Anyone auditioned Pass Labs XP-30 preamp?

I just read the TAS review. I'm disappointed that there was not some comparison made to the XP-20 or other top preamps. Anthony Cordesman should have done the review as he is the TAS guy who knows Pass gear. Also the review was very short and there were just as many pages with photos as there were pages with text. I actually didn't think it was such a good review. It mentions how close SS and tube designs have become and yet in the very same issue, Nelson Pass himself states the the two typologies are diverging.

A couple of user reviews here on Audiogon would probably be more helpful.

I found the Constellation gear review by JV to be much more informative.

Peterayer,

I just read the review in TAS as well and agree with you; a little disappointed. It wasn't as informative as I'd hoped, was short and well.....I expected more for such a great piece with little to no publicity.

There was a review posted online from Hometheatrehifi that has some measurements and comparisons to the XP-20 that they also reviewed.

No idea of the weight these reviews carry as opposed to TAS, but there they are.

I also felt ripped off after reading that review in the latest issues of TAS. I was left wanting more info.

I currently have one in for audition with a Pass X350.5 amplifier. I have compared it head to head with a Conrad Johnson GAT tube preamp. The CJ positively smokes the XP30.
The CJ is open and spacious, where the XP30 sounds dynamically and spatially constricted. The CJ has a full round natural tonality and is beautiful to listen to. The XP30 is thin and reedy with no bloom. I am not certain why some reviewers have called this a tube-like sounding pre. To me it sounds like solid state on a diet. Very strange and rather lean. Not bright in the treble, but lean nonetheless. For my money, at $16K, there are a world of choices out there that make more sense. I auditioned the XP-10 with the same amp a while back and actually prefer it to the XP30. Sorry folks. Hate to piss in the punchbowl,but that's my honest opinion and I've listened to a few things in my day.