Pass Labs XP-22

The XP-22 is the quiet power behind a great system—low noise, high resolution, and the kind of transparency that doesn’t feel clinical. It doesn’t add excitement; it reveals it, letting your sources and amplifiers perform at their best.

With a two-chassis layout and a straightforward, performance-first design, the XP-22 delivers a wide, stable soundstage and exceptional low-level detail—so music feels more present and more real.

That separation of duties pays off in calm, black backgrounds and a more effortless sense of space. You’ll hear clearer outlines around images, more believable depth, and a more natural decay of notes—especially on acoustic instruments. If you’re building a truly revealing system and want the preamp to disappear, the XP-22 is designed for exactly that.

Technical Specs:

Overall Gain	9.3dB Balanced
Remote	yes
Inputs	5
Outputs	2
Input Impedance	22K Ohms
Power Consumption	40 watts
Number of chassis	2
Dimensions, Each Chassis	17”W x 12”D x 4”H
Weight (LBS)	40

Awards & Reviews:

Best Preamp – 2024 Gear of the Year Awards (WINNER)
Review futureaudiophile.com – 2024

The Best Preamps Buyer’s Guide – 2023
PartTimeAudio

The Absolute Sound’s 2023 Buyer’s Guide
The Absolute Sound

Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
Stereophile

Summer Guide: Best Preamps – 2022
PartTimeAudio

TAS Editors’ Choice Award – 2022
The Absolute Sound

Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022
Stereophile

PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best preamps – 2021
PartTimeAudio

Stereophile Recommended Components – 2021
Stereophile

Stereophile Recommended Components – 2020
Stereophile

Audio Art “Best Performance of the year” 2020
Audio Art

Stereophile’s Editor’s Choice Award – 2019
Stereophile

Stereophile’s Amplification Product of the Year – 2019
Stereophile

“Nelson Pass’ name is on the front door of Pass Labs and for good reason. He is very possibly the most important amplifier designer to walk the Earth. Here’s something that not every audiophile knows but is true, though: Nelson doesn’t design his namesake preamps. His colleague, Wayne Colburn, is the man behind all things preamplification at Pass Labs. And these Pass Labs preamps are just as lust-worthy as Nelson’s wonderful sounding, often hot-running, Class-A power amps.”
FutureAudiophile.com Review – 2024

“Pass Labs where calm Engineering 101 rules. Should inexplicables arise, they get sorted until everything works. Longevity from reliability is key. Expendables ship out to Hollywood elsewhere in the state. That’s apparent in no-nonsense cosmetics, beefy chassis, external power supplies to increase their footprint and categorical absence of iGen frills. In fact, the iGeneration won’t know what to do with a full tape loop…”
6moons.com Review – 2023

“More importantly, prior to the XP-22’s arrival neither of us had sampled any other dual-box Pass affair. This $9’975 model sits one step above its entry-level single-chassis XP-12 sibling, but the manufacturer’s preamp roster doesn’t end there.”
HiFi Knights Review – 2023

“The Pass Labs XP-22 preamplifier ($9,500 USD) and the XP-27 phono preamplifier ($11,500 USD) currently occupy the middle spots in the company’s line-up, just under the flagship XS models.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best preamps – 2022

“The new XP-22 from Pass Labs is a significant upgrade from the previous model. Based on new semiconductors and a new volume control, the two-chassis XP-22 vaults performance into another league.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best preamps – 2022

“The two-box, solid state, line-level Pass XP-22 provides both balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs and outputs, plus a vestigial tape loop. The XP-22’s volume control—an Avago-sourced encoder that JCA describes as having “good bearings and a nice feel””
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2022

“The XP-22 preamplifier is a two-chassis design, the control module attaching to the identically sized power supply with a 9-pin JAE umbilical cable. The two boxes are stackable, and there are pieces of felt glued to the bottom of the preamp’s four feet to prevent scratching the top surface of the power supply.”
PartTimeAudio Summer Guide: Best preamps – 2021

“The two-box, solid state, line-level Pass XP-22 provides both balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs and outputs, plus a vestigial tape loop.”
Stereophile Recommended Components – 2021

Audio Art magazine #369

“For those who listen with their ears and not their brain, perfectionist hi-fi offers many surprises.”
Stereophile / Jim Austin

Pass Labs XP22, review de Francisco del Pozo
XP-22 Review