Exposure XV Super Amplifiers

Exposure XV Super Amplifiers 

DESCRIPTION

55w p/c integrated amp

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 13  
[Jun 04, 2023]
chaples19


Strength:

Solidly built with audio circuits isolated from power supply circuits for pavers tauranga!

Weakness:

None . .

Purchased:
New  
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Feb 06, 2023]
cecelia


Strength:

Mine has not been restored or upgraded other than replacing the burned out sterio indicator with a LED and resistor to reduce the amount of current and thus reduce the chance of burning out the driver IC. The potentiometers and switches are due for a cleaning as you would expect, but the sound is still excellent. Oxnard Mobile Mechanic

Weakness:

None . .

Purchased:
New  
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Jan 04, 2013]
Steve H
Audio Enthusiast

I wanderd on to this site by accident but hey what a good site it is!
I have a Exposure 15 (Original non Super) with a low serial number and moving coil phono.I have lived with this one forever (or so it seems)! It has never failed in anyway, a number of times I have thought it was time to replace it with some thing more modern. Yes the new amps are more in your face with thundering bass and turbo sound stage (keeping up with A/V applications)? But when it comes down to honest 2 channel listening I keeping returning to my 15, I can't easily define why other then its rythmic musicality.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 24, 2004]
trebor
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Rhythm, timing, pace, sweetness, detail, power, dynamics, and MUSICALITY.

Weakness:

Slight hiss on sensitive speakers. Sounds a little bit too bouncy on budget gear

This is my second super 20 (I never should have sold the first one) These amps really do make music enjoyable, they have awesome power for their ratings. I remember hearing a pals 35 watt Exposure X (10) many years ago, when I had a 60 watt Audiolab 8000A and his exposure left it for dead I'm not just talking loudness here because they have a really dynamic sound that thrills you at any volume setting. My super 20 is smooth and detailed, it has pace and rhythm with excellent timing. Some componants are criticised for sounding dry in the bass, the Exposure can only be described as wet Im not saying that the bass is loose far from it, its just that it has feel and a pleasantness to it Am I the only Exposure user who actually likes the thump that you get from the speakers when you switch it on? You need to take care when you partner these amps, previously I used one with Mission 753 floorstanders which were really sensitive at 91dB and two problems occured. Firstly, from experience most amps sound best when warm but the super 20 stays freezing cold on sensitive speakers and secondly, on speakers with high sensitivity you may hear a slight hiss (especially on old music) In short, use high quality speakers, these usually are quite insensitive. I am currently using Cyrus CLS70 on there own stands along with a Rel Storm subwoofer very subtley adding the bottom actave and the musicality of the Exposure works well with my speakers transparency. Prior to the cyrus' I was using B&W P4 floorstanders and this was a real rollercoaster ride that I loved but in my smallish listening room there was a tad too much bass and vocals were a bit too warm. My previos amps on the P4's were a used pair of Audio Analogue Bellini pre and Donizetti power amps, these went back to the shop due to an annoying mechanical hum from the power amp. This may sound a bit controvercial but although these newer £1200 pre-power amps were nice they weren't any better than the Super 20 The build quality is very good also. The super 20 weighs 9Kg even though it has a lightweight all aluminium case. That hefty custom toroidal and the 4 big reservoir caps being most of the mass here. The power switch looks a bit Maplin or Tandy (radio shack) but the switches and volume pot are top quality and never get crackly. I have never heard of an Exposure failing but care needs to be taken when connecting up as there is no short-circuit protection on the outputs. All in all - Buy one, you'll be smiling before you get to the end of the first song!

Similar Products Used:

Audio Analogue Bellini + Donizetti, Audiolab 8000A, Arcam delta`s, Cyrus Two and Cyrus 8, Technics SU900A MK2, Nad pre-power, Exposure X, Denons

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 20, 1999]
Andi
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very strong rythmic performer, highly involving, vivid

One of the most involving and entertaining integrateds
money can buy. This amplifier has the ability to make you
listen to music, not to a hifi-system. Its performance
is detailed and fine, and the XV Super can be
a REAL boogie box, too. Seems to satisfy for a very long time.

Similar Products Used:

Creek 4040 S2, Naim Nait 2

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 09, 2001]
Carl
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

very musical and very reliable, lovely phono stage

Weakness:

thud on power on and yes, it is a bit noisy

Mine is actually an Exposure 15, before the super versions. Its an early one too from about 1990/1 vintage. Extrememly musical and has reponded to speaker upgrades well - Royd A7 for 10 years and recently to Rogers LS55 floorstanders. Basically I have sat and listened to the music through this amp for 10 years now - what more can I say. It has never had any problems - it only ever gets turned off to move house! If I were to upgrade this in my main system then of course I would look to the exposure pre/power combos. As an aside I recently bought a home cinema amp - yamaha dsp-a2. I couldn't resist the comparision with the exposure in pure stereo. Apart from the superior phone stage of the exposure - the Yamaha meets the exposure in every way, except that indefinable musicality. Yes I can thoroughly recommend Exposure.

