It has been confirmed that the 3510 I reviewed was one of the first 3 amps to leave the factory. Unfortunately, two of them were biased incorrectly. I had one of the incorrect biased amps in for review. That is what was responsible for the harder sound I experienced. After recently spending time with a correctly biased 3510, I can confirm that the hardness I experienced was gone. It sounded much like the 2510 but with a more muscular presentation and better ability to resolve details and drive speakers 😊
Ouch, that is an extraordinary faux pas by Exposure and does not promote confidence in the brand. That two out of the first three amps released, effectively were not performing to specification is quite horrendous. How did you learn that the amplifier you reviewed was incorrectly biased?
@@MaxZappa1 yes, I had one that was incorrectly biased. It happens more often with brands than most people realise. Especially, when a new product is released 😊
One of the few audio equipment reviewers that i can take his reviews into serious consideration. From what I hear in my own audio testing and experimenting there is not a single time that his presentation was misleading for me by any mean. Truly educational and helpful content. His mind is analytical, neutral and composed just like his music taste I suspect... Congratulations !!🙂
Probably the best review I've seen. Very concise, honest and educational. Also nice production quality while still having that homespun and relaxing feel. Very nice!
I like the dives under the hood as well. I am always skeptical about reviewers who claim it does not matter what is there, as long as it sounds good. The problem is that as with food: Rubbish in = Rubbish out
Tarun, your reviews are nothing less than a breath of fresh air; an audio reviewer for the adults in the room. You're very precise and articulate in your analyses and you manage to avoid the all too typical audiophile background noise. One request: It would, I think, be helpful if you would let us know the types of music you use to evaluate equipment. I, for example, listen almost exclusively to classical music which is a genre totally alien to virtually all of the major YT reviewers. That Metallica sounds great doesn't imply the LSO will as well.
Thank you ED. Very kind of you to say. I have a bunch of tracks that are selected to highlight certain traits. That way I can be consistent in my reviews 😊👍👍
I can totally relate to that comment, as a musician or as a natural-Instruments listener. Just last weekend we're testing 2 Tsakiridis Apollon tube monoblocks with a friend, and some of our tests were with original Living stereo LPs from the 1960s. The magnitude of sound in those recordings is unmatchable.. the way they test to the limits each speaker and system.. We're testing a pair of small B&W Nautilus versus a pair of big IMF 50s.. Then we proceeded with some more modern productions from acoustic/electric blues to trip-hop and it's then where you can start making some estimations on your machines. To close this long comment, I'll underline the same comment: music reference is hugely important to the listener, the reviewer or the viewer/reader.
Tarun, your ability to verbalize the audio performance of equipment is unsurpassed. The comparisons give me an expectation of the performance to price against other equipment. But as always, a top notch review.
Thank you, Tarun for the honest review of the tone of this amp. This really helps to be able to narrow down a sound to match with other equipment. I'm looking at the 2510 as my amp of choice.
Top notch review as always. Was not expecting this one to lean towards the cooler side of neutral but clearly a strong performer. Would love to see you eventually get your hands on say a Naim Supernait 3 and hear your findings.
I the early 90s I purchased a Rega Elicit for £1700. It was the beating heart of my audio system for almost 30 trouble free years. It is still in production today. Retails for around £1600 and comes with a remote, which my earlier version, doesn’t. 2 years ago, I took it to my local dealer to have them send it back to Rega to be refurbished. When I went to pick it up a couple of weeks later, the dealer talked me into auditioning it’s new big brother, the £3000 Rega Aethos. I also asked them to incorporate into the blind audition, the flagship £6000 Rega Osiris.I provided a selection of CDs for the occasion. When the first track started, ‘Peter Gabriel’s Red Red Rain’ from the album ‘So’, on amp 1, I knew with in a matter of seconds I was unquestionably listening to my trusty Elicit. Listening to a couple more tracks only served to confirm my initial decision. Then amp 2 was introduced into the equation. Now, I was confused. This sounded like my Elicit. With some highly attentive listening, I did notice a slightly tighter bass, and touch more airy top end. When the third amp was introduced, the characteristics were the same, but the reproduction was more ‘clinical’. Not to my listening preference! I correctly deduced that amp 1 was indeed my Elicit. Followed by the Aethos then the Osiris. The assistant then swapped the speakers for the more difficult to drive and power hungry ATC SCM40. They did slightly more exaggerate the differences in the amps. My conclusion, which the dealer backed was that my Elicit held it’s own against it’s bigger sibling at twice the price and the flagship at 4 times the price! I walked of the store having spent a worthwhile £165 on the service of my Elicit and having reasoned an £1500 or £4500 upgrade unnecessary. I have subsequently upgraded my Elicit to a preamp monoblocks combo. But, my Elicit still sits proudly in my rack, ready for action if required. So, in my opinion and experience, the Rega sound is still recognisable after 30 years.
Another insightful review. Thank you. I am a proponent of manufacturers having a reasonably consistent house sound. My reasoning is, if you start out with an entry level product and enjoy the sound you would most likely consider moving up the product range and with luck the basic sound would remain the same but with greater detail and other improvements. It better manages the consumer's expectations. It also makes sense to keep a customer you already have. Thank you again for a well thought out review.
I completely agree regarding the KISS design principle. I was made aware of this back in the 1970's when studying for OND and HND engineering. The electrical and electronic engineering lecturer was Mr Don Streatfield, who designed the guidance system for the TSR2. He also told us about Sod's law when applied to electronic engineering. Sod's law says that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Also when fault finding you will discover that the faulty component will be the most difficult to remove and will be the most expensive and difficult to obtain. Over the years I have designed and built several pre and power amplifiers which seem to prove that Sod's law is correct. Now if everything is working perfectly for ages, you instinctively suspect that something must be wrong or is about to go wrong. Lastly any fault you assume will be easy to find will always be difficult to find. I swear blind if I ever meet Mr Sod he will receive the rough edge of my tongue.
Thank you, Tarun, for another interesting review. And as always, your comparisons are always most useful. Wish more reviewers would do so. I appreciate when a manufacturer has a house sound. Seems to me that said manufacturer is stating their vision.
Thank you. I agree. I suppose that if they pursue a different sound the product line should at least have a totally different industrial design to make it distinguishable 😊👍
Happy Holi (if you read this today). I think a house sound is good so I know what I’m getting into, but equally some variation is good because it could be an improvement on what I’m already happy with. Luckily for us, we have you to guide us about the difference sounds within the brand. This was a great question which left me scratching my head all week.
Great review Tarun. Please don't change your approach or format. This is perfect. P.S. looking forward to you maybe reviewing active version of ATC's SCM40 and comparing it to active and passive 19s. You seemed to hint at that in your conversation with Ben Lilly :).
Thank you Tarun, you are God sent!! What a review... It has comparisons, real life experience and insight. Plus, it happens to be the right medicine for my situation. I hope it resolves many other friends' mind boggling questions too. I am sure Exposure 3510 IS the better amplifier amongst the two, none of us doubts that. It all comes down to individual situation; preferences, tastes and goals. In my case, for an intimate close distance, late night listening with my "Proac" Tablet 10 Signatures 2510 is the right choice. This takes us right to the House Sound issue. I see it as an invaluable tool to navigate through my road map which without it I would make the same trip at least twice at best, or countless times God forbid...
Hi Tarun…. Congratulations on another engaging review. Being a long-time Exposure romantic and owner (1993 Farlowe XI/XII and 2 Super VIII’s), I’ve been super curious about the new line-ups. I, too, am a bit disappointed by the new look of the 3510 series, preferring the absolute minimalist/functionalist aesthetic that dates back to the brands beginnings. I’m happy to know that the commitment to improved SQ remains, though, despite achieving ‘class defining’ performance, a little disappointed the sonic presentation has shifted a bit (again, that retro-romantic thing kicking in)…. I’ll admit to wishing you’d uttered the words ’classic Exposure magic, just more of it…’ I hope you get a chance to review the 3510 separates, and really (REALLY!!) hope for a review of the 5010 series. Thanks again for this long awaited, terrific-as-always review!! Warmest regards from Puerto Rico….
Hi tarun, a very good review, the exposure seems to be very good piece of kit, never owned any exposure equipment myself but many people seem to love the brand, including you, looking forward to seeing another review soon.
Accurate review Tarun. I auditioned the amplifier yesterday and love its PRAT presentation. It is forward and on the cooler side, but like anything in audio a partnering sources and speakers can give it a musical sound. It will be nice to know how the latest revision of Atoll IN200 Signature compares to the 3510 in terms of PRAT, clarity and details.
Wow…very interesting. Sometimes I’ve found that a house sound is great for a range of products, but it can quickly turn into diminishing returns buying further up the range. In a way, I’m happy to hear that Exposure had not gone this route with these new products. I’ve just picked up the Kinki Studio EX-M1, hoping you’ll get a chance to take a listen to this, too. Very neutral, extremely dynamic.
What amp or integrated were you running before the ex-m1? I've short-listed this amp along with a few others from Yamaha, technics, Hegel, musical fidelity to name a few. I'm option overloaded but want to up my amp game next. I'm just inexperienced. I'm not even sure I've ever heard a neutral amp!
Your description of the character of the 3510 sounds very similar to my Kenwood KA-7100. Slightly cool, great bass, excellent pace, upper mids can get a little harsh when driven hard. But the sound stage is very deep and very wide and it has amazing detail and texture. So I guess I am keeping my KA-7100.....for now. Thanks for the excellent review.
I’ve not owned but been exposed to an Onkyo integrated amp. It was clean sounding, a bit cooler than neutral and had a bit forward character. More suited to an initial enthusiast. He graduated to a McIntosh later. He was so inclined. I can’t say much, I started my journey with Phase Linear. What a dreadful mistake that was. We live and learn. Good video and better descriptions too! Cheers Tarun! Stay safe my mates!😊👍🏻😁
Tarun, thanks so much for the review. I read somewhere but haven't been able to find much information about it, that the 3010 and 3510 use active preamp section as opposed to the passive preamp section of the 2010 and 2510. The view of that massive preamp board in your technical insights section seems to confirm it. I think this could contribute to the soundstage issues you discussed regarding the 3510, and in my experience passive preamplification provides the best soundstage, provided that the speakers and amplifier can handle it. Active preamplification does seem to push the soundstage forward. It's a nice option to have which is why I am so happy with my Schiit Freya S preamp. I've no doubt the 3510 could be fantastic in this regard, but I wonder how it would perform using the AV bypass with a different preamp (well, you'd almost certainly be better off getting the 3010 power amplifier that still seems to be available from retailers). With that said, I don't own any Exposure gear, but your glowing reviews of them have me searching out used 2010 models, and I think I am likely to settle on the 2010S2D to play around with using the bypass with my Schiit Freya S..
