Bryston BP26 with Pass Labs

"Why must so many audiophiles magnify the relatively minute differences between high quality, great sounding components?"

Because the differences are not always minute. Especially when it comes to preamps. They have a very big effect on sound quality. If you have a different personal experience, that's fine. But not everyone has the same experience.

"ZD, my point is that well-designed Preamps should sound neutral and not color the sound. Neither the Pass XP series nor the Bryston are known to have this characteristic (as opposed to, say, an older Conrad-Johnson or similar tube pre)."

How do you make that judgement? If you were to test both of the preamps we are talking about here, how would you know what one is less colored?

Zd
"Any opinion that I give is based on actual experience. You can't say the same. And that's not my opinion, that's a fact."

Yet you assert Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites without ever having had a Bryston pre in your system. What is your actual experience to back up that assertion?

"Yet you assert Bryston and Pass preamps are polar opposites without ever having had a Bryston pre in your system. What is your actual experience to back up that assertion?"

I listened to them both.

"without ever having had a Bryston pre in your system."

How would you know that?

I see what you are trying to do here. Don't waste your time. You're not going to win.