Similar Products Used:

tried Exposure 10 and Naim Nait at the time

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 19, 2000]
Francesc Clapes
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Musicality. Drives power hungry speakers authoritatively.
Sweet sound

Weakness:

Pops when turned on and off.

My 85 dB Rogers Studio 3 compact monitors did not reveal all its immense potential with the Marantz. It was a good sounding amb but suitable only for easy speakers. I spent two years listening to the equipment rather than the music. Hooking them up to the Exposure Super XV was a revelation! Not only it drives them with overwhelming authority but also makes them shine. The 55 wpc rating is quite conservative. Unlike other amps it sounds great right from turning it on. It is sweet and detailed. I can listen to it for hours without getting listening fatigue at all. Excels with voice, acoustic and jazz (the speakers have something to do with that) but I find it also very good at any other type of music. Sober black fascia has some ugliness but once you turn it on, you just listen to the music. And for vinyl junkies like me it has a splendid m/m phono stage to boot. I compared it with Sugden A21a (runs too hot), Lavardin IS (impressive sound but lacks the nerve to drive my speakers), Anthem 1 Integrated (takes too long to warm up and I do not want to have to worry about tube changing from time to time) and the Audio Analogue Puccini SE (not up to the job). The Super XV was the clear winner. And its solidly built. So I expect to have it with me for many years. Highly recommended if you have difficult speakers. Feature freaks refrain: no balance, tone controls, headphone output, etc. Money is spent on quality i/o gizmos.
One thing that called my attention was the presence of Listen and Record selector which I did not understand at first. Now I've just bought a Creek OBH11SE headphone amp and this feature has turned out quite useful. As the Creek is connected to the tape loop, I just put the Listen to mute and select the source from the Record selector.
This amp is about music. That's what it should always be.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz PM66 KI-S

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 03, 2001]
James Lollobrigida
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Phono Stage, Build Quality.

Weakness:

That power-on thump. Looks.

I was looking for a new amp to inject a bit of life into my system as my previous amp, a Musical Fidelity E10 was a bit lacking in dynamics for some of my heavier CD's. So after trawling the local dealers I spotted the Exposure going VERY cheaply in Sevenoaks HiFi. At that price I assumed there would be something wrong with it! Turned out that it had been part-exed for an Exposure 2-box amp by a very happy owner, but Sevenoaks had been unable to clear it out. The salesman told me that customers in that price range generally expect a bit more glitz for their money...!

Listening commenced on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a pile of rocking CD's and some familiar lighter stuff. The Exposure impressed straight away with its rock solid rhythms and pace. Sounds seemed more solid and 'real' than before. In contrast I found the Naim a bit 2 dimensional by comparison. The Arcam sounded every bit as good as the Exposure, maybe a little more forward but with less control over the rhythm. Both were better than the Cyrus which just didnt sound in the same class to me. Since the Exposure was $300 with 3 months guarantee and the Arcam was full price (about $1200) my choice was obvious.

The amp has revitalised my music collection and continues to impress every day. I would thoroughly recommend one to anybody.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 10, Naim Nait And Cyrus 7 auditioned at the same time

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 24, 1999]
brad
an Audio Enthusiast

The Exposure Super 15 is an exceptionally musical integrated amplifier. It's not much to look at, but it's the music that counts and this little amplifier does music very well. I compared it directly to the NAIM NAIT3 and to my ears the Exposure was much more mellow and warm. The NAIM had a clarity that the Exposure was lacking on certain pieces; however, the accuracy of the NAIM became fatiguing to my ears. The phono stage is a nice option and the 55 w p/c make this amplifier a good deal at $1450.00. If you are in the market for an entry level "high-end" amplifier you should seriously consider the Exposure line. (Super 15- built in phono stage) (Super 20- no phono stage) and (Super 25- remote control/no phono) I give this amp four stars simply because there are better amps out there (costing much more money), but at this price you'd be hard pressed to find a superior product.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Jun 20, 1999]
Mark
an Audiophile

This is my favorite amplifier I have ever heard. I know you hear that about lots of products, but really, this is fabulous stuff.
This is probably the sweetest top octave I have ever heard. The music becomes extraordinarily involving and alive. This is truly a pleasure to listen to.

The only complaint is that the amp is noisy. The noise level can get annoying unless you're listening at reasonably high levels. This is really a wimpy complaint because the product is as musical as it gets.

Ask anyone who has ever heard this product: this is the kind of product that makes you love music, not electronics.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
Showing 1-10 of 13  

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