Thank you Aaron. I suspect you are right. The passive Vs active preamp and the additional set of transistors probably account for the sonic differences 👍
Tarun, On the house sound question, I appreciate the predictability of a manufacturer "House Sound". In my case it's Yamaha. Owner of a Yamaha R-700 purchased new in 1981 due to the the midrange and top end tone that a friends CR-2020 and the other Yamaha integrated amps that I was able to listen at that time seemed to have relative to other brands. 40 years later~ I went Yamaha again - A-S2200 - on the basis of the Yamaha tendancy towards neutral to light bass and more pronounced mid and upper range tone all adjustments set to flat. I very much appreciate the quality of your no BS reviews and the technical competence that tempers your opinions and comments. I especially liked the relative tone scale in this review using Hegel ,Yamaha and other products as familiar and meaningful reference points.
Hi Tarun, I am late to the table as usually. But I would like to comment on your question. I think there is nothing against audio that bring out different sound flavors (let's call it like that). But one way to go about it could be to create different families of products within the same brand. Each family would then be consistent in it's sound characteristic.
I've had a few Bose lifestyle systems in my life and I decided to upgrade the Speakers for my Av48 5.1 system and enhanced with a Bose cinemate series ii. For a 7.2 bose lifestyle system. I found that the Loewe Concertos have incredible detail over the American versions. I'm hearing new stuff in songs I've listened to for over 30 years. Simply incredible sound and I'm glad I took a chance and bought a pair from the 🇬🇧. I had never heard of Loewe before this
I would suggest that a "House Sound" is completely acceptable if you happen to like the kind of sound that the manufacturer provide. I loved the sound of domestic components in the late 1960's & 1970's ... Nothing wrong with that? However, when I worked in various studios in the 1970's ... I quickly learned that there is a monumental difference between "House Sound" and "accurate" reproduction. Accurate reproduction of source material would involve a huge investment in hardware and acoustic treatment ... and will not sound great (at "reasonable" volume levels!) Therefore ... House sound is a great thing for most of us! (many companies such as Rega, et al, understand this.
Interesting. Very honest review as always. I've not heard any Exposure amps, despite owning the very impressive CD2010 player. Having participated on a few forums for nearly 2 decades, older Exposure amps were deemed by those who've demoed the brand as a little on the brash side compared to some price-related brands. But this hobby is darned objective it's hard to draw any conclusions without any personal experience. As a big vinyl collector, a lack of a built-in stage has chocked me off the brand's amps. At around 2.5k I would expect a decent phono stage, but that's my record bias kicking in (and screaming)😊. For me, and based purely on Taran's reviews, the 2510 is the better compromise....for me. As whether companies should have a 'house or common sound' is one aspect I rarely think about - I judge all amps on their own individual merits.
Hi Tarun, last week I bought the predecessor Exposure 3010 S2D and apparently it is sonically very close to the new 3510. I was aiming for the 2510 but this one was on offer for a very attractive price. Expecting the warm sound of the 2510 I bought it. I was having doubts when listening to my KEF LS 3/5A (from the nineties) in the shop noticing a forwardness I did not expect but I thought maybe it was the listening room and it should be better at home. Now I regret buying it because I would have preferred a warmer, less forward sound over the LS 3/5A's. Needless to say that I would prefer if amplifier manufacturers would stick to their house sound. However I do like the dynamics and authority and grip in the low register of this amp. Even though the upper mid are fatiguing after some time these former aspects are comforting and the control gives ease on the ear nevertheless. Now I am considering to buy new speakers which are a good match for the 3010S2D or I will sell it again. Any suggestions are welcome. How about Magnepan LRS? I generally prefer smaller speakers though...
Very interesting. If the 3020 S2D is tonally similar to the 3510 (it should be as it is essentially the same design) then I suspect you are struggling with the upper midrange prominence the amp has. It can be fatiguing with certain partnering equipment and recordings. It will be tricky to correct it with speakers. I would suggest you audition the 2510. If you prefer it (I think you probably will) I would sell the 3020 S2D and buy the 2510. It may cost you some money but you will just have to notch it up to experience 😊
I've used Exposure 2010s2 for five years and was OK with it, I like the detail and the airness of it, but when I tried Exposure 3010s2 I was blown away by how better the bass is. The depth is control is on whole other level compared to Exposure 2010s2. I guess the same holds for the never models as well, namely Exposure 2150 vs Exposure 3150 as confirmed by the reviewer.
Hi Tarun Thanks for another great review. I particularly like the way you define a certain type of sound a device can make. A friend of mine listened to Jazz music through a couple of old leak valve amps and some old imf monitor speakers. It sounded to me like someone had put a woolly jumper over the speakers. He loved it. Vive la difference
Tarun. Thanks for your channel. I very much value the descriptions of your listening experience. Those descriptions have added to mine as well. . In the past I have had Proac tablets with Rega electronics. Around 12 years ago I purchased a Naim Uniti and Dynaudio Focus 220 11 for around $7000. The cd and display are no longer working on the Naim. I purchased a Audiolab 6000CDT and a Schiit Modi 3+ dac. The dac has brought a greater presence to my listening. I am planning on replacing the Naim and I wonder what you might recommend. My room is a moderate loft space with a fair amount of soft furniture. I listen to classical and jazz. Thanks again.
Another in depth review with easy to understand sound vocabulary. Bravo. I'm intrigued by an Australian company called: March, based on Purifi products. The Sointuva bookshelf speakers and class d amplifiers look like sleepers to me. I'm sure you're barraged with suggestions, but I'd really like to see what you think, open spot on the calendar and logistics willing.
Great work Tarun. Yes I'm right with you with this, the Exposure amps are something special. I live in Australia and they are pretty much unheard of here. Such a shame. They are sold here but only maybe 2 dealers country wide. I run two units myself, a 2010S2 hooked up to some PMC Tb2+'s (great combination!) and a Classic XXVIII dual mono power amp, ME25 pre-amp (Australian) running into Harbeth SHL5P XD's. Both are magical combinations, great balance of slight warmth but good detail. You have me interested in the 3510 now after watching this, it sounds similar to the old 3010. I too thought it was just slightly on the brighter side of neutral. I think as far as midrange and vocals go, the 2010/2510 series are something magical and hard to beat. Get a nice female vocal playing and is maple syrup to the ears. The 3010/3510 is amazing at dynamics but IMO can't match it's little brother in midrange. There is also the 5010 pre-power combo which I am yet to hear. Another whisper I've heard is that Exposure and planning a model above the 5010, a 'reference' model. Not sure what form is planned, integrated, pre-power or both. Cheers mate.
Hi Tarun, firstly thanks for all your doing with this channel your insights are fantastic and I enjoy every video. I am new to this hobby and recently purchased the exposure 3510, monitor audio 200 silver floor standers and the new node, overall the sound is nothing short of amazing. I’m looking to purchase a dac for this setup, would you say the Chord Qutest would be a bad choice or should I look at a warmer dac like the denafrips?
Thank you Michael. That is very kind. Both are great choices. It comes down to preference. The Qutest may have a bit more detail but the Ares II has a richer sound 😊
Nicely done…I appreciate brands offering variety and the ability to “pick and choose” matching electronics. I just got a pair of D2rs and a new integrated is the next step. This one might not be the fit I would like based on your review. Sugden, Hegel, and Audio Hungary are on my short list. Cheers!
I know I'm getting boring but again great video Tarun. Very considered comments can't say I've heard these particular amplifiers to have an opinion. In regards to the question, you pose I like the fact that we have lots of different flavors and I don't agree a particular maker should have a house sound. It just keeps things interesting. I currently have a Gryphon Diablo 300 and I've heard pretty much everything in their line up and they are different presentations that's one of the things l like about the maker.🙂🎧👍
Thank you Shane. It is an interesting debate. I am of the view that it is useful to have a house sound within a product Iine to allow people to upgrade with confidence. However, manufacturers could pursue different product lines with clearly distinguishable industrial design to keep things interesting and appeal to different consumers . That the great thing about this hobby, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to equipment or opinions for that matter 😊👍
@A British Audiophile Absolutely Tarun that is a good point. I guess I was approaching it along the lines of being excited about a new product from a favourite maker and the excitement of what it might sound like. But you're right to have some expectations would also point you in the right direction in regards to your choices.
Different sounds for a brand is perfectly fine. But perhaps sounds should be similar within a product series. BTW: Loving the finger tonality scale, it's really informative.
As always you put this simple and easy to follow. Thank you very good review. I mention this because I am considering this VS the rega elicit-r please feel free to chime in. I mentioned also looking at the McIntosh 8950 but right now at 9k that will hold off
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for the feedback. Due to inventory as I mentioned on this before I was also looking at a McIntosh 7200 I have ordered what I hope to be an endgame amp for the next 5-7 years. It will be here next week. I ordered the Rega Aethos. I have never done a review but I just may let the hi-fi arena know how it differs from what I have.
Thank you Tarun, I own the yamaha as 1200 paired with evo 4.4 as usual, your reviews are very accurate and reflect the small but significant details, always fun to see what happens under the hood of different manufacturers, already waiting for the next review
Amazing channel and honest thorough review. Given the high marks of the 2510 I was curious about the 3510-2510 comparison to your ears. Now that I know, I wonder how would the Cayin CS-55A or CS-88A compare to the 2510, improving over the Willsinton previously reviewed.
I guess Exposure amps and I would agree. Natural with a "hint" of warmth,, 🥰. I will give them some time visiting a hi-fi messe in the future. Excellent reveiw my friend. Cheers and have the best of weekends,, 🍻😎👍
In a perfect world we could hear every piece of equipment in our listening space with the rest of our system, and design teams could disregard their company's "house sound," but in the real world I think it's a helpful starting point to know from previous experience that Company X does or does not warrant my consideration.
Interesting!:-) In my opinion a manufacturer, should have a house sound, OR it would be highly appreciated if they could describe the sound for each individual component. What their goals and thinking, and the result was. Thanks, Tarun, for another great review!:-)
Great review, thanks for that. You review quit a lot of British audio like Exposure, Sudgen and the likes. I was wondering if you would consider taking up,a review of the new Creek amplifiers as a comparison to the former mentioned. Would be nice to see a sort of “battle of the British” on the amplifier front.
Bought the 3510 stereo power amplifier last week and running it in. It's connected to a 60W(at 4Ohm) tube amp Taga Harmony TTA-1000 and Sonus Faber Sonetto III floorstanders.
Hi Tarun, another excellent and very relatable review - what a delight to listen to your experience with this amplifier. I'm delighted to hear that Exposure continues to make exceptionally musical amplifiers, the same reason we both own them and still derive immense pleasure from listening to them, long after they were made. My VIII-XI-XII must be 34-35 years old now and has never sounded better. Re: the question about house sound - I don't expect house sound - I expect (prefer) the most honest, lifelike, musical untainted performance - and that the manufacturer strive to achieve this in all the parameters we perceive - dynamics, resolution, detail, extension low and high, timbre, grip and drive - well - the closer you are to an original performance than to a coloured, caricatured facsimile - then the manufacturer is on the right track in my book. All the best my friend - your channel is defining the genre, excellent quality content. Thank you so much! Rob in Switzerland
Hi, I enjoyed your video review very much. Do you have any experience with Naim Supernait 2 ? Just wondering how is the sound of 3510 compared to SN2. Hope you could enlighten me a little, thank you very much in advance.
