The new XP-12 starts with a new power supply. It uses an efficient toroidal design with both an electrostatic and Mu metal shield along with vacuum impregnating and epoxy fill. This gives us a very quiet transformer both electrically and mechanically.
The power supply circuitry itself is also lower noise and has additional filtering, a little more complicated but worth it.
The XP-12 uses the single stage volume control borrowed from the XS line preamp. This gives us one hundred 1 dB steps with lower noise and distortion while removing some signal path parts.
The gain circuitry continues to use our favorite transistors from Toshiba but has a larger higher biased output stage similar to the XS preamplifier auto bias. This makes longer and multiple cable runs easier to drive and gives us the advantage of simplifying our single ended output circuitry while increasing performance. Overall this makes for a quieter more neutral, musical and versatile control center for your system.
2023 Gear of the Year Awards
FutureAudiophile.com
The 20th Annual Positive Feedback Writers’ Choice Awards for 2023
Positive Feedback
The Absolute Sound’s 2023 Buyer’s Guide
The Absolute Sound
Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2022
PartTimeAudio
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
The Absolute Sound
TAS Golden Ear Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2021
PartTimeAudio
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
Positive Feedback Writer’s Choice 2020
Positive Feedback
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2020
The Absolute Sound
Choice Buyers Guide 2019
“The Occasional” – Editors’
Positive Feedback Writers Choice Awards – 2018
Positive Feedback
Products of the Year 2018
Audiophilia
“American Pass Labs (hereinafter referred to as Pass) is a long-established classic brand, and its product update cycle is also relatively long. After all, top-notch audio equipment should be made through hard work, so how can it be easily changed? After listening to the XP-12 preamplifier this time, I deeply felt that the Pass is more mature. The XP-12’s soulful musicality and its warm and smooth music texture fully demonstrate the true nature of the music and the hidden meaning in it. The musicality is worth savoring.”
u-audio.com.tw / Text‧Guo Hancheng – 2024
u-audio.com.tw / Text‧Guo Hancheng – 2024 (English Version)
“The entry-level XP-12 is a single-chassis design and the subject of this review. Borrowing several areas of design and circuitry from the multi-chassis, top-to-the-line Pass Lab XS line stage preamplifier, the XP-12 is the ultimate expression of trickle-down technology.”
Future Audiophile Magazine / Greg Handy – 2023
“In my A/V room at home, the Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier is my reference control center. It doesn’t have the EQ, sliders, or the myriad mixing features of the X32 but, nevertheless, it remains a powerful tool, equally useful for evaluating audio equipment, software, and accessories—or—for delivering an exquisite heavenly aural experience.”
Positive Feedback / Juan C. Ayllon – 2023
“Like the matching XP-17 phono preamp, the XP-12 is incredibly neutral and does an impossibly great job at allowing you to hear what everything else in your system is doing. Features are abundant, and yet the Pass Labs XP-12 is still incredibly easy to set-up and use. The single-stage volume control is a dream, by the way.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2022
“The XP-12 line-level preamp forgoes dual-chassis extravagance but sonically you wouldn’t know it. Music abounds with stunning orchestral layering and complex three-dimensional soundspace vistas.”
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
“Like the matching XP-17 phono preamp, the XP-12 is incredibly neutral and does an impossibly great job at allowing you to hear what everything else in your system is doing. Features are abundant, and yet the XP-12 is still incredibly easy to set-up and use. The single-stage volume control is a dream, by the way.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2021
“Pass Labs’ entry-level linestage preamp has been a constant presence in my system for years. As a classic, old-school, line-level preamp, it forgoes the dual-chassis extravagance of Pass’ uptown siblings.”
