ZD, my point is that well-designed Preamps should sound neutral and not color the sound. Neither the Pass XP series nor the Bryston are known to have this characteristic (as opposed to, say, an older Conrad-Johnson or similar tube pre). No, I'm not saying all SS Preamps sound alike, but good ones shouldn't impart much of their own unique sound. I have direct experience with Pass products myself and I'd be quite surprises if the Bryston preamps had issues.
Why must so many audiophiles magnify the relatively minute differences between high quality, great sounding components?
This article says it in a more eloquent way than I can: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/tested-pass-xp20-preamplifier-and-xa1605-monoblock-power-amplifier/