I had a Supernait 3 and i compared it with the Exposure 3510. I decided in favor of the 3510. The Exposure has more musicality. Basically, the resolution is more present. However, it should be said that the SN3 is not a major update to the SN2. All in all, the Exposure is simply more mature in sound and tone quality. I hope my contribution helps you
Just purchased the Exposure 3510 Integrated (should be arriving in a week or two). I have a Linn-based configuration (LP12, Ittok LVIII {ZYX Yatra Cartridge}, Lingo, along with a pair of Linn Kaber speakers). Cambridge Audio Azur for CD Playback. Looking forward with great anticipation!!!
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Tarun, only Linn Cables? What would Ivor have thought (I had a chance to meet him personally many, many years ago. This could be a conversation unto itself, but, if I had to bottom-line my description of Ivor, it would be: Cynical, Sarcastic; a Revolutionary, a Genius)?
Excellent review as always. Did I sopt some Elna silmic's in there? Agree the facia is ruined with that cd bevel. When was the last time you had your exposure pre/power amps recapped? As with other comments the Naim supernait 3 would be an interesting comparison ..even if Naim have lost their way a little bit IMHO. Keep up the great work
Hi Tarun…as always …great review…I am thinking this amp is not for me…After your last video, I mentioned that I went down a $6K Chi-Fi 🐇 🕳 trying to replace my 45-year old Bob Carver C-500 Power Amp (yes…with the original capacitors) with a "more modern" sound. You saved my sanity when you recently reviewed The Denafrips combo and your description there confirmed my awarenesses of my new gear (Denafrips Athena & Kinki EX-B7 Mono Blocs). The power output was the same as my Carver, w/Schiit Freya+ Preamp with NOS tubes. There was no contest, "for me". New gear tight powerful bass, but thin in the midrange and unbalanced from high to low frequencies..which created a lacking sound stage. My Carver sounded waaaaay better! 🤔… so..I am taking a beating of well over $1K selling off that gear…but still having enthusiasm to best my Carver I found a new McIntosh MC152 power amp on someone's shelf(4-month wait everywhere). I went 180° in the other direction from my 🐇🕳, and OMG! …PAY DIRT!. Driving it w/Freya+ it has a full balanced sound, tight full "modern" bass and incredible soundstage and dynamics thru my DynAudio Contour 20s. My speakers sound like THEY got an upgrade, too! Everything sounds FANTASTIC thru this amp. I am smiling about it even when I am not home! I had no idea that amps could sound soooo different! I learned sooo much from this experience. 👍🏼
It is a great learning experience that newer is not always better. I almost sold my Exposure Pre/Monos once. That would have be a major regret and expensive mistake. Thank you for sharing 😊
How long have you had your Athena? I am very happy with mine - bought it a year ago - as it provides a natural timbre to acoustical instruments even at low volume:-)
@@wouterkolkman I only kept it a short while…I bought it hoping to get a fuller sound from my EX-B7 Mono Blocs. It didn't help….and honestly, I thought that my Schiit Freya+ sounded better in tube mode at half the price. I want to recoup as much as I could to pay the almost $6K for the McIntosh Power Amp…so I happily sold it! 😎 …but I am glad that you are happy with the Athena in "your" mix. 👍🏼 …that's the thing with this hobby….each room, person, mix of gear , synergy…is all different. For instance… Tarun did not care for this new exposure amp playing his prized ProAc Speakers…I am sure that he was not expecting THAT when he anticipated reviewing the new amp!😬
Fantastic review lad, exactly what I expected from 3510. I was really close to getting it, although it wasn't available at the moment. I own 2010S2 and it simply can not drive my Harbeth M30.1s when it comes to lower end. In the end I went for H120, but the integrated dac is on sub-par with my Schiit Gungnir especially balanced connection (higher output power) which Exposure does not provide, unfortunately. 2010 has that juicy sweet midrange which I fell in love with of course, but the H120 is much more refined amp and it sounds more homogenous without coloration. Me, listening to a wide variety of music no matter the production it seems like a "perfect" match. Maybe upper bass, or upper mid-range aren't as "juicy", but in every other aspect H120 beats 2010S2. Headphone amp is very good and it runs well Grado SR225e and Etymotic in-ears. How long do you think H120 needs running-in and what to expect from it from your experience? I love your "cable dissection" video, I own silver plated Revelation QEDs, and they're extremely revealing and transparent, as Gungnir is. It just digs up insane amount of background sounds and gives out wide presentation and stage, including extreme resolution and textures. I've never heard cymbals sound so clear and natural. Would you be able to recommend a cable that I should definitely check out/listen to with this combination? Cardas pure copper? I do prefer silver plated cables in general and have tried several. What made my eyes go wide open is the lip/mouth plucking on Erykah Badu's live 1997 recording. It simply wasn't as pronounced as with 2010S2 > Spendor S3e. Excuse the wall of text. :)
Thank you for sharing. Electronic burn-in is a contentious issue. However, in experience some electronic components can take up to a couple of hundred hours to burn-in. The cables are going to be trial and error as they are very system dependent. I like the Kimbre braided cables. May be a good place to start 🙂
Great Review Tarun. Re: the house sound, ideally a house sound would be best, as you would buy into a brand and keep upgrading for more. High end brands like Accuphase have managed to achieve this... Their A/B amps sound alike as do their Class A units. But, if you're going to have low entry points in your line-up this starts to become impossible unless you are willing to make compromises on the upper lines to match the lowest common denominator. Even with a brand as prestigious as Marantz I've found their units to not sound the same at all. I had the PM11S2 and the PM15S2 at the same time, and the PM11 had a more rolled off top end and laid back presentation. The PM15 was more energetic and upfront, with a bit extra on the bottom. Listening to both blindfolded you could be fooled into thinking the 15 was the more powerful of the 2. I have the PM15 paired to Spendor Classic 3/5's with fantastic results. All told it's pretty difficult to ensure a house sound and frankly I don't blame the more reasonably priced brands for not being able to do it.
Thank you Amit. Very interesting. I suspect you are right. It is a lot more difficult to achieve a house sound across a large product line than most people think. The 3510 has quite a different design to the 2510 😊
Thank you for yet another insightful review. I was so looking forward to this review so I would have a reference to the 2510 and other amps and it appears that bigger is not always better or at least in this case where I believe I and my speakers would much more enjoy the little brother 2510 for musicality. Perhaps you could shed some light on my current decision making dilemma. I currently have and adore my little Proac Tablette Ten's with Dual 8inch B&W subs, for my space, and also currently have a Willsenton R8 with el34's. With some tube rolling, I've gotten it to sound quite pleasing. That said though, I have decided for me, long story short, that I don't want to deal with the Heat, weight, and tube maintenance of the Willsenton and want the simplicity of a simple classic integrated like the 2510. I have read on numerous accounts that the Sugden A21SE Siginature would work a treat with my little Proacs ( A well as Tube Amps), but I still have a concern about the heat and inefficiencies of a class A. All this said, might you think that little 2510 could give me the sound and synergy I seek, with my little Proac's? Any insight would be greatly appreciated and of course taken in perspective to all the other variables one must consider. Thank you Jim
Thank you Jim. Both the Exposure 2510 and the Sugden A21SE will work well with your ProAc Tablette Tens. In fact, they are know to have good synergy. Your decision should rest on the tonal balance you are trying to achieve. The 2510 is fairly neutral with a bit a leaning to the warm side where as the A21 SE is distinctly warmer. Good luck 😊
Hi Tarun. I can only echo the other commenters on how informative your reviews are. In answering you question about "house sound", I think a company should drive toward that. In my case, I had a Rega Elex-R and liked it so much I thought I'd upgrade to the Elicit-R. What I got was almost identical to the way you differentiated the 2150 and the 3510. I sold the Elicit and am now in the hunt for a new amp. Can you comment on the sonics of the separates, namely the 3150 series pre and power amps?
Very insightful review Tarun. I was considering this amplifier as a replacement for my upgraded musical fidelity 3.2, but I think it may sound a little too bright paired with my focal aria 936 speakers.
With amplifier brands, sometimes you'll get a choice of house sound ie Luxman (class A vs AB) Speaker brands do tend to stick to a house sound ie Sonus Faber, B&W and Wilson Audio have fairly distinctive presentations
Great review as always.... was wondering though.... apart from the NAD M10, you never review Class D og even digital amplifiers...they have come a long way, and I think it deserves your brillant aproach and the always superb technical insight you give👍😀 I would encourage you to try getting the Technics amplifiers (SU-G700 or the SU-R1000). I my self, have been draging my feet for a long time, but finally decided to give it a try, and: Wow....should have done thay earlier on....this has been quite dramatic. I came from the Yamaha A-S2200 (and many others including tubes), and it is just no match in any aspect to the SU-G700, so much so that i'm know saving for the SU-R1000.... the clarity and "flow" of the music is just ahhh....
Another quarter-hour well spent listening to your review, Tarun. You have a "house sound" that cuts through hype and jargon. As to manufacturer's producing gear marked by a house sound, I'm not sure that's an attractive principle. More importantly is toward the satisfaction what objectives does the manufacturer's design and construct their gear?
Hi Tarun, nice review as always. You don’t mention any floorstanding speakers in your comments. I realise you live on the dark side these days with stand mount/sub combos, (ha ha!) but it would be interesting to know how this sounds with something closer to a full range speaker. On the house sound, it’s useful to know when making a shortlist if there is a particular characteristic that you know you either like or don’t like. Beyond that, it just means that you either have to rely more heavily on reviews like yours, or better yet, audition every component personally. Not so easy these days, with many being sold direct.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You could always bring it to my place and plug it in to my speakers. You can explain to your better half that escaping from decorating for the day is essential in the name of research. It would be interesting to see how it compares with my Musical Fidelity A308, an amp which I suspect is very similar 😁
Hi Tarun, My amplifier journey has come to a close for now - thank you for all your help! I didn’t actually go for an Audiolab 6000A in the end. I purchased a defective Musical Fidelity M2Si integrated amplifier from a lovely seller who listed on a forum for a substantially lower than retail price. The right channel had no sound. I opened it up, ran my multimeter, noticed what seemed to be a short circuit and tinkered/soldered to fix the issue. Fortunately no damage to the circuitry. Sound restored to the right channel, no audible distortion or channel imbalance, the Musical Fidelity M2Si sounds 10x - 15x better than the Fatman iTube amplifier by my subjective estimations - carrying greater body and smoothness across all frequency ranges, bringing clean and tight bass to the table without being boomy and loose like it was with the Fatman iTube. Allegedly the Musical Fidelity amps have something of a neutral/Hegel type quality to its sound. Paired with a Mojo DAC the system brings out the exact desired amount of warmth/musicality I was seeking. I do miss some of the bass register heft I was getting with the Fatman. Next stop might be a subwoofer, and then I should be good for another few years. In the meantime I will continue watching your videos, because I just love learning about audio/quality gear to consider for when I come into more disposable income. All the best!
