Pass Labs XP-15 Phono Preamp

[jdandy]

Pass Labs has several very attractive solid state phono preamps. I am curious about the XP-15 phono preamplifier. It offers a wide range of capacitive loading, resistance loading, and gain settings that I find appealing, particularly the XP-15’s adjustable gain from 46dB to 76dB. I would like to hear any impressions from those using or having experience with the Pass Labs XP-15.

[PHC1]

Dan, go tubes. Even the best SS phono may give you sharper transients, crisper dynamic contrast but will have a hard time matching the harmonic bloom and three dimensionality of a tubed phono. Tubes and vinyl just sound so right!

Just get the Manley Steelhead phono stage/preamp and be done with it. Mikey Fremer has been using it for years.

Manley_Steelhead_phono_stage

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Dan, go tubes. Even the best SS phono may give you sharper transients, crisper dynamic contrast but will have a hard time matching the harmonic bloom and three dimensionality of a tubed phono. Tubes and vinyl just sound so right!

Just get the Manley Steelhead phono stage/preamp and be done with it. Mikey Fremer has been using it for years.

Manley_Steelhead_phono_stage

Serge.......Harmonic bloom is tube territory for sure, but three dimensionality is not sovereign territory to just tubes, not by a long shot.

The Manley Steelhead doesn't appeal to me, not to mention it is hard to look at.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Serge.......Harmonic bloom is tube territory for sure, but three dimensionality is not sovereign territory to just tubes, not by a long shot.

Just to be clear, I am not talking about depth of soundstage, it's the illusion of the musical instruments/vocalists being "fleshed out" on the stage and the feeling that they occupy the space on your soundstage in three dimensional way. You can reach out and touch them but also feel their presence and can almost appreciate the "physical space" and dimension they occupy in the room, recording dependent of course. SS is great at depth of instrument separation but it is almost always much more two dimensional and cardboard like. Shindo my friend, rams this home like no other gear I've heard before. Even the ARC reference stack I have now doesn't quite match it. No SS I've owned before came even close. Perhaps I've never experienced the SS you are talking about?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Just to be clear, I am not talking about depth of soundstage, it's the illusion of the musical instruments/vocalists being "fleshed out" on the stage and the feeling that they occupy the space on your soundstage in three dimensional way. You can reach out and touch them but also feel their presence and can almost appreciate the "physical space" and dimension they occupy in the room, recording dependent of course. SS is great at depth of instrument separation but it is almost always much more two dimensional and cardboard like. Shindo my friend, rams this home like no other gear I've heard before. Even the ARC reference stack I have now doesn't quite match it. No SS I've owned before came even close. Perhaps I've never experienced the SS you are talking about?

Serge.......This is one of the reasons why I love this hobby so much. The variables are infinite, the possibilities limited only by ones imagination, and opinions run the entire color spectrum of sunlight.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Serge.......This is one of the reasons why I love this hobby so much. The variables are infinite, the possibilities limited only by ones imagination, and opinions run the entire color spectrum of sunlight.

Very true. Good luck with your phono stage hunt.

[turntable]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Dan, go tubes. Even the best SS phono may give you sharper transients, crisper dynamic contrast but will have a hard time matching the harmonic bloom and three dimensionality of a tubed phono. Tubes and vinyl just sound so right!

Just get the Manley Steelhead phono stage/preamp and be done with it. Mikey Fremer has been using it for years.

Manley_Steelhead_phono_stage

Hi Serge,
I would have to disagree with you on that comparison. I used to own the Pass Xono and demoed the Steelhead at home twice. In comparison the Steelhead sounded SS , leading edge and threadbare - yes it had bloom, however it had that forward upper mid/lower treble forwardness/ brightness than can effect some tube equipment trying to sound fast.

BTW, If you grow detached from the ARC ref2, I will get better use out of it than Dan I can afford a used one.

Dan

If the XP-15 is better sounding than the Xono ( which is supposedly is), it will be a very good sounding phono indeed. see if you can get a demo, or I think I saw one on gon.
But, like anything - if your system is leaning towards neutral, it may not be the best choice.

the ARC ref2 is in another league of goodness thou.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by turntable

Hi Serge,
I would have to disagree with you on that comparison. I used to own the Pass Xono and demoed the Steelhead at home twice. In comparison the Steelhead sounded SS , leading edge and threadbare - yes it had bloom, however it had that forward upper mid/lower treble forwardness/ brightness than can effect some tube equipment trying to sound fast.

BTW, If you grow detached from the ARC ref2, I will get better use out of it than Dan I can afford a used one.

Dan

If the XP-15 is better sounding than the Xono ( which is supposedly is), it will be a very good sounding phono indeed. see if you can get a demo, or I think I saw one on gon.
But, like anything - if your system is leaning towards neutral, it may not be the best choice.

the ARC ref2 is in another league of goodness thou.

Shane, with the 6922 and 7044 tubes in the steelhead, it would be easy enough to tube roll and tweak it to satisfaction. What does one do about SS?

[turntable]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Shane, with the 6922 and 7044 tubes in the steelhead, it would be easy enough to tube roll and tweak it to satisfaction. What does one do about SS?

Serge, rolling tubes IMO will not get a Steelhead up to full satisfaction status


cheers

[jdandy]

A few nice photos of the Pass XP-15.