XP12 vs XP20

S

Stidge

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May 25, 2018
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Hi

I am currently trialling an XP12 in my system and enjoying the sound. However for slightly less money I can pick up a second hand XP20 (but can’t trial it) so the question is how do the 2 compare? Does the newly designed 12 sound better than the older 20?

I listen mostly to vinyl through a Pass XP17

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Many thanks

Steve
 
I'm a big Nelson Pass fan. Great products from a very smart, and experienced man. I owned Pass gear years ago. Bought a Pass XP20 from Mark at Reno. Also a good deal. Sent it back. Underwhelmed....
 
Hi PD, just curious how long you listened to the 20 before sending it back? I got my Pass from the same source, though it was an open box it took a good week to break in, and, if it's unplugged, it takes about 24 hours of being plugged back in to settle into the sound it should have. Not a handy thing when wanting to compare to other preamps.

As I mentioned just curious, my thoughts were to do the same, box it up and send it back, I followed Mark's suggestion and left it playing andit eventually began to sound great. I've had it a lot of years now.

I haven't heard the 20 or 30, to my understanding Pass preamps aren't one sound and it gets better as you go up, instead, the preamps have different characters.

One thing about Pass, they don't bring out a new model often, so my guess is the 12 should be at least competitive with the 20. Just haard to guess the character without hearing them.

Welcome to the OP

Penthouse-D said:
I'm a big Nelson Pass fan. Great products from a very smart, and experienced man. I owned Pass gear years ago. Bought a Pass XP20 from Mark at Reno. Also a good deal. Sent it back. Underwhelmed....
Click to expand...
 
Hello Mr. Peabody. Thanks for the reply. I listened to it for 2 weeks. Powered on the entire time. I had the 600 mono blocks with it. It sounded a bit,"sterile" to me. Maybe it was the combination. I probably would've preferred class A amplification from Pass. It's been quite a while since I owned them, and many systems later, I'm quite happy. Thanks
 
BUY THE XP12 : I'm looking for a used XP20 :lol:

IMHO, the 12, like the 10 missed the equivalent of a "tape out" which would be usefull for a phone amp.
Also, I fear they haven't added what they add removed : the mono on/off.
 
Penthouse-D said:
I'm a big Nelson Pass fan. Great products from a very smart, and experienced man. I owned Pass gear years ago. Bought a Pass XP20 from Mark at Reno. Also a good deal. Sent it back. Underwhelmed....
Click to expand...

Hi Dan. All the Pass pre amps and phono stages are not designed by Nelson Pass. Wayne C does. Nelson sticks to amps.
 
Penthouse-D said:
Hello Mr. Peabody. Thanks for the reply. I listened to it for 2 weeks. Powered on the entire time. I had the 600 mono blocks with it. It sounded a bit,"sterile" to me. Maybe it was the combination. I probably would've preferred class A amplification from Pass. It's been quite a while since I owned them, and many systems later, I'm quite happy. Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi Penthouse-D. I know I'm responding to an old post, but I also have the XP-20 and have not found it to be sterile, but system synergy could be working in my favor. I use an AVA FetValve 600R amp so maybe they just work well together.

I would like to hear the XP-12, if only because in a few years I'll likely be moving to a smaller home and streamlining my audio equipment setup might be nice. If one chassis can get me as good or better than a two box XP-20 it'd be worth considering.
 
I'm hearing that Pass amps and pre-amps have slightly different characteristic sounds, not just better as one moves up the chain. You would probably benefit from a telephone discussion with Kent English via the Pass customer support line. Be thinking about what 'better' means to you. What type of music do you listen to? What does your system look like (esp amp/speakers)?
 
Yes, I should do that. Kent and I have spoken many times over the years. But looking in the enthusiast world to see if there's a consensus can sometimes help. Sometimes it makes things more difficult, yes. :)
 
Hello everybody!

A newbie here: first post on the forum...

I very much enjoy the XA30.5 power amp, and am also considering the XP-20 or XP-12 preamp as an upgrade to my Primare PRE30, and badly in need for your recommendations, dear experts, as actual auditioning is not in the cards for me, unfortunately enough.


I wish to use the preamp exclusively in my music-only two-channel setup (both analog, including vinyl, and digital). I know that these preamps have a fine reputation for their performance, and are known to be very musical. First of all, I am interested in the best sound (female jazz vocal, opera, organ, piano, big orchestra works, some pop and rock).


I am not a technical Guru by any means, but the XP-12 and XP-20 look quite similar in terms of the specs to me with a few notable differences: the XP-12 is better for Freq. Response, has finer Volume control, better for Crosstalk, BUT Output Noise Floor is much lower for the XP-20 (less than 0.5 uV vs. 15 uV @ 10 - 30 KHz, if I am reading the specs correctly).


The objective measurements alone do not tell the whole story, but certainly are the precursor for the sonics to be expected… At least in my humble opinion.


Where would your nod, dear experts, go for the best synergy between the XA30.5 and XP-20 or XP-12, please? Is this, perhaps, a “generational” question, meaning the XA30.5 and XP-20 do belong to the same “crop”?


Additionally, any true balanced designs you would suggest me to consider as alternatives to the XP-20/12 for about the same money, please?


Please chime in!
 
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