Anyone auditioned Pass Labs XP-30 preamp?

The XP-30 has a low S/N ratio of only 110db's which is a poor number for a three piece system. Why? Old school engineering. Since the early eightie's many designer's including Nelson Pass use local or global feedback technique where the signal current is looped and fed back ("feedback") several times through the Pre-amp then to the ouputs which increase the gain level to the output. The best Pre-amps on the market that are pricey all have S/N ratio's above 125 db's since they are not using feedback looping into the Pre-amp but using a more current technique called feed forward which does not loop the signal current.
The feed forward design was pioneered by FM Acoustics. Feedback results in noise and higher distortion from the parts and boards. The founder and designer of Hegel Audio in Norway, Bent Holter, who has a degree in micro electronics with the emphasis on transistor engineering, took the feed forward technology from FM Acoustics and further enhanced it to a better design he calls his patented Sound Engine technology. The Hegel P-30 Pre-amp uses the Sound Engine feed forward method and the Pre-amp has a S/N ratio of 132db's, the highest ever achieved of any Pre-amp costing up to $20K and higher. The P-30 costs only $7500.00 and performs like a $40K Pre-amp since the noise and distortion is so low which is typical in the best and costliest Pre-amps made.

Your missing the point..the less noise and distortion thats achieved in a well designed Pre-amp means far less interference to the music signal that is passing through. Feedback designs have more vibration and noise problems which is why we use heavy isolation/absorbtion racks and shelfs and isolation feet to help control the vibrations in the components to improve the quality of the music. The idea that we stick to the past designs of 35 years ago is silly. Audio engineering always improves as the years go by due to better science and technical innovations that were not applicable 35 years ago. The reason why some Preamps are made up of two or three cabinets is to isolate the power supply from the control boards to keep the noise floor and distortion lower because these Preamps are using feedback designs. The best single unit Preamps in the world that have S/N ratios over 125db's using feedforward designs are actually quieter than two or three piece Pre-amps resulting in superior musical performance since obstructing the music signal is kept to a minimum. I have not heard the Pass XP-30 but use to own the X0-1 back in 2004 and at the time also owned the Musical Fidelity 308 Preamp and the Parasound PLD-2000. The Parasound was faster than both but thinner sounding. The Pass was fuller and more laid back and the Musical Fidelity was a piece of crap.

Peterayer..I have heard the Hegel P-30 and the H-30 mono-blocs hooked up to a pair of Amphion Argon7-L speakers. Stunning..rich..full..warm..very organic..very tight with outstanding bass. Have you noticed how different solid state Pre-amps sound bright, some with loose bass, muddy midrange, lack of 3D dimensional space? Heres why. Feedback looping in different Preamps creates more noise in certain frequency bands and less noise in the other bands. So the noise levels varies in different bands from one Pre-amp to another. If you have a Pre-amp that has very little to no noise interfering with the ten main bands, then you have a Pre-amp that will sound absolutely wonderful which is why feed forward Pre-amps will always sound better. The Hegel premium line came into the U.S. in August 2009 and have already picked up over thirty retailers in three years which is impressive.

Audiofeil..where is your brain?..I think you have too much mold in your bong. I was referring to solid state only relying on solid state engineered designs 35 years ago. I never brought up tubes vs. solid state. Thats another subject.

Philipwu..I would take the Hegel P-30 over the Ayre KX-R in a heart beat. The Hegel is warmer, richer and fuller than the Ayre. One thing I don't like about the Ayre is the loud clicking sound of the volume control when you raise or lower the decibel gain. Damn annoying. The other negative of the Ayre is the output impedance is 300 ohms balanced and 150 ohms single ended.which is too high for my blood. The output impedance of the Hegel is 75 ohms which makes it easier to drive amps with low input impedance. The Ayre has great resolution and detail and is very fast but is not as relaxed and organic as the Hegel. If your looking for an exotic sculptured space age looking piece of aluminum with an interior that looks like the circuit boards inside the dash board of a UFO, then the Ayre is for you. But if musical performance is paramount to your needs you will get a much better sounding Preamp with the Hegel and won't waste $18,500.00 on the Ayre.