PASS LABS XP-32 Three-Piece Modular Preamplifier Owner’s Manual
- June 12, 2024
- PASS LABS
Table of Contents
LABS XP-32 Three-Piece Modular Preamplifier
Owner’s Manual
XP-32 Owner’s Manual
XP-32 Three-Piece Modular Preamplifier
WARNING
Water and moisture: This device should not be used near water ( as per
example, near a bathtub, washbasin, kitchen sink, laundry tub, wet basement or
swimming pool ). Care should be taken such that objects do not have the
opportunity to fall, and that liquid is never spilled onto or into the device
enclosure through openings.
Power Sources: This device must be connected to a mains power source in
strict accordance with the supplied product owners manual. Please verify that
the AC mains voltage specified in the product manual matches those
requirements indicated on the unit and the AC voltage provided to your
location by the power company. The product MUST be connected to a MAINS socket
outlet with a protective earthing connection.
Power Cords: Pass Labs provides a power supply cord that meets all
legislated requirements for the market in which the product was originally
sold. If you choose to substitute an after-market product we urge you to
choose one that is fully safety rated by the necessary local authority.
Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked
on, abraded, or pinched by items placed on or against them, paying particular
attention to cords where they enter plugs or exit from a device. Never under
any circumstance insert a cut or damaged power cord into a mains power
socket. Cables should never be connected / disconnected with equipment powered
up. Failure to heed this warning may damage or destroy equipment.
Ventilation: Power-amplifiers run warm, but you should be able to place
your hands on them without discomfort. You must allow for this heat in
installation, by providing for free air circulation around the product. Leave
a minimum of 6” of space around the amplifier. The ventilation should not be
impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items, such as newspapers,
table-cloths, curtains, etc.
Other Warnings:
No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the
apparatus; This amplifier is suitable for tropical climates under 2000m and
ambient temperatures of 40 degrees C or less.
Servicing: To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock or other
injuries, the user should not attempt to service the device beyond that which
is described in the operating instructions. All other servicing must be
referred to qualified service personnel.
For Units With Externally Accessible Fuse Receptacle: Unplug the device
from all sources of power before changing or inspecting any fuse. Replace
fuse with one of same physical size, type and rating as that specified by the
manufacturer for that product. Country Specific Warnings:
China: For use at altitude 2000m or lower.
Norway: Apparated am tilkoples Jorden stikkontakt.
Sweden: Apparated skill insults till jurat utter.
Finland: Late on Limitable suojakoskettimilla varustettuun pistorasiaan.
Denmark: Apparatus stikprop ska tillites en stikkontakt med fjord, some
giver forbindelse till stikproppens fjord.
Trademarks: “Pass”, “PASS”, “Pass Labs”, “Pass Laboratories”,
Supersymmetry”, “Aleph”, and “Zen” and are all registered trademarks of Pass
Laboratories, Inc., and all rights thereto are protected by law.
Introduction:
Thank you for purchasing the Pass Labs XP-32 line stage, we trust it will
entice you to re-discover your favorite recordings and explore new musical
delights.
At Pass Laboratories we do not change products or offer a new model unless we
believe the changes offer significant improvements over the previous version.
As a result we typically experience products with a seven to eight year
production run.
We are constantly working on and listening to new circuits and components,
increasing our knowledge and seeking better sound and enhanced product
reliability. Over time we find enhancements worthy of putting into production
and
significant enough to warrant a change in design. That time has come for the
XP-32.
The new design uses double shielded low noise toroid’s in a true dual mono
topology for the gain channels and another transformer, linear power supply
dedicated to the control architecture. The use of three fully independent
power- supplies in the control chassis results in dramatically lower radiated
noise and far better THD+Noise figures in the gain stages. Residual circuit
noise becomes paramount at low signal levels. By going to extreme lengths to
lower noise we enjoy better resolution and dynamics in the music.
In the two gain chassis we continue to use our favorite NOS Toshibas but with
larger and higher biased output stages in a topology very similar to that used
in the Pass Labs “Flagship” Xg Preamp
The larger output stages bring practicality to much longer and multiple cable
runs, both balanced and single ended and gives us the advantage of simplifying
our single ended output circuitry while simultaneously increasing performance.
