The more casual your sampling methods the more of a difference a given box will make.
The more advance and defined your sampling methods the less of a differnce a box makes, except with certain older more distinct units (like SP's EPS's etc).
With those older distinct units it becomes more of a how to make it sound like that boxes limited capabilities.
Either shape the drum tone before it goes to the XL, while in the XL w/EB or shape it coming out.
If you ask me the biggest difference in the XL and 3K comings from the way they take an input or output a signal.
You can hit the 3K inoput differently than what you can hit a 3K, and the output level on the Xl really needs to be matched up to the next divce in your path, unless you use the Digital out.
If you used something like the MPCeditor to create a bank for the XL and the same bank for the 3K and played them back on units with their output paths calibrated to give the same levels, you might be surprised and how little a difference you hear.