I would expect amplifiers from the same brand to have a similar sound signature. This was the case when I went from Cyrus One to Cyrus 2, then to a newer version with PSX as I liked the type of sound. Then moved away after a change of speakers via McLaren pre and power, then Musical Fidelity and just pre amp other ATC actives, first with ATC pre and now Denafrips Athena as it provides excellent synergy with their Terminator Plus DAC.
Dear Wouter, are you talking about the McLaren brand from New Zealand? (an almost unknown/forgotten brand) Here at home we still have an integrated A150 that my wife loves, for its age it has a good tonal balance and ability to present music. The McLaren is connected to a pair of Chameleon speakers from Helius Design of the same age, the source is a modified Lenco, and it's a pleasure to listen to Music on this little system - happy wife. Greal work Tarun, i know the "old" 3010, a good integrated amp. Kind regards from Portugal.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 bought 6 pairs of the Menuet SE !! Yup, 6 pairs in total!!! That's says how much i love these 😍. . But you should definitely experiment with placement though. I'm afraid you might miss some of the magic by placing them so far within the room. They definitely need front wall support to sound more balanced and they do love amps with some hair on the torso!! . Anyway, very curious to know what you'll find out
Interesting review Tarun. I had the 3510 on my Radar for audition or possibly the pre and power combo with the same numbers. Although I've never owned them I've always liked the sound of Dali speakers when I've heard them and could imagine they'd be a good combination. Actually I'd been thinking maybe the combination of Dali and Exposure might be too warm but maybe with the 3510 they balance each other out nicely.
Dali and Exposure go well together. I heard them together a few yrs back @ Adelphi mall in Singapore though i ended up buying a Marantz PM8006 amp (to pair with KEF R300s) from the dealer (who stocked Dali speakers, Marantz & Exposure amps) instead of the Exposure at the time. But i ended up buying the 3510 a few months back and its a damn good amp.
Hello Tarun, a timely review. I have a demo coming up this week: Cayin CS55A (with KT88) in ultra linear, and the Roksan K3, going against Sugden A21L and the Exposure 3510. Your question: a house sound that is consistent throughout the range is preferable to me. Brian
It’s time! Please review the 3510 pre and mono amps combo. This is, I think, the modern version of your end game amp set up. We need to know is this what we aspire to? What other options are there in this type of set up?
Hi Tarun interesting review , exposure is a very regarded make and does well in any review. But it still doesn’t seem to knock your Hagel off it’s spot . As regards the idea of a house sound this can only be a ability that seasoned reviewers would pick up on . I definitely for one have never listened to enough gear to comment , but I would assume anyone who favours a particular brand would expect a degree of similarity , but better overall . If that makes any sense . Best wishes and kind regards as always. 😀👍👍👍
Hi Tarun. It’s possible that the house sound changes with more power. Higher the watts, tone varies. Ask an ordinary singer to sing at low at high notes. Many may sound quite different. Amps could be same. To maintain the house sound at higher watts, surely is cost dependant and that’s where companies like Pass Labs come into.I really want to feel the difference between their class A at 30 watts and 60 watts. Because a person ( if he could) shouting at these 2 watts would surely sound different. How would an amp producer maintain this ?
Thank you Faluda. I agree, it is tricky to achieve consistent sound across products when the design varies. The 2510 has a passive preamp with just one set of transistors per channel and the 3510’s preamp is active with twice as many output devices 😊
Love your very professional reviews. Watched it a few times already. Would Exposure 3510 or 2510 a better match with Proac Tablette 10 Signature speakers? Which amplifier would produce a more 3 dimensional soundstage? Thank you!
Nice video as always tarun ..love from izzy...would love to see your review of the Naim supernait 3 ...as I'm thinking of making a purchase...if not no worries ..blessings 👍
Strange how different your review is compared to KK's in Hi-FI News. He makes it out to be as close to a valve amp as you can get! Your review puts me right off it though, and I thank you for it because I know what I'm looking for and your description of the sound means I don;t need to shortlist it. Cheers!
If i have a product in for review, I deliberately don’t watch or read reviews on it elsewhere. That way I don’t get influenced by other peoples opinions 😊
Great review as always Mr Tarun. I bought the 3510 a month back - got it for a very good price from a distributor here. Would you say the 3510 is better than the h190 or are they both equally good though they would have their own unique strenghts & characteristics? I was considering buying the h190 earlier but gave up on it. I found that the 3510 has very good dynamics & bass impact & drums and guitars have real good attack. The H80 doesn't have that bass slam nor the attack for drum sounds. This was with KEF R300s. Could only compare it to my Hegel H80. Though the H80 is still a very good amp I found the 3510 better in many ways.
Thank you. They are both very good amps with different sonic characteristics. The Hegel H190 has a more natural tonality where as the Exposure 3510 has better clarity and bass control 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Appreciate your quick response Tarun. I will be pairing the 3510 with dynaudio special 40s & buchardt s400 MKIIs in a couple of months. Unfortunately the 3510 is currently in my other home - in another state.
Fine presentation, Tarun. As to the point of sonic character, I would say, in amplifier design, that we need to distinguish between amplification of electronic instruments versus acoustic. Anything acoustic, I want as neutral as possible. But then a guitar amp feeding into an open back speaker cabinet with 4x 12" drivers for the full range has different requirements than your neutral, musically pleasing and audiophile quality playback kit. The component matching may be challenging as the electrical engineers who design and sell kit to us have no clue about human hearing and how their specifications relate to that (as a gross generalization). When you mention a damping factor of over 2,000 then i think, wow that is very high, and other viewers may not have a clue what this means electrically let alone what it does sonic or how it relates to component pairing. What I would like to know, when you describe the sound character of components, is what kind of music you used (acoustic or not) and how it was recorded in the case of acoustic. I saw another reviewer's headphone review and he mentioned that music, showing a photo from the artists' media. That photo was revealing as it showed the band's instruments in back light with a microphone for each instrument - consequently this does not record the space and has an electronic down-mix into two channels and hence all phase spatial clues are removed and replaced by volume leveling in the down-mix. Such recordings make the requirement for perfect micro-dynamics very high, whereas acoustic recordings with no down-mix fully rely on phase differences and spatially caused colorations. Yes, you can record an electric guitar spatially acoustic as well, but what the instrument should sound like in playback is completely uncertain.
I think the manufacturer should have the same type of sound in the same category, series of models as they go up in price example would be more power output so consumers know that what are they going into. But on other hand they can change the sound of different series of models.
It has been confirmed that the 3510 I reviewed was one of the first 3 amps to leave the factory. Unfortunately, two of them were biased incorrectly. I had one of the incorrect biased amps in for review. That is what was responsible for the harder sound I experienced. After recently spending time with a correctly biased 3510, I can confirm that the hardness I experienced was gone. It sounded much like the 2510 but with a more muscular presentation and better ability to resolve details and drive speakers 😊
Ouch, that is an extraordinary faux pas by Exposure and does not promote confidence in the brand. That two out of the first three amps released, effectively were not performing to specification is quite horrendous. How did you learn that the amplifier you reviewed was incorrectly biased?
@@MaxZappa1 yes, I had one that was incorrectly biased. It happens more often with brands than most people realise. Especially, when a new product is released 😊
Thank you for posting this. Looking forward to your reviewing some exposure monoblocks, like the 3510s or even the 5010s. Keep up the good work!
@@Dimitris_Pappas thank you. I am planning to do that 👍
Thanks for the update Tarun.
One of the few audio equipment reviewers that i can take his reviews into serious consideration. From what I hear in my own audio testing and experimenting there is not a single time that his presentation was misleading for me by any mean. Truly educational and helpful content. His mind is analytical, neutral and composed just like his music taste I suspect... Congratulations !!🙂
Thank you Alex. That is greatly appreciated 😊👍
Probably the best review I've seen. Very concise, honest and educational. Also nice production quality while still having that homespun and relaxing feel. Very nice!
Thank you Petteri. Very much appreciated 😊👍
Another thorough and enjoyable 15 minutes. I particularly like your deep dives under the hood. Thanks for posting!
Thank you Anton 👍
I like the dives under the hood as well. I am always skeptical about reviewers who claim it does not matter what is there, as long as it sounds good. The problem is that as with food: Rubbish in = Rubbish out
Hi Tarun, we do take your assessments into account and it is fair that you relook the Exposure 3510 and give our insights on what was missing !
I hope to do that 😊
Tarun, your reviews are nothing less than a breath of fresh air; an audio reviewer for the adults in the room. You're very precise and articulate in your analyses and you manage to avoid the all too typical audiophile background noise. One request: It would, I think, be helpful if you would let us know the types of music you use to evaluate equipment. I, for example, listen almost exclusively to classical music which is a genre totally alien to virtually all of the major YT reviewers. That Metallica sounds great doesn't imply the LSO will as well.
Thank you ED. Very kind of you to say. I have a bunch of tracks that are selected to highlight certain traits. That way I can be consistent in my reviews 😊👍👍
I can totally relate to that comment, as a musician or as a natural-Instruments listener.
Just last weekend we're testing 2 Tsakiridis Apollon tube monoblocks with a friend, and some of our tests were with original Living stereo LPs from the 1960s. The magnitude of sound in those recordings is unmatchable.. the way they test to the limits each speaker and system.. We're testing a pair of small B&W Nautilus versus a pair of big IMF 50s..
Then we proceeded with some more modern productions from acoustic/electric blues to trip-hop and it's then where you can start making some estimations on your machines.
To close this long comment, I'll underline the same comment: music reference is hugely important to the listener, the reviewer or the viewer/reader.
Tarun, your ability to verbalize the audio performance of equipment is unsurpassed. The comparisons give me an expectation of the performance to price against other equipment. But as always, a top notch review.
Thank you Paul. That is very kind 👍😊👍
Thank you, Tarun for the honest review of the tone of this amp. This really helps to be able to narrow down a sound to match with other equipment. I'm looking at the 2510 as my amp of choice.
Thank you my friend 👍
Top notch review as always. Was not expecting this one to lean towards the cooler side of neutral but clearly a strong performer. Would love to see you eventually get your hands on say a Naim Supernait 3 and hear your findings.
