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Pass Labs XP-10 & XP20 Users

I recently got a XP-10 preamp. It provides tremendous clarity, a deep and wide soundstage, nice seperation of instruments, lower bass, better defined bass, and a touch of warmth (which is a plus in my system).

It has been in the system for a couple days now, and I am thrilled with the results. This thing is so resolving (without being harsh), that my friends and I could hear differences in the sound depending on how we spiked and isolated the XP-10. A sand bag on top also changed the sound. I will pick a final setup once it finishes breaking in this weekend.

I am using this in a 5.1/2.0 system. The Bypass function is setup on input 5 which is an unbalanced input. My Prepro has both Balanced and Unbalanced outputs. In theory the balanced outputs coming out of the prepro should sound better, so I have it routed through Input 1 and manually set the volume to max and Gain to 0.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks about these preamps? They seem pretty straight forward. It seems the only setup/optimization may be related to spikes, isolation, and weight placed on top of the unit.
dmccombs
dpac996's avatar
dpac996
433 posts
 
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.
dmccombs OP
112 posts
 
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?
dpac996's avatar
dpac996
433 posts
 
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
dmccombs OP
112 posts
 
I looked through the Virtual systems here and noticed that there are at least 6 Audiogoners with an XP-10 or XP-20. Does anyone else have setup suggestions?

Ozzy, can you give more detail as to what the fuse change did to the sound?
boper39
13 posts
 
I have been using my XP-10 for about 8 months. Previous I had an X-1 pass, and compared the two for a short time. The first time I fired up the XP 10 I felt immediately that I should keep it, not even broken in it just sounded right and a step up from the X-1 which is no slouch. After a week with the XP-10 I put the X-1 back in for a comparison and confirmed my inital decision. I'm happy with my Pass 150.5 & Xp-10 although i'm getting the cable bug again, but I didn't win the lottery. LOL
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