Curl or Pass


Am looking to upgrade my phono preamp.  Interested in the Pass Labs XP-15 and the Parasound JC3+.

Any opinions as to which is better?

Both about the same price used, about $2,300.

I have a Well Tempered Reference TT with a rebuilt Lyra Clavis, very low output MC.
dougthebiker
The @georgehifi post is a perfect example. George loves the Tom Evans phono stages because he "Has models that have big gain so you only need a passive pre to go with them" and George sells Passive preamps.
You are blind to what I said. It then saves the owner then paying $$$$ for a useless line stage preamp.
I’m not telling him to purchase a Lightspeed, a simple $49 Schiit Sys passive would then do, get off your "active preamp pedestal".
@georgehifi“You are blind to what I said. It then saves the owner then paying $$$$ for a useless line stage preamp.
I’m not telling him to purchase a Lightspeed, a simple $49 Schiit Sys passive would then do, get off your "active preamp pedestal".”

And your response here makes you the perfect example. Instead of being responsive to the question from the OP, you just want to campaign your agenda, and when you get called on it you just continue to campaign your agenda, and try to misinform regarding my agenda or pedestal. 

By the way, I am on the “Please try and give a responsive answer to the OP pedestal”

Have a great day!
And your response here makes you the perfect example.
That’s right, I didn’t start this, I was being responsive to your bs abuse you tried to put on me and my product, even though it wasn’t mentioned originally by me.


dougthebiker : I was steering you to a very very good Phono stage in the Tom Evans range, that have so much gain there is no need for an active pre, a passive will do, and the money saved on not buying an active pre can maybe put toward Tom Evans flagship phono stage.

Nelson Pass:

“We’ve got lots of gain in our electronics. More source gain than some of us need or want. At least 10 db more.

Think of it this way: If you are running your volume control down around 9 o’clock, you are actually throwing away source signal level so that a subsequent active preamp gain stage can make it back up."

With added noise and distortions.

Nelson Pass:

"Routinely DIYers opt to make themselves a “passive preamp” - just an input selector and a volume control.

What could be better? Hardly any noise or distortion added by these simple passive parts. No feedback, no worrying about what type of capacitors – just musical perfection.

And yet there are guys out there who don’t care for the result. “It sucks the life out of the music”, is a commonly heard refrain (really - I’m being serious here!). Maybe they are reacting psychologically to the need to turn the volume control up compared to an active preamp.”

Cheers George