Thank you buddy. I hope to get to it 😊👍
That makes two of us. Waiting patiently :)
I the early 90s I purchased a Rega Elicit for £1700. It was the beating heart of my audio system for almost 30 trouble free years. It is still in production today. Retails for around £1600 and comes with a remote, which my earlier version, doesn’t. 2 years ago, I took it to my local dealer to have them send it back to Rega to be refurbished. When I went to pick it up a couple of weeks later, the dealer talked me into auditioning it’s new big brother, the £3000 Rega Aethos. I also asked them to incorporate into the blind audition, the flagship £6000 Rega Osiris.I provided a selection of CDs for the occasion.
When the first track started, ‘Peter Gabriel’s Red Red Rain’ from the album ‘So’, on amp 1, I knew with in a matter of seconds I was unquestionably listening to my trusty Elicit. Listening to a couple more tracks only served to confirm my initial decision. Then amp 2 was introduced into the equation. Now, I was confused. This sounded like my Elicit. With some highly attentive listening, I did notice a slightly tighter bass, and touch more airy top end. When the third amp was introduced, the characteristics were the same, but the reproduction was more ‘clinical’. Not to my listening preference!
I correctly deduced that amp 1 was indeed my Elicit. Followed by the Aethos then the Osiris.
The assistant then swapped the speakers for the more difficult to drive and power hungry ATC SCM40. They did slightly more exaggerate the differences in the amps.
My conclusion, which the dealer backed was that my Elicit held it’s own against it’s bigger sibling at twice the price and the flagship at 4 times the price! I walked of the store having spent a worthwhile £165 on the service of my Elicit and having reasoned an £1500 or £4500 upgrade unnecessary.
I have subsequently upgraded my Elicit to a preamp monoblocks combo. But, my Elicit still sits proudly in my rack, ready for action if required.
So, in my opinion and experience, the Rega sound is still recognisable after 30 years.
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing Howard. I hope Rega change the policy some day and start sending out products to UA-cam reviewers 😊👍
I would appreciate hearing a review of an Exposure contemporary stand-alone power amplifier.
Thank you for your quality content!
Th am you. I hope to review their pre/power amps 👍
Another insightful review. Thank you. I am a proponent of manufacturers having a reasonably consistent house sound. My reasoning is, if you start out with an entry level product and enjoy the sound you would most likely consider moving up the product range and with luck the basic sound would remain the same but with greater detail and other improvements. It better manages the consumer's expectations. It also makes sense to keep a customer you already have. Thank you again for a well thought out review.
Thank you. Your reasoning makes a lot of sense to me 😊
Great video as always keep up the good work,it would be interested to something from Spendoraudio
I completely agree regarding the KISS design principle. I was made aware of this back in the 1970's when studying for OND and HND engineering. The electrical and electronic engineering lecturer was Mr Don Streatfield, who designed the guidance system for the TSR2. He also told us about Sod's law when applied to electronic engineering. Sod's law says that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Also when fault finding you will discover that the faulty component will be the most difficult to remove and will be the most expensive and difficult to obtain. Over the years I have designed and built several pre and power amplifiers which seem to prove that Sod's law is correct. Now if everything is working perfectly for ages, you instinctively suspect that something must be wrong or is about to go wrong. Lastly any fault you assume will be easy to find will always be difficult to find. I swear blind if I ever meet Mr Sod he will receive the rough edge of my tongue.
Thank you Jim. It has been quite a while since I heard that expression. I may have to revive it in a future video 😊
Thank you, Tarun, for another interesting review. And as always, your comparisons are always most useful. Wish more reviewers would do so.
I appreciate when a manufacturer has a house sound. Seems to me that said manufacturer is stating their vision.
Thank you. I agree. I suppose that if they pursue a different sound the product line should at least have a totally different industrial design to make it distinguishable 😊👍
Love your straight forward, tell it like it is, approach.
Thank you Vincent 😊👍
Happy Holi (if you read this today). I think a house sound is good so I know what I’m getting into, but equally some variation is good because it could be an improvement on what I’m already happy with. Luckily for us, we have you to guide us about the difference sounds within the brand. This was a great question which left me scratching my head all week.
Thank you Jeremy. Happy Holi to you too 🥳👍
Great review Tarun. Please don't change your approach or format. This is perfect.
P.S. looking forward to you maybe reviewing active version of ATC's SCM40 and comparing it to active and passive 19s. You seemed to hint at that in your conversation with Ben Lilly :).
Thank you buddy. It is. I am holding off as I am having some renovations done as space at the moment is limited 👍
Thank you Tarun, you are God sent!! What a review... It has comparisons, real life experience and insight. Plus, it happens to be the right medicine for my situation. I hope it resolves many other friends' mind boggling questions too.
I am sure Exposure 3510 IS the better amplifier amongst the two, none of us doubts that. It all comes down to individual situation; preferences, tastes and goals. In my case, for an intimate close distance, late night listening with my "Proac" Tablet 10 Signatures 2510 is the right choice. This takes us right to the House Sound issue. I see it as an invaluable tool to navigate through my road map which without it I would make the same trip at least twice at best, or countless times God forbid...
Thank you Shan. Much appreciated and great to learn about your experiences 👍😊👍
Hi Tarun….
Congratulations on another engaging review. Being a long-time Exposure romantic and owner (1993 Farlowe XI/XII and 2 Super VIII’s), I’ve been super curious about the new line-ups. I, too, am a bit disappointed by the new look of the 3510 series, preferring the absolute minimalist/functionalist aesthetic that dates back to the brands beginnings. I’m
happy to know that the commitment to improved SQ remains, though, despite achieving ‘class defining’ performance, a little disappointed the sonic presentation has shifted a bit (again, that retro-romantic thing kicking in)…. I’ll admit to wishing you’d uttered the words ’classic Exposure magic, just more of it…’
I hope you get a chance to review the 3510 separates, and really (REALLY!!) hope for a review of the 5010 series.
Thanks again for this long awaited, terrific-as-always review!!
Warmest regards from Puerto Rico….
Thank you Osallabe. Great to learn both your experiences. I hope to get to the 5010 in time 👍
TARUN 🧐 ALWAYS A THROUGH AND DETAILED INFORMATIVE DESCRIPTION FOR HELPING US MAKE A DECISION 🤗😍😍😍
Thank you buddy. Very kind 👍😊👍
Brilliant review again Tarun , really enjoyed your detailed presentation
Thank you Atri 😊👍
Thank you Tarun ,you are doing a fabulous job simply the best.
Thank you Reinhart. This is very kind 👍😊👍
No ,it’s just the truth!
Hi tarun, a very good review, the exposure seems to be very good piece of kit, never owned any exposure equipment myself but many people seem to love the brand, including you, looking forward to seeing another review soon.
Thank you Paul 😊👍
Accurate review Tarun. I auditioned the amplifier yesterday and love its PRAT presentation. It is forward and on the cooler side, but like anything in audio a partnering sources and speakers can give it a musical sound. It will be nice to know how the latest revision of Atoll IN200 Signature compares to the 3510 in terms of PRAT, clarity and details.
Thank goodness for sharing 😊
Wow…very interesting. Sometimes I’ve found that a house sound is great for a range of products, but it can quickly turn into diminishing returns buying further up the range.
In a way, I’m happy to hear that Exposure had not gone this route with these new products.
I’ve just picked up the Kinki Studio EX-M1, hoping you’ll get a chance to take a listen to this, too. Very neutral, extremely dynamic.
Thank you Matt. I hope to get to them in time 😊
What amp or integrated were you running before the ex-m1?
I've short-listed this amp along with a few others from Yamaha, technics, Hegel, musical fidelity to name a few. I'm option overloaded but want to up my amp game next. I'm just inexperienced. I'm not even sure I've ever heard a neutral amp!
Your description of the character of the 3510 sounds very similar to my Kenwood KA-7100. Slightly cool, great bass, excellent pace, upper mids can get a little harsh when driven hard. But the sound stage is very deep and very wide and it has amazing detail and texture. So I guess I am keeping my KA-7100.....for now. Thanks for the excellent review.
Thank you JK 👍
I’ve not owned but been exposed to an Onkyo integrated amp. It was clean sounding, a bit cooler than neutral and had a bit forward character. More suited to an initial enthusiast. He graduated to a McIntosh later. He was so inclined. I can’t say much, I started my journey with Phase Linear. What a dreadful mistake that was. We live and learn. Good video and better descriptions too! Cheers Tarun! Stay safe my mates!😊👍🏻😁
Thank you Mark 😊
Tarun, thanks so much for the review. I read somewhere but haven't been able to find much information about it, that the 3010 and 3510 use active preamp section as opposed to the passive preamp section of the 2010 and 2510. The view of that massive preamp board in your technical insights section seems to confirm it. I think this could contribute to the soundstage issues you discussed regarding the 3510, and in my experience passive preamplification provides the best soundstage, provided that the speakers and amplifier can handle it. Active preamplification does seem to push the soundstage forward. It's a nice option to have which is why I am so happy with my Schiit Freya S preamp. I've no doubt the 3510 could be fantastic in this regard, but I wonder how it would perform using the AV bypass with a different preamp (well, you'd almost certainly be better off getting the 3010 power amplifier that still seems to be available from retailers).
With that said, I don't own any Exposure gear, but your glowing reviews of them have me searching out used 2010 models, and I think I am likely to settle on the 2010S2D to play around with using the bypass with my Schiit Freya S..
Thank you Aaron. I suspect you are right. The passive Vs active preamp and the additional set of transistors probably account for the sonic differences 👍
Tarun,
On the house sound question, I appreciate the predictability of a manufacturer "House Sound".
In my case it's Yamaha.
Owner of a Yamaha R-700 purchased new in 1981 due to the the midrange and top end tone that a friends CR-2020 and the other Yamaha integrated amps that I was able to listen at that time seemed to have relative to other brands.
40 years later~ I went Yamaha again - A-S2200 - on the basis of the Yamaha tendancy towards neutral to light bass and more pronounced mid and upper range tone all adjustments set to flat.
I very much appreciate the quality of your no BS reviews and the technical competence that tempers your opinions and comments.
I especially liked the relative tone scale in this review using Hegel ,Yamaha and other products as familiar and meaningful reference points.
Hi Tarun, I am late to the table as usually. But I would like to comment on your question. I think there is nothing against audio that bring out different sound flavors (let's call it like that). But one way to go about it could be to create different families of products within the same brand. Each family would then be consistent in it's sound characteristic.
Thank you Hugo. I totally agree. Different families with clearly distinguishable industrial design 😊👍
I've had a few Bose lifestyle systems in my life and I decided to upgrade the Speakers for my Av48 5.1 system and enhanced with a Bose cinemate series ii. For a 7.2 bose lifestyle system. I found that the Loewe Concertos have incredible detail over the American versions. I'm hearing new stuff in songs I've listened to for over 30 years. Simply incredible sound and I'm glad I took a chance and bought a pair from the 🇬🇧. I had never heard of Loewe before this
Cool 😎 thank you for sharing 😊
I would suggest that a "House Sound" is completely acceptable if you happen to like the kind of sound that the manufacturer provide.
