Pass Labs XP-10 & XP20 Users

Yes, I forgot to mention the power cord. Good Catch MrChips. I went through several cords when setting up the previous Aleph P preamp. I finally when with a DCCA Source II cord. It is a terrific fit in my system, and it seems to work very well with the XP-10. The two preamps have a similar sonic signature, so this isn't surprising.

I'm glad you are enjoying the XP-20. Its a tough choice between the XP-20 and XP-10. I am short on rack space, so I opted for the XP-10.

How long would you say break in is? I heard most of the break in occurs in the first 24 hours, but some people hear changes for a bit longer.

MrChips,

I have had my unit for 4 days and have played if for about 20 hours so far. The first few hours sounded nice, and it has just gotten better. It seems like most of the break in occurred during the 1st 24 hours, but I have heard some improvement since then.

Ozzy,

I actually have a Hi-Fi fuse that will fit the XP-10. I may try that later. I ended up spiking the plaform the XP-10 rests on and put a light sandbag on top of the XP-10, and the unit now has the perfect blend (in my system) of detail, crispness, bass detail and warmth. I am afraid to experiment right now becuase it sounds perfect to my ears as it is.

But, like the rest of us, I am sure the temptation of even better sound will get the best of me, and I will try the other fuse. It is an easy test. :-)

I am lucky that so far all my sources will work with the 0 Gain setting. It would have been better though if each Input could have a different Gain setting.

I also wish that we could select Balanced or Unbalanced for the Bypass. That could be a software option I'm sure.

I'm glad you found a cord and outlet that works for you. Synergy is the key, eh?

Dpac,

Nothing is getting in the way of enjoying the music. I have played the heck out of this thing and am having a good time. Just because I have also tried some simple tweaks doesn't change that. I have enjoyed numerous CD and movies. It is possible to do two things at the same time.

Did you have a bad day or what? WTF?

I looked through the Virtual systems here and noticed that there are at least 6 Audiogoners with an XP-10 or XP-20. Does anyone else have setup suggestions?

Ozzy, can you give more detail as to what the fuse change did to the sound?

Thanks for all the feedback and responses. They are appreciated.

At this point, I have put numerous hours on the XP-10 and it is broken in and sounding great.

I have a Hi-Fi fuse that I may try at one point, if/when I do, I will report back on that.

I guess that how one spikes/isolates the XP-10 (or any piece of gear) depends on the rack you have it on. In my setup, I found that putting the XP-10 sounded best (to my ears), by placing it on 4 spikes.

Irregardless of weather I put my unit directly on the rack or on spikes, I find placing a light weight on top of the unit does change the sound a bit. Maybe the top is susceptible to vibration?

I suggest folks with the XP-10 take a few minutes and try placing a couple of different light weight items on the XP-10 to see if it helps/hurts the sound. It is free and only takes a few minutes to try.