Audiomax

10/10/2026

A great preamplifier shouldn't call attention to itself. It should make you want to turn up the music.

The Pass Labs XP-22 is built around that simple idea.

With a fully balanced, dual-mono design and a carefully engineered signal path, the XP-22 is designed to preserve the character of your source while giving your power amplifier the clean, controlled signal it deserves.

The result? More space. More texture. More nuance. More music.

The XP-22 features two independent chassis, with the power supply separated from the audio circuitry to help keep unwanted noise away from the signal. Its Class A, discrete circuitry and balanced topology are built for transparency without sacrificing the natural, effortless character that Pass Labs is known for.

And when the recording gets interesting, the XP-22 gets out of the way.

Quiet passages become quieter. Images become more dimensional. Instruments occupy their own space. And suddenly, that familiar album sounds a little less familiar.

That might be the real magic of a great preamplifier.

It doesn't add more to the music. It lets you hear more of what's already there.

02/10/2026

Macchine speciali per veri intenditori

Two SITs. Two very different ways to hear the music.

Plenty of ways to choose an amplifier. More watts. More features. More numbers.
First Watt has always taken a different path.

The SIT-4 and SIT-5 are two amplifiers built around the same unusual Static Induction Transistor technology, yet each takes that idea in a distinctly different direction. And if you love music, both are worth hearing.

The SIT-4 is the purist. A single-ended Class A, Common-Source design using one SIT without negative feedback, it delivers 10 watts into 8 ohms and is designed for efficient, higher-impedance loudspeakers. Its character comes from what makes a low-power amplifier so captivating: detail, warmth, depth, and imaging, with a remarkably direct connection to the music.

The SIT-5 takes the same fundamental SIT concept somewhere else. Its SIT operates in Common-Drain mode, again without negative feedback, giving it lower measured distortion, wider bandwidth and lower output impedance than the SIT-4. Most importantly, it has considerably more muscle: 35 watts into 8 ohms at 1% THD, with the ability to deliver 60 watts into 4 ohms.

So which one is better?

That isn't really the question.

As Nelson Pass explains, the difference isn't simply about power. It's about the relationship between the amplifier, the loudspeaker, and the listener. The SIT-4 can be an especially compelling match for listeners who already appreciate the immediacy of 5- or 10-watt triode amplifiers and efficient speakers. The SIT-5 is the more natural choice when you need greater power for less-efficient or lower-impedance loudspeakers.

And that's precisely why we think music lovers should hear both.

The SIT-4 and SIT-5 offer two interpretations of the same fascinating device, both designed with an unapologetic focus on the listening experience.

Because sometimes the best way to choose an amplifier isn't by reading the numbers.
It's by sitting down, putting on an album you know by heart, and discovering that you weren't listening quite as closely as you thought.

23/09/2026

XP-17 Review

What happens when a phono stage becomes the quiet foundation behind everything you hear from vinyl? In this review, the Pass Labs XP-17 is put through its paces, exploring its ultra-low-noise design, precise RIAA equalization, extensive cartridge loading options, and its ability to reveal the music with remarkable clarity and natural warmth. For anyone serious about analog, it’s a fascinating look at what happens when the smallest signals are treated with uncompromising care.

Full video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNNMmMZV4po

www.Moon-Audio.com

21/09/2026

The XS Phono is an all-out statement: built to extract the most musical truth from the smallest signals in your system. It’s designed for the moments vinyl lovers live for—when the room goes quiet and the soundstage blooms into something you can almost touch.

With a two-chassis architecture and obsessive attention to noise and precision, it delivers a calmer background, richer tone, and a more believable sense of space—so records feel less like playback and more like presence.

The experience is scale and subtlety at the same time: delicate ambience, powerful dynamics, and a remarkable sense of “continuous” music rather than hi-fi artifacts. If your analog front end is your reference source and you want the phono stage to keep pace with the best cartridges and turntables available, the XS Phono is built for that level of commitment.

SPECS AT A GLANCE

Gain options: 56 / 66 / 76 dB
Inputs: 3
RIAA response: ±0.1 dB (20 Hz–20 kHz)
Power consumption: 55 W | Chassis: 2 | Weight: 80 lbs