The volume control is a single stage topology, it features greater range,
0.5dB volume steps while being quieter and more dynamic. Overall this makes
for a quieter and more versatile control center for your music system. The
XP-32 measures spectacularly well but more importantly it stands out
sonically.
Thank you for purchasing this preamp. It is my sincere hope that you will
enjoy its sound as much as we do. Pass Labs
Setup:
Please read and understand the operational instructions and safety issues
associated with this product. We go through great effort to make a soundly
engineered and superbly performing product of lasting durability. If you have
any questions we are anxious to assist in addressing them. Do not hesitate to
contact either your dealer or the Pass Labs factory directly. We are here to
support the product and you the end-user. As with all things electrical, the
power cord should be the last item attached to the pre-amp and the very first
cable to be removed anytime you hook-up or remove any equipment from the
signal chain.
The JAE umbilical cable should never be connected or removed without turning
the XP-32 off from the rear panel power switch or by unplugging the AC Power
cord. When installing the circular connector on the JAE umbilical, care must
be exercised to fully seat the connector and bottom the ring nut. The
connectors are keyed and can only go in one way. The larger tab goes to the
top. The ring nut is provided with a conventional right hand thread that
should never require any use of force or tools to connect or disconnect the
cable from either chassis Clockwise rotation of the ring nut to secure the
connector, counter-clockwise rotation to remove.
The gain channels may be placed in proximity of the power supply control unit
(either on top of or underneath) with negligible loss of performance due to
the extensive shielding afforded the power supply. Some separation of the
chassis is however encouraged. The umbilical cables as supplied are 1.5m
(5ft) in length to allow for convenient component placement.
The XP-32 draws roughly 70W of power in operation. The pre-amplifier’s actual
voltage and current rating are indicated on an affixed tag on the rear of the
pre-amplifier. Please verify that the indicated voltage requirements of this
product are consistent with the supplied power at your intended point of use.
We have provided a standard IEC AC power cord that fits into the IEC 320 line
receptacle / switched inlet module at the rear of the amplifier. In addition
to providing for power cord attachment this inlet module additionally
incorporates a power switch and fuse holder. The fuse in all cases will be a
5mm x 20mm non resettable time delay glass fuse.
Proper fuse value is indicated on the back of the amp.
The IEC inlet provides for a safety ground via the AC mains power cord. In
addition to safety this ground is necessary for proper noise rejection. Do not
defeat this ground connection.
Operation:
The XP-32’s front panel controls and display are straight forward and
intuitive. We encourage you to become familiar with their operation prior to
use. On each gain channel there are 5 numbered inputs, one dedicated home
theater input and a tape loop (total of 7 usable inputs) Each of the 7 inputs
accept either single-ended (RCA) or balanced XLR cables.
On each gain channel there are two pairs of outputs associated with volume
controls.
One main output and one slave output (either RCA or XLR). The “slave” output
may be set equal to or less than the “main” output by use of the “small volume
control knob on the gain channels.
Once set both “main” and “slave” outputs track each other through the main
volume control on the control chassis. Having two available and relatively
independent outputs with a single volume control allows for bi-aping using
amplifiers of different gain or drivers of different sensitivity.
The output of the “Tape-loop” is at 0dB (unity gain) output which allows for
convenient recording (independent of and bypassing the volume control).
Balanced inputs and outputs are via XLR connectors. Single-ended input and
outputs are via RCA connections. The XLR connections in all instances conform
to AES/EBU standards, where Pin 1 is grounded , Pin 2 is positive signal and
Pin 3 is inverted signal.
The input from the RCA feeds a summing junction that maximized the patented
supersymmetry (X circuit) and preserves the balanced character of the XP-32
from input to output when fed from a single-ended source.
After all the input and outputs are connected and double checked, you can now
attach the AC power cord and turn the unit on from the rear panel switch
located next to the AC inlet on the rear of the power-supply / control unit.