I loved the sound of domestic components in the late 1960's & 1970's ... Nothing wrong with that?
However, when I worked in various studios in the 1970's ... I quickly learned that there is a monumental difference between "House Sound" and "accurate" reproduction.
Accurate reproduction of source material would involve a huge investment in hardware and acoustic treatment ... and will not sound great (at "reasonable" volume levels!)
Therefore ... House sound is a great thing for most of us! (many companies such as Rega, et al, understand this.
Thank you Ralf 😊
Thank you for yet another intelligent review Tarun.
Interesting. Very honest review as always.
I've not heard any Exposure amps, despite owning the very impressive CD2010 player.
Having participated on a few forums for nearly 2 decades, older Exposure amps were deemed by those who've demoed the brand as a little on the brash side compared to some price-related brands. But this hobby is darned objective it's hard to draw any conclusions without any personal experience.
As a big vinyl collector, a lack of a built-in stage has chocked me off the brand's amps. At around 2.5k I would expect a decent phono stage, but that's my record bias kicking in (and screaming)😊.
For me, and based purely on Taran's reviews, the 2510 is the better compromise....for me.
As whether companies should have a 'house or common sound' is one aspect I rarely think about - I judge all amps on their own individual merits.
Thank you Richard 😊
Hi Tarun, last week I bought the predecessor Exposure 3010 S2D and apparently it is sonically very close to the new 3510. I was aiming for the 2510 but this one was on offer for a very attractive price. Expecting the warm sound of the 2510 I bought it. I was having doubts when listening to my KEF LS 3/5A (from the nineties) in the shop noticing a forwardness I did not expect but I thought maybe it was the listening room and it should be better at home. Now I regret buying it because I would have preferred a warmer, less forward sound over the LS 3/5A's. Needless to say that I would prefer if amplifier manufacturers would stick to their house sound. However I do like the dynamics and authority and grip in the low register of this amp. Even though the upper mid are fatiguing after some time these former aspects are comforting and the control gives ease on the ear nevertheless. Now I am considering to buy new speakers which are a good match for the 3010S2D or I will sell it again. Any suggestions are welcome. How about Magnepan LRS? I generally prefer smaller speakers though...
Very interesting. If the 3020 S2D is tonally similar to the 3510 (it should be as it is essentially the same design) then I suspect you are struggling with the upper midrange prominence the amp has. It can be fatiguing with certain partnering equipment and recordings. It will be tricky to correct it with speakers. I would suggest you audition the 2510. If you prefer it (I think you probably will) I would sell the 3020 S2D and buy the 2510. It may cost you some money but you will just have to notch it up to experience 😊
I've used Exposure 2010s2 for five years and was OK with it, I like the detail and the airness of it, but when I tried Exposure 3010s2 I was blown away by how better the bass is. The depth is control is on whole other level compared to Exposure 2010s2. I guess the same holds for the never models as well, namely Exposure 2150 vs Exposure 3150 as confirmed by the reviewer.
@@EugeneKrall thx for sharing 🙂
Hi Tarun
Thanks for another great review. I particularly like the way you define a certain type of sound a device can make. A friend of mine listened to Jazz music through a couple of old leak valve amps and some old imf monitor speakers. It sounded to me like someone had put a woolly jumper over the speakers. He loved it. Vive la difference
I suppose it all comes down to personal taste. That is why I try to set my comments into some context with comparisons. Thank you for watching 😊
Thank you for another great review. H190 with DF > 4.000. H95 and H120 with DF > 2.000.
Thank you 🙂
Tarun. Thanks for your channel. I very much value the descriptions of your listening experience. Those descriptions have added to mine as well. . In the past I have had Proac tablets with Rega electronics. Around 12 years ago I purchased a Naim Uniti and Dynaudio Focus 220 11 for around $7000. The cd and display are no longer working on the Naim. I purchased a Audiolab 6000CDT and a Schiit Modi 3+ dac. The dac has brought a greater presence to my listening. I am planning on replacing the Naim and I wonder what you might recommend. My room is a moderate loft space with a fair amount of soft furniture. I listen to classical and jazz. Thanks again.
Great video as always keep up the good work.Exposure is on my list ,hoping they bring out a full size c.d player to match
Thank you Mark 😊
Having a house sound is helpful to buyers and upgraders when there are so many manufacturers on the market.
I agree. Thank you Andrew 😊
Another in depth review with easy to understand sound vocabulary. Bravo.
I'm intrigued by an Australian company called: March, based on Purifi products. The Sointuva bookshelf speakers and class d amplifiers look like sleepers to me. I'm sure you're barraged with suggestions, but I'd really like to see what you think, open spot on the calendar and logistics willing.
Thank you Ken. I appreciate the heads up 😊👍
Looking forward to this.
I hope you enjoy it 😊
Great work Tarun. Yes I'm right with you with this, the Exposure amps are something special. I live in Australia and they are pretty much unheard of here. Such a shame. They are sold here but only maybe 2 dealers country wide.
I run two units myself, a 2010S2 hooked up to some PMC Tb2+'s (great combination!) and a Classic XXVIII dual mono power amp, ME25 pre-amp (Australian) running into Harbeth SHL5P XD's. Both are magical combinations, great balance of slight warmth but good detail.
You have me interested in the 3510 now after watching this, it sounds similar to the old 3010. I too thought it was just slightly on the brighter side of neutral. I think as far as midrange and vocals go, the 2010/2510 series are something magical and hard to beat. Get a nice female vocal playing and is maple syrup to the ears. The 3010/3510 is amazing at dynamics but IMO can't match it's little brother in midrange.
There is also the 5010 pre-power combo which I am yet to hear. Another whisper I've heard is that Exposure and planning a model above the 5010, a 'reference' model. Not sure what form is planned, integrated, pre-power or both. Cheers mate.
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
3510 sounds more organic (a bit) and more relaxed then 3010s2D whic is bloody great amp! 🙂
Hi Tarun, firstly thanks for all your doing with this channel your insights are fantastic and I enjoy every video. I am new to this hobby and recently purchased the exposure 3510, monitor audio 200 silver floor standers and the new node, overall the sound is nothing short of amazing. I’m looking to purchase a dac for this setup, would you say the Chord Qutest would be a bad choice or should I look at a warmer dac like the denafrips?
Thank you Michael. That is very kind. Both are great choices. It comes down to preference. The Qutest may have a bit more detail but the Ares II has a richer sound 😊
You should look for a better speakers. Spendor A7 for example. Chord Qutest should sounds excelent in that combo.
Mojo is a toy compared to Qutest
Nicely done…I appreciate brands offering variety and the ability to “pick and choose” matching electronics. I just got a pair of D2rs and a new integrated is the next step. This one might not be the fit I would like based on your review. Sugden, Hegel, and Audio Hungary are on my short list. Cheers!
Thank you Thomas 👍
Thomas, I will have to look into Sugden and Audio Hungary…2 brands that I an not familiar with!
I know I'm getting boring but again great video Tarun. Very considered comments can't say I've heard these particular amplifiers to have an opinion.
In regards to the question, you pose I like the fact that we have lots of different flavors and I don't agree a particular maker should have a house sound. It just keeps things interesting. I currently have a Gryphon Diablo 300 and I've heard pretty much everything in their line up and they are different presentations that's one of the things l like about the maker.🙂🎧👍
Thank you Shane. It is an interesting debate. I am of the view that it is useful to have a house sound within a product Iine to allow people to upgrade with confidence. However, manufacturers could pursue different product lines with clearly distinguishable industrial design to keep things interesting and appeal to different consumers . That the great thing about this hobby, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to equipment or opinions for that matter 😊👍
@A British Audiophile Absolutely Tarun that is a good point.
I guess I was approaching it along the lines of being excited about a new product from a favourite maker and the excitement of what it might sound like. But you're right to have some expectations would also point you in the right direction in regards to your choices.
Another excellent review. Love it.
Thank you buddy 😊👍
Different sounds for a brand is perfectly fine. But perhaps sounds should be similar within a product series. BTW: Loving the finger tonality scale, it's really informative.
Thank you Thomas ☝️😊
As always you put this simple and easy to follow. Thank you very good review. I mention this because I am considering this VS the rega elicit-r please feel free to chime in.
I mentioned also looking at the McIntosh 8950 but right now at 9k that will hold off
Thank you Jason. Both good amp for the money 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for the feedback. Due to inventory as I mentioned on this before I was also looking at a McIntosh 7200 I have ordered what I hope to be an endgame amp for the next 5-7 years. It will be here next week. I ordered the Rega Aethos. I have never done a review but I just may let the hi-fi arena know how it differs from what I have.
Thank you Tarun, I own the yamaha as 1200 paired with evo 4.4 as usual, your reviews are very accurate and reflect the small but significant details, always fun to see what happens under the hood of different manufacturers, already waiting for the next review
Thank you for watching and sharing my friend 👍
Amazing channel and honest thorough review. Given the high marks of the 2510 I was curious about the 3510-2510 comparison to your ears. Now that I know, I wonder how would the Cayin CS-55A or CS-88A compare to the 2510, improving over the Willsinton previously reviewed.
Thank you Diego. I hope to get to those products in time 😊
Great review! Thank you!
Thank you Robert 👍
I guess Exposure amps and I would agree. Natural with a "hint" of warmth,, 🥰.
I will give them some time visiting a hi-fi messe in the future.
Excellent reveiw my friend. Cheers and have the best of weekends,, 🍻😎👍
Thank you Irene. Wishing you a great weekend too 😊👍
In a perfect world we could hear every piece of equipment in our listening space with the rest of our system, and design teams could disregard their company's "house sound," but in the real world I think it's a helpful starting point to know from previous experience that Company X does or does not warrant my consideration.
I agree. Thank you Howard 😊
Interesting!:-) In my opinion a manufacturer, should have a house sound, OR it would be highly appreciated if they could describe the sound for each individual component. What their goals and thinking, and the result was. Thanks, Tarun, for another great review!:-)
Thank you buddy 😊👍
awesome review like always
Thank you Lex. Much appreciated 👍😊👍
Good stuff man
Agree about the inlay ruining it’s looks but I like it anyway
Thank you Doug 😊
Great review, thanks for that. You review quit a lot of British audio like Exposure, Sudgen and the likes. I was wondering if you would consider taking up,a review of the new Creek amplifiers as a comparison to the former mentioned. Would be nice to see a sort of “battle of the British” on the amplifier front.
Thank you for watching and the suggestion Mark 😊
Bought the 3510 stereo power amplifier last week and running it in. It's connected to a 60W(at 4Ohm) tube amp Taga Harmony TTA-1000 and Sonus Faber Sonetto III floorstanders.
Cool 😎
This video should be recreated. Not everyone reads the comment section and so a false impression easily emerges.
Hi Tarun, another excellent and very relatable review - what a delight to listen to your experience with this amplifier. I'm delighted to hear that Exposure continues to make exceptionally musical amplifiers, the same reason we both own them and still derive immense pleasure from listening to them, long after they were made.
