Фонокорректоры — Pass Labs XP-17

The XP-17 comes from Pass Labs in California and houses its phono circuit and power supply together in one enclosure. It is an updated successor to the XP-15 and borrows design ideas from the XP-25 and XS Phono. It handles moving magnet, moving iron and moving coil cartridges, and its launch price was USD 4,300.

Key specs that matter

Pass Labs quotes three gain settings - 56, 66 and 76 dB from the balanced outputs. From the RCA outputs the same positions give 50, 60 and 70 dB. There is one phono input, and both XLR balanced and RCA outputs are provided. RIAA accuracy is within 0.1 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Power consumption is 40 W. The case measures 432 mm wide, 305 mm deep and 102 mm high, and the unit weighs 8.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

Pass Labs uses a fully balanced, symmetrical signal path together with a split RIAA equalisation network. A new symmetrical input stage was designed for lower noise and distortion and greater drive capability than the earlier model, and the second stage runs at higher bias with an automatic bias circuit. The internal supply uses a shielded low-noise toroidal transformer, an input filter module and an additional stage of RC filtering. Cartridge matching is done with DIP switches on the rear panel, set separately for each channel. Resistive loading options of 10, 27, 47, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 ohm are placed in parallel with a fixed 47 kOhm input, so combined values range from about 5.66 ohm to about 980 ohm. Capacitive loading starts at a fixed 100 pF, with switchable 100, 220 and 320 pF steps that can be combined for a total of up to 750 pF. The highest gain position is meant for the lowest-output moving coil cartridges, while the lowest suits moving magnet types. Because the switches are duplicated for left and right, both channels must be set to identical values, and each channel offers eight resistor positions and three capacitor positions that can be engaged together.

Pairing

The balanced XLR outputs make most sense when the following preamplifier accepts fully balanced signals, which also gives the full gain figures. Since the XP-17 has a single input, it suits a system with one turntable and one cartridge. Owners who swap cartridges must reach the rear panel to reset the switches, so the unit should sit where its back is accessible. Pass Labs states that the balanced layout keeps noise low.

Alternatives

The Pass Labs XP-25 is a separate phono stage from the brand, and its design concepts were carried into the XP-17.