← The components

Exposure 3510 Preamplifier

Preamplifier

Relative price

below typical

Among the 29 preamplifiers in the catalogue, this one is below typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

CRITICAL ELECTRICAL FIT: RCA-only output topology. Cannot natively drive XLR-only power amps (Naim NAP 250/350, Sugden MPA-4) without an RCA→XLR adapter cable. Native fit with: 3510 Stereo, 3510 Mono (both RCA + XLR), Cyrus Mono X (RCA + XLR), Audiolab 9000P (RCA + XLR), Cambridge Edge W/M (RCA + XLR), Quad Artera Stereo/Mono (RCA + XLR), Chord ULTIMA range (RCA + XLR), Rega Solis (RCA + XLR — Rega recommends RCA anyway).

Competition record

Assessed against 7 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 43 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • quietness at rest ×40
  • vocal presence ×10
  • low-level clarity ×4
  • midrange truth ×3

Who it comes up against

Music First Audio Baby Reference V2

10 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 keeps the slot decisively.

With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

had not heard a better preampStereophile (Art Dudley) — Baby Reference V1 review
had not heard a better preampStereophile (Art Dudley) — Baby Reference V1 review

Audiolab 9000Q

9 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the Audiolab 9000Q keeps the slot clearly.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review

NVA P50 MKII

9 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50 MKII keeps the slot clearly.

With the Audiolab 9000P, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audiolab 9000P gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

NVA P50SA MKII

8 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference

Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50SA MKII keeps the slot clearly.

With the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair), the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

pin sharp clarityNVA owner consensus (P50SA)
pin sharp clarityNVA owner consensus (P50SA)

Leema Neutron

4 lost · Cavity-Native, Characterful, Romantic

Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Leema Neutron keeps the slot clearly.

With the Leema Hydra II, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.

EAR Yoshino 868L (Line)

2 lost · Intimate

Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line) keeps the slot clearly.

With the EAR Yoshino 890, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the weaker preamplifier for that brief.

868L line preamp, Tim de Paravicini valve designEAR Yoshino 868L + multi-decade Stereophile heritage

Audio Note M2 Phono

1 lost · Intimate

Against the Intimate brief, the Audio Note M2 Phono keeps the slot clearly.

With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.

On its own merits the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.

Audio Note pre with onboard phono, classic SET-friendly voicingAudio Note M2 Phono + Stereophile heritage

Systems it is part of

What the reviewers said

Exposure timing-focused preamplifier Exposure 3510 Pre + Hi-Fi & Stereo (consistent with Int)· Timing precision
wide-open soundstage... defined locations Hi-Fi News 2022· Spatial resolution
forensic levels of detail Hi-Fi News 2022· Micro-dynamic resolution
musical and organic... pure Hi-Fi News 2022· Tonal body

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 76 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Tonal body 76 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

is balanced internalFalse
is dual monoFalse
has built in phonoFalse
phono typeMM/MC (optional)
rca inputs5
xlr inputs0
line input impedance kohm47.0
line input sensitivity mv275.0
rca outputs2
xlr outputs0
din outputs0
output impedance ohm12
output max v7.7
headphone outFalse
internal bass managementnone
gain db18.0
dimensions mm440/90/300
weight kg6.0
notes