XLH SL-11XS preamplifier

Main Impressions
 

Several things came through loud and clear during my listening sessions:

1)  The XLH SL-11XS Preamp and the M2000 amp combo were designed to be dynamic. When I say dynamic, I mean DYNAMIC! I’ll restate what I said about the M2000 by itself. If your hot button is to reproduce the dynamics and impact of live music, the XLH combo must be on your short list.

2)  The XLH SL-11XS was meant to be synergistic with the M2000. Together they create a wide soundstage that has a neutral perspective and tons of detail.

3)  The SL-11XS is a very good preamp in its own right. If I had just received the earlier production unit I would have had some reservations. Its excellent focus and detail were offset by a sound that seemed to be recessed in a shrunken soundstage and not as transparent as I would expect. The adjustments made by XLH in the later production unit (whatever they were) address this problem. The modified unit was not as focused as the earlier unit, but more realistic and enjoyable to listen to. If XLH could make another adjustment that keeps the wide soundstage and neutral perspective but reinstates the focus of the earlier unit without creating a recessed sound, you’d really get a lot of preamp for your money.

4)  It probably does not need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway. The SL-11XS has no trace of glare or metallic hardness. The presentation is transparent (more so on the later production unit). Build quality is very good. XLH has clearly taken to heart the need for solidity in a preamp that is paired with an amp that has the explosiveness of the M2000. My experience has convinced me that heavy, mass-loaded components sound better than lightweight components when music is played at concert levels. I am convinced that the mass of the SL-11XS, which weighs in at 37 very solid pounds, contributes to the very clean sound you hear when playing at high volumes.
 

The Average, the Downside and Some Comparisons

The main aspect of the XL-11XS’s performance that was “only” better than average (not superior) was that it is not as quiet as a few reference-level preamps I’ve heard. Those of you who have read some of my prior reviews will recall that I am a fanatic for dead silent black backgrounds. It’s one of the reasons I’m not a tube aficionado – background noise that doesn’t bother others drives me nuts. (The M2000 monos are very quiet amps, especially considering what monsters they are.) The SL-11XS is by no means noisy. Most people would probably not notice at all. However, if you compare the SL-11XS to the Sphinx Project Eight Reference preamp, the Levinson 380S or the Ayre K-1x, you will hear what I mean. Now, all of these preamps are significantly more expensive than the XLH SL-11XS (some are more than twice as expensive), so I’m probably not being very fair by making this comparison. However, this should give you a perspective on this aspect of the SL-11XS.

One downside is something I noted previously. The SL-11XS only has RCA inputs. This is not a problem in the vast majority of systems. However, if you have a system that sounds best through its balanced outputs, you risk losing some of the performance you paid for. I would be interested in hearing XLH’s comments on this. The SL-11XS’s minimalist approach obviously enables XLH to give you great bang for the buck, and adding a balanced input might just add too much cost for the price range.

Finally, the SL-11XS has plenty of gain. However, it almost seems to have too much when paired with the M2000 monos. The 9:00 position on the volume dials was already quite loud, and turning the dials past the 11:00 position was insane (although it was also quite cool to have Steve Ray Vaughn playing in my listening room).

The Tech Details

Sometimes I fail to focus on technical data, but it is almost always important to look at such data to be sure that you have a good match with your other components. I’m not a tech guy, so I’m not qualified to say anything about how the SL-11XS' specs relate to performance. The standard wisdom is that a preamp should have high input impedance and low output impedance. All I can say is that there was no indication that either my front end or the amps I used experienced any strain or difficulty when the XL-11XS was inserted into the system.

Let’s Conclude

The SL-11XS is a very nice minimalist preamp that is an excellent match to the XLH M2000 monoblocks. It is also a very good preamp in its own right, especially if you have a single-ended front end. At $5,000, it falls right into a highly competitive price range for higher-end preamps, and you normally need to spend more to get something significantly better. I’m very impressed by XLH’s first products for the US and thank Ping Gong of AAA Audio for letting me audition them. They exhibit great build and attractive design concepts. I look forward to what’s next.