Hi Mitch4t, Well, the Pass Labs X 0.2 preamp arrived today. I only have a few hours on it. It should get better as it acclimates into the system over the next few days, I guess. However, it already sounds better than anything else that I've had in my system-- Bat vk5i with nos tubes, Conrad Johnson 16ls2. It is essentially a neutral preamp, or just slightly on the warm side of neutral. It completely controls my amp (Jeff Rowland 302), which the other preamps couldn't do. Dynamic swings are way better--the way that you would actually hear live. It has an expansive soundstage-deep and wide, especially wide--going beyond my speakers. On live recordings, you can hear deep into the backround noises of the audience, and the scuffs and scrapes of the artist's stool or microphone. It also has a fuller, room filling sound. It seems to give the speakers a bigger footprint. I'm using an unbalanced interconnect from cd to pre and a balanced interconnect from pre to amp. I've been told that it sounds best fully balanced, so I'm looking for one more balanced interconnect to replace my rca interconnect. I've got to say that live performances sound real for the first time--Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Four way Street" and Blind Faith's recording entitled "Blind Faith" are what I've listened to so far since the X 0.2 arrived. Tonal color of most instruments--acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums--is also better than I've heard on my system. There are no drawbacks that I can see yet, although it is tall at ten and one half inches. I've got all three sections stacked right now, with the bottom section on a set of Rollerblocks. Best wishes. Stan
