I own the XP-20, best preamp I’ve owned. I don’t have an extensive list of A/B’s to other preamps, so I wouldn’t be able to comment on what it lacks. It sounds better than the handful of McIntosh preamps I’ve owned and PS Audio BHK pre that I demoed for a bit.
It’s a very revealing pre. You hear a lot of detail at low volume or high. In my system, everything sounds authentic with it. I’ve pulled it out and ran others, but with the XP, it just sounds organic, balanced in the high/mid/low regions and, well, as I already said, authentic.
It’s a very revealing pre. You hear a lot of detail at low volume or high. In my system, everything sounds authentic with it. I’ve pulled it out and ran others, but with the XP, it just sounds organic, balanced in the high/mid/low regions and, well, as I already said, authentic.