thinking about trying out the XP10 sometime. Pass seems to blend the best of tubes and ss.

Enjoy!
Dave