On the front panel the left-most “MUTE” switch when on silences the output of
the pre-amp, illuminates the associated LED and blanks the volume step numbers
in the alpha-numeric front panel display. Pressing the mute a second time re-
establishes output, extinguishes the associated LED and re-instates the volume
step numbers in the display
The front panel “MODE” switch cycles the front panel display through three
different levels (Bright-Dim-Off) Using any control function of the XP-32 with
the display “off” will momentarily bring the display back up to the dim
setting. The two input selector switches (designated by left and right
pointing arrows) cycle thru the active inputs, 1 through 5. The two additional
inputs (home theater and tape) are selectable only from the hand remote.
Before selecting the home theater pass through (pass thru on the hand remote),
for the first time, it is imperative that the input device on the HT input
have it’s gain set to zero Failure to follow this precaution could result in a
volume level intolerable to both ears and speakers. Selecting home theater
bypass, sets the gain of the pre-amplifier to 0dB (gain of 1x)
When the Pass Thru function is selected volume control of the system is under
control of the device connected to “Pass-Thru” and the XP-32 is essentially
invisible. When Pass-Thru is selected the display will show “PASS THRU” and
the volume will quickly ramp from 000 to 179 in both right and left channels
(each step representing 1/2 dB) Volume step 179 represents the afore mentioned
0dB gain for use with components such as a home theater processor that best
function with their own internal volume controls. (NOTE: you may set any
numbered input to “Unity” (0dB by manually selecting an indicated level of 179
on the XP-32 display
The electronic volume control of the XP-32 allows for 100 dB range in 0.5dB
steps and is driven by a micro controller, reading an optical encoder serving
as the front panel volume control. Assuring precise level steps with an
absolute increment of 0.5 db. This allows for accuracy and channel to channel
tracking that is not available in more traditional volume controls and
preserves high common mode rejection of signal in a true balanced circuit.
Note: You may need to be at step 80 or 100 before you can hear anything
depending on your system.
Don’t be afraid to turn the volume up to 120, 150 etc. The volume control is
an attenuator so the higher up you use it the more of the original signal is
used.
This remote is designed to operate several pieces of Pass Labs electronics,
not all of the functions available on this remote will be applicable to your
Pass Laboratories XP-32.
Power: is not used with the XP-32. This is used on other products and has
no effect on this product.
Mute: pressing mute once will quiet the pre-amplifier outputs; pressing
mute a second time will return you to the previous volume control setting
Input Selection: Pressing. 1,2,3,4,5 will immediately move the input
selection to that input selection; volume and balance settings will not be
disturbed.
Volume: Pressing the increase (^) button or the decrease (v) button will
shift the volume setting 1dB, holding a button down will increase or decrease
the level until such time as you either release pressure on the button or
reach the limits of the volume control.
Balance: Pressing balance left (<) or balance right (>) will increase the
level in the left or right speaker, depending upon which button is pushed.
Tape: Pressing the tape button selects the tape loop and displays INPUT
TAPE t with volume at 000. Push tape again get you out of tape mode.
Pass Thru: Pushing this button twice, sets the pre-amplifier to volume
step 179 (0 dB) and input “Pass thru”. As an added precaution when “pass
through” is selected the volume ramps upto 179. This is to prevent nasty
surprises when “pass thru” is selected accidentally. The ramp up sequence can
be stopped at any time by hitting any button on the remote. The button must be
pressed again to exit “Pass Thru” and unlock the other command selections.
Display: The default setting for the display is “bright”, pressing the
display button once changes the display to its “dim” or “low intensity”
setting, pressing the button a second time selects “off” for the display. When
“off” is selected any other control function will cause the display to
indicate product operational status for approximately 7 seconds and then the
display will once again blank. Pressing the display button a third time cycles
back to a “bright display”
Ext amp on: Selection of “Ext Amp On” applies 12Vdc to a two conductor
3.5mm TS (tip-sleeve) connector on the rear of the XP-32 control chassis. This
is intended to supply a trigger voltage that will turn on associated equipment
such as power amps. As per convention + voltage is applied to the tip contact
and – voltage is applied to the sleeve contract. Check the owners manual of
your pre-amp to see if this function in compatible.