My VIII-XI-XII must be 34-35 years old now and has never sounded better.
Re: the question about house sound - I don't expect house sound - I expect (prefer) the most honest, lifelike, musical untainted performance - and that the manufacturer strive to achieve this in all the parameters we perceive - dynamics, resolution, detail, extension low and high, timbre, grip and drive - well - the closer you are to an original performance than to a coloured, caricatured facsimile - then the manufacturer is on the right track in my book.
All the best my friend - your channel is defining the genre, excellent quality content. Thank you so much! Rob in Switzerland
Thank you Rob. Much appreciated 👍😊👍
Thanks for the review Tarun, would you ever consider reviewing Primare.
All the best
Simon
Yes, thank you for the suggestion Simon 😊
Thank you Tarun, wonderful review
Hi, I enjoyed your video review very much. Do you have any experience with Naim Supernait 2 ? Just wondering how is the sound of 3510 compared to SN2. Hope you could enlighten me a little, thank you very much in advance.
I had a Supernait 3 and i compared it with the Exposure 3510. I decided in favor of the 3510. The Exposure has more musicality. Basically, the resolution is more present. However, it should be said that the SN3 is not a major update to the SN2. All in all, the Exposure is simply more mature in sound and tone quality. I hope my contribution helps you
Just purchased the Exposure 3510 Integrated (should be arriving in a week or two). I have a Linn-based configuration (LP12, Ittok LVIII {ZYX Yatra Cartridge}, Lingo, along with a pair of Linn Kaber speakers). Cambridge Audio Azur for CD Playback. Looking forward with great anticipation!!!
Cool 😎 please let know how you get on 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Will do! Also, just curious, do you have any Linn ancillaries with your playback?
@@abritishaudiophile7314 I also forgot to mention, have the Rega MC Fono for my Vinyl Playback. Extraordinary performance for the price!
@@paulcgretired6245 only my Linn K20 speaker cable 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Tarun, only Linn Cables? What would Ivor have thought (I had a chance to meet him personally many, many years ago. This could be a conversation unto itself, but, if I had to bottom-line my description of Ivor, it would be: Cynical, Sarcastic; a Revolutionary, a Genius)?
Excellent review as always. Did I sopt some Elna silmic's in there?
Agree the facia is ruined with that cd bevel. When was the last time you had your exposure pre/power amps recapped?
As with other comments the Naim supernait 3 would be an interesting comparison ..even if Naim have lost their way a little bit IMHO. Keep up the great work
Thank you Mike. Yes, those were Similc caps. I had my Exposure amps recapped about 3 years ago 😊👍
Hi Tarun…as always …great review…I am thinking this amp is not for me…After your last video, I mentioned that I went down a $6K Chi-Fi 🐇 🕳 trying to replace my 45-year old Bob Carver C-500 Power Amp (yes…with the original capacitors) with a "more modern" sound. You saved my sanity when you recently reviewed The Denafrips combo and your description there confirmed my awarenesses of my new gear (Denafrips Athena & Kinki EX-B7 Mono Blocs). The power output was the same as my Carver, w/Schiit Freya+ Preamp with NOS tubes. There was no contest, "for me". New gear tight powerful bass, but thin in the midrange and unbalanced from high to low frequencies..which created a lacking sound stage. My Carver sounded waaaaay better! 🤔… so..I am taking a beating of well over $1K selling off that gear…but still having enthusiasm to best my Carver I found a new McIntosh MC152 power amp on someone's shelf(4-month wait everywhere). I went 180° in the other direction from my 🐇🕳, and OMG! …PAY DIRT!. Driving it w/Freya+ it has a full balanced sound, tight full "modern" bass and incredible soundstage and dynamics thru my DynAudio Contour 20s. My speakers sound like THEY got an upgrade, too! Everything sounds FANTASTIC thru this amp. I am smiling about it even when I am not home! I had no idea that amps could sound soooo different! I learned sooo much from this experience. 👍🏼
It is a great learning experience that newer is not always better. I almost sold my Exposure Pre/Monos once. That would have be a major regret and expensive mistake. Thank you for sharing 😊
How long have you had your Athena? I am very happy with mine - bought it a year ago - as it provides a natural timbre to acoustical instruments even at low volume:-)
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You were so helpful to my process just when I was doubting my ears and sense of sound.
THANK YOU, Tarun!
@@wouterkolkman I only kept it a short while…I bought it hoping to get a fuller sound from my EX-B7 Mono Blocs.
It didn't help….and honestly, I thought that my Schiit Freya+ sounded better in tube mode at half the price. I want to recoup as much as I could to pay the almost $6K for the McIntosh Power Amp…so I happily sold it! 😎 …but I am glad that you are happy with the Athena in "your" mix. 👍🏼
…that's the thing with this hobby….each room, person, mix of gear , synergy…is all different. For instance… Tarun did not care for this new exposure amp playing his prized ProAc Speakers…I am sure that he was not expecting THAT when he anticipated reviewing the new amp!😬
Fantastic review lad, exactly what I expected from 3510. I was really close to getting it, although it wasn't available at the moment. I own 2010S2 and it simply can not drive my Harbeth M30.1s when it comes to lower end. In the end I went for H120, but the integrated dac is on sub-par with my Schiit Gungnir especially balanced connection (higher output power) which Exposure does not provide, unfortunately.
2010 has that juicy sweet midrange which I fell in love with of course, but the H120 is much more refined amp and it sounds more homogenous without coloration. Me, listening to a wide variety of music no matter the production it seems like a "perfect" match. Maybe upper bass, or upper mid-range aren't as "juicy", but in every other aspect H120 beats 2010S2. Headphone amp is very good and it runs well Grado SR225e and Etymotic in-ears.
How long do you think H120 needs running-in and what to expect from it from your experience?
I love your "cable dissection" video, I own silver plated Revelation QEDs, and they're extremely revealing and transparent, as Gungnir is. It just digs up insane amount of background sounds and gives out wide presentation and stage, including extreme resolution and textures. I've never heard cymbals sound so clear and natural.
Would you be able to recommend a cable that I should definitely check out/listen to with this combination? Cardas pure copper? I do prefer silver plated cables in general and have tried several.
What made my eyes go wide open is the lip/mouth plucking on Erykah Badu's live 1997 recording. It simply wasn't as pronounced as with 2010S2 > Spendor S3e.
Excuse the wall of text. :)
Thank you for sharing. Electronic burn-in is a contentious issue. However, in experience some electronic components can take up to a couple of hundred hours to burn-in.
The cables are going to be trial and error as they are very system dependent. I like the Kimbre braided cables. May be a good place to start 🙂
Great Review Tarun.
Re: the house sound, ideally a house sound would be best, as you would buy into a brand and keep upgrading for more. High end brands like Accuphase have managed to achieve this... Their A/B amps sound alike as do their Class A units.
But, if you're going to have low entry points in your line-up this starts to become impossible unless you are willing to make compromises on the upper lines to match the lowest common denominator.
Even with a brand as prestigious as Marantz I've found their units to not sound the same at all. I had the PM11S2 and the PM15S2 at the same time, and the PM11 had a more rolled off top end and laid back presentation. The PM15 was more energetic and upfront, with a bit extra on the bottom. Listening to both blindfolded you could be fooled into thinking the 15 was the more powerful of the 2. I have the PM15 paired to Spendor Classic 3/5's with fantastic results.
All told it's pretty difficult to ensure a house sound and frankly I don't blame the more reasonably priced brands for not being able to do it.
Thank you Amit. Very interesting. I suspect you are right. It is a lot more difficult to achieve a house sound across a large product line than most people think. The 3510 has quite a different design to the 2510 😊
Great review Tarun. I just wish you had compared 3510 with his older brother 3010S2 (S2 D).
Thank you. That would be cool 😎👍
Oh no! I just saw this upload and I thought... "Damn, this is going to make me want one..." :P
Thank you Joel 😊
you rock sir!
Thank you Bob 👍
Thank you for yet another insightful review. I was so looking forward to this review so I would have a reference to the 2510 and other amps and it appears that bigger is not always better or at least in this case where I believe I and my speakers would much more enjoy the little brother 2510 for musicality. Perhaps you could shed some light on my current decision making dilemma. I currently have and adore my little Proac Tablette Ten's with Dual 8inch B&W subs, for my space, and also currently have a Willsenton R8 with el34's. With some tube rolling, I've gotten it to sound quite pleasing. That said though, I have decided for me, long story short, that I don't want to deal with the Heat, weight, and tube maintenance of the Willsenton and want the simplicity of a simple classic integrated like the 2510. I have read on numerous accounts that the Sugden A21SE Siginature would work a treat with my little Proacs ( A well as Tube Amps), but I still have a concern about the heat and inefficiencies of a class A. All this said, might you think that little 2510 could give me the sound and synergy I seek, with my little Proac's? Any insight would be greatly appreciated and of course taken in perspective to all the other variables one must consider. Thank you
Jim
Thank you Jim. Both the Exposure 2510 and the Sugden A21SE will work well with your ProAc Tablette Tens. In fact, they are know to have good synergy. Your decision should rest on the tonal balance you are trying to achieve. The 2510 is fairly neutral with a bit a leaning to the warm side where as the A21 SE is distinctly warmer. Good luck 😊
3510 is much better than 2510 even 2510 is really trrrific sounding amp.
Have 'em both with Spendor A7, Classic 3/1 and Elac Vela 403.
Hi Tarun. I can only echo the other commenters on how informative your reviews are. In answering you question about "house sound", I think a company should drive toward that. In my case, I had a Rega Elex-R and liked it so much I thought I'd upgrade to the Elicit-R. What I got was almost identical to the way you differentiated the 2150 and the 3510. I sold the Elicit and am now in the hunt for a new amp. Can you comment on the sonics of the separates, namely the 3150 series pre and power amps?
Thank you Michael. Much appreciated. I hope to find out what the current Exposure separates sound like 😊👍
Very insightful review Tarun. I was considering this amplifier as a replacement for my upgraded musical fidelity 3.2, but I think it may sound a little too bright paired with my focal aria 936 speakers.
Thank you Philip. It is better with warmer speakers 😊
With amplifier brands, sometimes you'll get a choice of house sound ie Luxman (class A vs AB)
Speaker brands do tend to stick to a house sound ie Sonus Faber, B&W and Wilson Audio have fairly distinctive presentations
Thank you Will 😊
Great review as always.... was wondering though.... apart from the NAD M10, you never review Class D og even digital amplifiers...they have come a long way, and I think it deserves your brillant aproach and the always superb technical insight you give👍😀 I would encourage you to try getting the Technics amplifiers (SU-G700 or the SU-R1000). I my self, have been draging my feet for a long time, but finally decided to give it a try, and: Wow....should have done thay earlier on....this has been quite dramatic. I came from the Yamaha A-S2200 (and many others including tubes), and it is just no match in any aspect to the SU-G700, so much so that i'm know saving for the SU-R1000.... the clarity and "flow" of the music is just ahhh....
