The Sound
Contents
We’ve been playing with Pass Labs pre-amps for many, many years. There’s a clear reason: we love the sound. Pass Labs is not purely technical or too analytical, as is sometimes the case in the high-end. Pass Labs plays smoothly and transparently and still gives us the feeling of adding very little sauce of our own. Each component adds something. But Pass Labs does this without us feeling that we are listening to the interpretation of Nelson Pass. And that’s important to us.
Then the step from the XP-12 (7200 euros) to the Pass Labs XP-22 (10,900 euros). Now we would like to temper expectations. Because don’t expect a completely different sound, or a giant step in detail or punch. However: it is a very audible step for those who own an XP-12 and know it well. Pass Labs has in fact made profits in a few areas. And those few steps added together make for a significant step forward at the bottom of the line.
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We mainly hear a difference in imaging – stereo image – rhythm / talk and dynamics. Detail level is quite similar, although we sometimes hear a bit more texture. However, we find the biggest difference is space. The XP-22 really knows how to create more space. More air. The ’12’ plays a little more layed back.
Energy
What also stands out is the punch and energy across the board. The XP-22 is remarkably energetic compared to the XP-12. Guitar strikes have more energy. Perhaps this is because the power supply is quieter than in the ’12’. Because of this extra ‘silence’ there is more music and space for that kind of details. After all: a lower noise floor means a larger s/n ratio and therefore more music.
Long run…
How’s that? A week or two of living with a Pass Labs XP-22. It’s not giving up… The Pass plays easily, honestly and grabs you by the throat if you have to. So did the dCS Bartok, but in a completely different way. The Pass comes across more neutral, the dCS Bartok a bit preferable. Both give unprecedented insight into the music. This is clearly a question of: what are you looking for? What kind of system do you have? What are you preferences? That’s entirely up to the lover, of course.