Maintenance:
Leave it on or turn it off : The product is designed to be left on all
the time. The exception to this might be a case where the preamp will not be
used for an extended time – in that case it can be turn off.
Cleaning: The finish can be damaged by harsh cleaners and abrasive
cloths. We find a damp soft cloth works best. You can also use a mild solution
of Windex or white vinegar but be careful to avoid the acrylic window. The
acrylic window should only be cleaned using “plastic cleaner & polish”.
Remote batteries: The two AAA batteries should be replaced every six
months at least. The batteries are located under the remote back. This is held
in place with four 4-40 Philips flat head screws. Please note the polarity of
the batteries, putting them in wrong could cause damage.
Replacing the fuse: The fuse should only be replace with the same type
and size as indicated on the rear. Audio Specialty FUSE: NOTE: The “Overload”
and “Time Delay characteristics” will differ slightly (due to the different
metallurgy of the fuse elements) between commercial grade and audio grade
fuses. We can’t guarantee that your audiophile grade fuse, won’t blow at a
different in-rush current threshold, than your stock commercial fuse. Use of
other than approved fuses, may invalidate your product warranty and result in
product damage.
How to replace the fuse:
XP-32 Specs:
Power consumption: | 70 watts |
---|---|
Gain: | 9.6dB Balanced |
Output Impedance: | 25 Ohms RCA, 50 Ohms XLR |
Input | 22K |
Impedance: | Ohms |
Frequency response: | +/- 0.05 dB 10Hz to 20KHz, -2dB @ 150KHz |
Crosstalk | > 110dB |
Residual Noise | 500nV RMS, SN -150dB ref max out |
THD | < 0.001 @ 1V 1Khz |
Dimensions: | 17”w x 12.5”d x 4”h times three |
Weight: | 62.5 lbs |
Warranty Information
We go through great effort to make a soundly engineered, and superbly
performing product of lasting durability. But we also understand that things
infrequently go wrong, if you have any questions or problems please contact
either your dealer or the factory, we are here to support the product and
you, the user.
All Pass Laboratories products purchased new from an authorized Pass
Laboratories dealer in North America are covered by a transferable, limited
3-year warranty.
This warranty includes all parts and labor charges incurred at the factory or
factory specified repair facility, exclusive of any subsequent or
consequential damages.
Damage due to physical abuse is specifically excluded under this warranty.
For this warranty to apply the customer is responsible for returning the
product unmodified to the factory within the specified warranty period. The
customer assumes all responsibility for shipping and insurance to and from the
factory or a factory specified repair facility. The conditions and
stipulations of this Pass Laboratories warranty only applies to units
originally sold new through an authorized dealer. Warranty on factory repair
is 60 days and covers only the scope of the original repair.
Non-North America customers should consult with their original Pass Labs
dealer or distributor for warranty repair instruction prior to contacting the
factory or shipping product to the factory for repair.
Non-North American product must be returned to the country of origin for
warranty service. Foreign distributors are only required to offer warranty
service on Pass Laboratories product that they have imported, verifiable by
serial number.
Please note: Conditions of warranty service and customer rights for product
purchased outside the United States may vary depending upon the distributor
and local laws. Please check with your local distributor for specific rights
and details.
Any modifications to Pass Laboratories products that have not received written
factory approval nullify all claims and void all provisions of the warranty
and liability by the maker or authorized distributor. Should a modified
product be returned to the factory for repair the owner will be required to
pay all necessary charges for the repair in addition to those charges required
to return the product to it’s original configuration.
In the case of safety issues, no product shall be returned to the customer
without those safety issues being corrected to the most recent accepted
standards. Removal or alteration of original Pass Labs serial numbers voids
the factory warranty. Product with altered or missing serial numbers will be
suspect as counterfeit or stolen product.
Pass Laboratories will not repair or in any way indemnify any counterfeit or
cloned product. Pass Laboratories does not offer products in voltages intended
for international markets either to authorized Pass Labs dealers or to third
parties located in the United States or Canada.
Pass Laboratories Inc.,
13395 New Airport Rd.,
Suite G, Auburn, CA 95602
530.878.5350
passlabs.com