Thank you Claus. I do hope to review the SU-G700 👍
Another enjoyable video Thanks : )
Another quarter-hour well spent listening to your review, Tarun. You have a "house sound" that cuts through hype and jargon.
As to manufacturer's producing gear marked by a house sound, I'm not sure that's an attractive principle. More importantly is toward the satisfaction what objectives does the manufacturer's design and construct their gear?
Thank you Mike. Very kind and much appreciated 👍😊👍
Terrific review 👍
Thank you David. Much appreciated 👍😊👍
Hi Tarun, nice review as always. You don’t mention any floorstanding speakers in your comments. I realise you live on the dark side these days with stand mount/sub combos, (ha ha!) but it would be interesting to know how this sounds with something closer to a full range speaker.
On the house sound, it’s useful to know when making a shortlist if there is a particular characteristic that you know you either like or don’t like. Beyond that, it just means that you either have to rely more heavily on reviews like yours, or better yet, audition every component personally. Not so easy these days, with many being sold direct.
Hi Mark, we are in the middle of house remodelling of the first floor so I am floorstanders for a while until we have space to store them 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You could always bring it to my place and plug it in to my speakers. You can explain to your better half that escaping from decorating for the day is essential in the name of research. It would be interesting to see how it compares with my Musical Fidelity A308, an amp which I suspect is very similar 😁
@@markcarrington8565 thank you Mark. I appreciate the offer 😊
Hi Tarun,
My amplifier journey has come to a close for now - thank you for all your help!
I didn’t actually go for an Audiolab 6000A in the end.
I purchased a defective Musical Fidelity M2Si integrated amplifier from a lovely seller who listed on a forum for a substantially lower than retail price. The right channel had no sound. I opened it up, ran my multimeter, noticed what seemed to be a short circuit and tinkered/soldered to fix the issue.
Fortunately no damage to the circuitry. Sound restored to the right channel, no audible distortion or channel imbalance, the Musical Fidelity M2Si sounds 10x - 15x better than the Fatman iTube amplifier by my subjective estimations - carrying greater body and smoothness across all frequency ranges, bringing clean and tight bass to the table without being boomy and loose like it was with the Fatman iTube.
Allegedly the Musical Fidelity amps have something of a neutral/Hegel type quality to its sound. Paired with a Mojo DAC the system brings out the exact desired amount of warmth/musicality I was seeking.
I do miss some of the bass register heft I was getting with the Fatman. Next stop might be a subwoofer, and then I should be good for another few years.
In the meantime I will continue watching your videos, because I just love learning about audio/quality gear to consider for when I come into more disposable income.
All the best!
I would expect amplifiers from the same brand to have a similar sound signature. This was the case when I went from Cyrus One to Cyrus 2, then to a newer version with PSX as I liked the type of sound. Then moved away after a change of speakers via McLaren pre and power, then Musical Fidelity and just pre amp other ATC actives, first with ATC pre and now Denafrips Athena as it provides excellent synergy with their Terminator Plus DAC.
Thank you for sharing Wouter 😊
Dear Wouter, are you talking about the McLaren brand from New Zealand? (an almost unknown/forgotten brand)
Here at home we still have an integrated A150 that my wife loves, for its age it has a good tonal balance and ability to present music.
The McLaren is connected to a pair of Chameleon speakers from Helius Design of the same age, the source is a modified Lenco, and it's a pleasure to listen to Music on this little system - happy wife.
Greal work Tarun, i know the "old" 3010, a good integrated amp.
Kind regards from Portugal.
@@Jos3Miguel thank you Miguel 😊
I spy with my little eye a pair of Dali Menuet SE speakers..... Sound the horns! Incoming review!
Well spotted. I did talk about them in the review 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 bought 6 pairs of the Menuet SE !! Yup, 6 pairs in total!!! That's says how much i love these 😍. . But you should definitely experiment with placement though. I'm afraid you might miss some of the magic by placing them so far within the room. They definitely need front wall support to sound more balanced and they do love amps with some hair on the torso!! . Anyway, very curious to know what you'll find out
@@Bouba1874 cool 😎 I am playing with position at the moment 😊
Interesting review Tarun. I had the 3510 on my Radar for audition or possibly the pre and power combo with the same numbers. Although I've never owned them I've always liked the sound of Dali speakers when I've heard them and could imagine they'd be a good combination. Actually I'd been thinking maybe the combination of Dali and Exposure might be too warm but maybe with the 3510 they balance each other out nicely.
The 3510 has a very nice balance with the Dali Menuet SE speaker I currently have in for review 😊
Dali and Exposure go well together. I heard them together a few yrs back @ Adelphi mall in Singapore though i ended up buying a Marantz PM8006 amp (to pair with KEF R300s) from the dealer (who stocked Dali speakers, Marantz & Exposure amps) instead of the Exposure at the time. But i ended up buying the 3510 a few months back and its a damn good amp.
@@abritishaudiophile7314is the 3510 a good match with Dynaudio? Thanks
Hello Tarun, a timely review.
I have a demo coming up this week: Cayin CS55A (with KT88) in ultra linear, and the Roksan K3, going against Sugden A21L and the Exposure 3510.
Your question: a house sound that is consistent throughout the range is preferable to me.
Brian
Thank you Brian. Please let me know how you get on 😊
It’s time! Please review the 3510 pre and mono amps combo. This is, I think, the modern version of your end game amp set up. We need to know is this what we aspire to? What other options are there in this type of set up?
I have requested them but for a while Exposure are working on fulfilling back orders 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 any news on your review of the Gustard r26?
@@robcaputo9708 in the wings 😉
I think manufacturers should do the best they can and leave it to us to mix and match. Variety is interesting.
It is an interesting debate 😊
Hi Tarun interesting review , exposure is a very regarded make and does well in any review. But it still doesn’t seem to knock your Hagel off it’s spot . As regards the idea of a house sound this can only be a ability that seasoned reviewers would pick up on . I definitely for one have never listened to enough gear to comment , but I would assume anyone who favours a particular brand would expect a degree of similarity , but better overall . If that makes any sense . Best wishes and kind regards as always. 😀👍👍👍
Thank you Michael. By the way, I don’t consider the Hegel H190 to be better than the Exposure 3510, just different strengths and weaknesses 😊
Hi Tarun. It’s possible that the house sound changes with more power. Higher the watts, tone varies. Ask an ordinary singer to sing at low at high notes. Many may sound quite different. Amps could be same. To maintain the house sound at higher watts, surely is cost dependant and that’s where companies like Pass Labs come into.I really want to feel the difference between their class A at 30 watts and 60 watts. Because a person ( if he could) shouting at these 2 watts would surely sound different. How would an amp producer maintain this ?
Thank you Faluda. I agree, it is tricky to achieve consistent sound across products when the design varies. The 2510 has a passive preamp with just one set of transistors per channel and the 3510’s preamp is active with twice as many output devices 😊
Love your very professional reviews. Watched it a few times already. Would Exposure 3510 or 2510 a better match with Proac Tablette 10 Signature speakers? Which amplifier would produce a more 3 dimensional soundstage? Thank you!
Thank you. Both good options and will produce a 3D soundstage if set up right. It will come down to tonality preferences in the end 😊
Tarun, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Hegel H190 Roon implementation. Keep up the nice work. 👍
Thank you Eric 👍
The world is sound.. 🙏
Indeed 😊
Nice video as always tarun ..love from izzy...would love to see your review of the Naim supernait 3 ...as I'm thinking of making a purchase...if not no worries ..blessings 👍
Thank you buddy. I hope to get to it 😊👍
Sounds actually how I would describe my Rotel 1572 ra-mkll
Cool 😎 thank you for watching Paulo 😊
Strange how different your review is compared to KK's in Hi-FI News. He makes it out to be as close to a valve amp as you can get! Your review puts me right off it though, and I thank you for it because I know what I'm looking for and your description of the sound means I don;t need to shortlist it. Cheers!
If i have a product in for review, I deliberately don’t watch or read reviews on it elsewhere. That way I don’t get influenced by other peoples opinions 😊
Great review as always Mr Tarun. I bought the 3510 a month back - got it for a very good price from a distributor here. Would you say the 3510 is better than the h190 or are they both equally good though they would have their own unique strenghts & characteristics? I was considering buying the h190 earlier but gave up on it.
I found that the 3510 has very good dynamics & bass impact & drums and guitars have real good attack. The H80 doesn't have that bass slam nor the attack for drum sounds. This was with KEF R300s. Could only compare it to my Hegel H80. Though the H80 is still a very good amp I found the 3510 better in many ways.
Thank you. They are both very good amps with different sonic characteristics. The Hegel H190 has a more natural tonality where as the Exposure 3510 has better clarity and bass control 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Appreciate your quick response Tarun. I will be pairing the 3510 with dynaudio special 40s & buchardt s400 MKIIs in a couple of months. Unfortunately the 3510 is currently in my other home - in another state.
Наконец то прочитал полезную информацию как дошёл до вашего обзора.
Fine presentation, Tarun. As to the point of sonic character, I would say, in amplifier design, that we need to distinguish between amplification of electronic instruments versus acoustic. Anything acoustic, I want as neutral as possible. But then a guitar amp feeding into an open back speaker cabinet with 4x 12" drivers for the full range has different requirements than your neutral, musically pleasing and audiophile quality playback kit. The component matching may be challenging as the electrical engineers who design and sell kit to us have no clue about human hearing and how their specifications relate to that (as a gross generalization). When you mention a damping factor of over 2,000 then i think, wow that is very high, and other viewers may not have a clue what this means electrically let alone what it does sonic or how it relates to component pairing.
What I would like to know, when you describe the sound character of components, is what kind of music you used (acoustic or not) and how it was recorded in the case of acoustic.
I saw another reviewer's headphone review and he mentioned that music, showing a photo from the artists' media. That photo was revealing as it showed the band's instruments in back light with a microphone for each instrument - consequently this does not record the space and has an electronic down-mix into two channels and hence all phase spatial clues are removed and replaced by volume leveling in the down-mix. Such recordings make the requirement for perfect micro-dynamics very high, whereas acoustic recordings with no down-mix fully rely on phase differences and spatially caused colorations. Yes, you can record an electric guitar spatially acoustic as well, but what the instrument should sound like in playback is completely uncertain.
Very interesting. Thank you JP 😊
Have you reviewed the Kinki Studios EX-M1+? I'm wondering how these two amps would compare. Thanks, as always, for the thoughtfulness of your reviews
Thank you Phillip, I hope to get to them in time 😊
I think the manufacturer should have the same type of sound in the same category, series of models as they go up in price example would be more power output so consumers know that what are they going into. But on other hand they can change the sound of different series of models.
Thank you Gagan 😊