XP22: Stereophile Review

[Mikem53]

Did you ever consider the coda F07x? Apparently according to Teejay at stereotimes its incredibly tube like and he actually preferred it over his XP30. He said it was as good as the ARIC audio motherload 2.

I didn’t try another SS linestage, just some tubed ones, transformer based passive and direct from the source. I went with the Pass family synergy on this venture.
I sit hear listening to some music with some of your questions more in focus.. The SIT3 is very punchy and dynamic but low gain so Im using the upper range of the preamp and it totally quiet. I have good front to back , side to side imaging with life like flesh and blood sound, nothing is thin or too thick. My tube pre had a more forward, larger presentation whereas the XP22 has more life sized imaging.. sorry for my non reviewer lingo..

 

[Don C]

No balanced tape output is a deal breaker for me! I need that for my Stax driver amp. Same as the XP20.

If they can have balanced tape out on the X1, why not the XP20 and XP22? The chassis is the same size.

The XP32 and XP30 are three chassis ...too many for me.!

 

[Dishman442]

Good day ! I have many good thoughts about the XP22 in my system ! I ended up keeping the 22 over the 12. I wasn’t expecting to hear such a big difference between the two units.. yet I could hear differences from another room as I had it breaking in.
I find the 22 does everything better, from being quieter to being more open and dynamic. Lifelike imaging and an “accurate” soundstage, nothing bloated or “too big”. Everything sounds precise without being too analytical. You might want to look under the hood for tubes.. there Are no SS signatures to be found that I have observed. Very, dare I say, “natural” sounding to me.
My first (actually 2nd) SS line stage and I’m very impressed !
The pass sound leans to The right of neutral.. at least with my combination of gear and speakers. Which I like, others may not.. I can listen for hours on end without fatigue with all types of music. For those who think a SS preamp is evil, should have a listen to the 22 in their system.. just make sure it’s run in for a few hundred hours first..

Wait, which side of the street do you drive on? Is right of neutral warmer or leaner?

 

[Slingblade]

Wait, which side of the street do you drive on? Is right of neutral warmer or leaner?

My experience with the XP-22 is that it's a touch on the warm side. I would not call it lean by any stretch. It's a great preamp!