TAS Golden Ear Award – 2021
“The XP-12 preamp eschews the dual-chassis, outboard power supply of its uptown siblings in favor of a compact single chassis—an ideal fit for a modestly sized den or listening room”
XP-12 TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
“The Pass Labs XP-12 Pre-Amp Review”
Stevehuffphoto.com / Steve Huff
AudioArt #349 – Taiwan
| Overall Gain | 9.3dB Balanced |
| Remote | yes |
| Inputs | 5 |
| Outputs | 2 |
| Input Impedance | 22K Ohms |
| Power Consumption | 30 watts |
| Number of chassis | 1 |
| Dimensions, Each Chassis | 17”W x 12”D x 4”H |
| Weight (LBS) | 20 |
| Overall Gain | 9.3dB Balanced |
| Remote | yes |
| Inputs | 5 |
| Outputs | 2 |
| Input Impedance | 22K Ohms |
| Power Consumption | 30 watts |
| Number of chassis | 1 |
| Dimensions, Each Chassis | 17”W x 12”D x 4”H |
| Weight (LBS) | 20 |
2023 Gear of the Year Awards
FutureAudiophile.com
The 20th Annual Positive Feedback Writers’ Choice Awards for 2023
Positive Feedback
The Absolute Sound’s 2023 Buyer’s Guide
The Absolute Sound
Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2022
PartTimeAudio
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
The Absolute Sound
TAS Golden Ear Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2021
PartTimeAudio
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
The Absolute Sound
Positive Feedback Writer’s Choice 2020
Positive Feedback
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2020
The Absolute Sound
Choice Buyers Guide 2019
“The Occasional” – Editors’
Positive Feedback Writers Choice Awards – 2018
Positive Feedback
Products of the Year 2018
Audiophilia
“American Pass Labs (hereinafter referred to as Pass) is a long-established classic brand, and its product update cycle is also relatively long. After all, top-notch audio equipment should be made through hard work, so how can it be easily changed? After listening to the XP-12 preamplifier this time, I deeply felt that the Pass is more mature. The XP-12’s soulful musicality and its warm and smooth music texture fully demonstrate the true nature of the music and the hidden meaning in it. The musicality is worth savoring.”
u-audio.com.tw / Text‧Guo Hancheng – 2024
u-audio.com.tw / Text‧Guo Hancheng – 2024 (English Version)
“The entry-level XP-12 is a single-chassis design and the subject of this review. Borrowing several areas of design and circuitry from the multi-chassis, top-to-the-line Pass Lab XS line stage preamplifier, the XP-12 is the ultimate expression of trickle-down technology.”
Future Audiophile Magazine / Greg Handy – 2023
“In my A/V room at home, the Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier is my reference control center. It doesn’t have the EQ, sliders, or the myriad mixing features of the X32 but, nevertheless, it remains a powerful tool, equally useful for evaluating audio equipment, software, and accessories—or—for delivering an exquisite heavenly aural experience.”
Positive Feedback / Juan C. Ayllon – 2023
“Like the matching XP-17 phono preamp, the XP-12 is incredibly neutral and does an impossibly great job at allowing you to hear what everything else in your system is doing. Features are abundant, and yet the Pass Labs XP-12 is still incredibly easy to set-up and use. The single-stage volume control is a dream, by the way.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2022
“The XP-12 line-level preamp forgoes dual-chassis extravagance but sonically you wouldn’t know it. Music abounds with stunning orchestral layering and complex three-dimensional soundspace vistas.”
TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
“Like the matching XP-17 phono preamp, the XP-12 is incredibly neutral and does an impossibly great job at allowing you to hear what everything else in your system is doing. Features are abundant, and yet the XP-12 is still incredibly easy to set-up and use. The single-stage volume control is a dream, by the way.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2021
“Pass Labs’ entry-level linestage preamp has been a constant presence in my system for years. As a classic, old-school, line-level preamp, it forgoes the dual-chassis extravagance of Pass’ uptown siblings.”
TAS Golden Ear Award – 2021
“The XP-12 preamp eschews the dual-chassis, outboard power supply of its uptown siblings in favor of a compact single chassis—an ideal fit for a modestly sized den or listening room”
XP-12 TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2021
“The Pass Labs XP-12 Pre-Amp Review”
Stevehuffphoto.com / Steve Huff
AudioArt #349 – Taiwan