Exposure 2510

Exposure 2510 an integrated amplifier of great tradition with the classic and timeless “British sound”

Exposure was born in England, West Sussex, in 1974 and immediately perfected the art of creating truly Hi-Fi products for true music lovers. It was born at a time of full ferment for quality reproduction, in the English “Silicon Valley” of audio reproduction, just a stone’s throw away from companies such as Kef, SME, Bowers & Wilkins, Naim, in short, high-sounding names and just to name a few.

Exposure despite the fact that many things have changed in the market has remained in England and enjoys excellent health, maintaining the primal philosophy, that is, absolute commitment to never compromise on quality, designing and building products with the best sound and excellent value for money. In short, simple and elegant machines that bring any music collection to life, looking simple and functional, easy to use and maintain. What characterizes them, first of all, is the aesthetic appearance, which would make them recognizable on any shelf even among a thousand other products, and almost the same as the first series. The products differ only in the naming of the models, formerly done with Roman symbols, now, and it benefits practicality, with numbers gradually increasing according to the importance of the product. Only the “small” series, the half-width ones, are marked with letters.

Numerous products are in the range. The 360 turntable, the 2510 amplifier under review, the 3510 line, which consists of an integrated, a preamp, a stereo and mono power amp, and a CD player, then the top-of-the-line 5010, with a preamp and mono power amp. Finally the mid-size XM series, XM3 phono, XM5 integrated, XM7 preamp, XM9 mono power amp, and finally XM HP headphone amp and XM CD the CD player

2510, the classic

It looks very much like the 10, first 35W version gradually more powerful over the years with the 2X50W Super 10, Super 15 and then 20 and 30 2X60W, replaced by the 80W XXXV and then this 2510. Very simple, with only two knobs, inputs and volume, the only concession to the fad being the remote control and the dual color, black and silver, to meet public demand; before they were only, absolutely, black.

There are 4 inputs, plus a MM phono that can become an aux1 in the absence of a turntable, a tape-loop, an AV input with pass-trought, and finally a pre-out. The output binding-posts, in full Exposure tradition, accept only banana connections, not too convenient but much safer than traditional binding-posts that with poor space arrangement could encourage short-circuits. In short, the very classic analog amplifier, whose only “numerical” quirk is remote control inputs and volume. Circuit-wise, too, the realization is simple and very rational, with the cooling fin carved out of the case, something that, for example, was also used by ONYX, another rather well-known British brand, and coeval with Exposure.

A look inside denotes the use of high-quality capacitors used in the signal path, with a well-designed layout to shorten the signal path as much as possible. Many components are SMD while some others, those that by value would not be compatible with this technology are instead classic. Production of the printed circuit board and soldering of the surface mount components (SMD) are done in the East as a matter not only of cost but also of availability of high-precision machines, while all through-hole components and final assembly/testing are done in England. The schematic, to the eye, looks very similar to that of the old Exposures, updated only in chief to the components and some values, such as those of the filter capacitors, and to the remote control and volume control management system, done with the classic ALPS blue motorized potentiometer seen on many modern designs. Note the fact that this part of the control is as “analog” as possible, so as not to affect the circuits with radio-frequency noise. Note the realization done almost exclusively in discrete except for the inclusion of an op-amp to handle the phono input.

A dip into the past with feet firmly planted in today

Exposure is always the same. And this is an advantage. The sound, the timbre, the signature, is exactly the same as the early products, and the one you would expect from the British manufacturer. A plunge into the past because it seems to go back over 40 years ago to listen not only to Exposure, but to so many British signatures, such as Cambridge, Naim, Onyx and are to name a few. A sound that in its homogeneity and dough gives you chills. Dense, full-bodied, enveloping, it makes any content enjoyable. Here, what British electronics have always had is the enviable ability to be able to play everything not only and not so much as musical genres but as recording quality with great ease and authority, making any content enjoyable, and this is a unique and absolutely enviable gift. You listen, without thinking about the system, what you hear accompanies you, relaxes you, pampers you. The only difference with the past a greater driving ability, a verve unknown to the primitive Exposure (but like all other colleagues from across the Channel) from which you could ask nothing more than the often limited plate power, which accompanied sometimes laboriously the speakers to which they were connected. With this 2510 you can hear that time has passed and the components have evolved. There is more speed, more driving ability, but the sound is the same, the same splendid feeling that has made so many HiFi enthusiasts in general and the British sound in particular fall in love with it. After all, these electronics made a name for themselves in the 1980s in uncharted terrain, between the Japanese and the HiEnd, proposing an entirely different point of view that put music at the center of attention. What we listen to today is very similar to what we listened to in the early days of our passion, albeit rejuvenated.

Conclusions

2510 is suitable for music lovers who want an everlasting product that can accompany them on their emotional journey without ever betraying them, in fact always managing to bring out magic and emotion. Of course, it is totally far from the current standards, it has no extra lights, vu-meter, controls, it doesn’t even weigh too much, in short it is just substance. And after all, music, real music, is “just” substance.

Technical specifications:

Power: 75W on 8Ω
Total harmonic distortion: <0.0015%
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: >100dB
Separation between channels: >80dB
Line Sensitivity: 350mV
MM sensitivity: 2.5mV
Power consumption: <200W
Dimensions: 90X44X30
Weight: 6kg

Price: 2470€

Manufacturer: Exposure Unit 18, Winston Business Centre, 43 Chartwell Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8TU, tel. +44 1273 423877, www.exposurehifi.com

Distributor: ASM srl Contrada Cereo 2 36078 Valdagno (VI) tel/wapp: 3356610736, www.asmdistribuzione.com