Bryston BP-17 cubed or Benchmrk LA4 Preamp

I bought a Pass Labs XP-12, used for about the same price as the Bryston and Benchmark preamps. I will get it tomorrow.

The reason for the switch to Pass is that the buzz around the Pass gear is that ii is warm(ish) sounding. The other two are probably neutral. I'm looking for a bit of warmth, so...

I replaced the 38s with an old Apt preamp, I have recapped the PS. Yes, it sounds different....better to my amazement. Vocals and strings are a bit clearer and the entire sound is smoother, with no audible edges (the Apt is from 1978!). Only downsides are no balanced lines (XLR) and no remote. I've made a special cable to change male XLR to male RCA. No ground loop hum. But the lack of a remote is a bit of a pain.

Anxious to hear the XP-12!

Congrats on the Pass XP-12!  Let us know how it sounds in your system. The Apt Holman preamp was legendary in its day.

@jc4659 

This is a very long overdue update. I bought a Bryston BP-17 cubed last week. I'm head over heels pleased.

What happened to the used Pass XP-12? Right our of the box, t heard a lot of sibilance and other high frequency screeching. I sent it to the factory. Pass found that two gain modules were out of spec. They replaced them with the current gain modules. After it returned, it still was shrill. I sold it.

The BP-17 cubed works so much better in my system. It is definitely warmer than the XP-12. My amplification chain consists of the Bryston BP-17 cubed, their 2.5b cubed power amp and Revel f208 speakers.

This is a surprising result, not one that I had anticipated, but one that I am quite pleased about.

Keven,

I had the same experience with a Pass XP-12.  I was so happy that I didn’t sell my Bryston BP-26.  That’s the second time I’ve replaced a Bryston piece with another highly regarded replacement, only to put the Bryston back in my system.  Thankfully I’m done upgrading now.

Toolbox149

@kevemaher I find it interesting but not shocking that the Pass preamp did not pair well with your Bryston amp. System synergy and how it sounds to you is ultimately what is most important.  I was considering a Pass XP-12 preamp to pair with my Pass amp and while I'd expect the pairing to work well, I ultimately went in a completely different direction.  I purchased the Revelation Raven tubed preamp, the brainchild of Don Sachs and Lynn Olson, from Spatial Audio and it brings a big smile to my face every time I listen to music.