Date: 2024-11-19
Exposure returns to its roots with a full-width integrated inspired by the improved circuit design of the recent 5010 monoblock power amps. Does 'old school' still cut it?
Nostalgia doesn't come any better than this: an integrated amplifier that looks like it escaped from the 1980s, all minimalist and line-level and 440mm wide. But Exposure has been around for close to 50 years, so this isn't some exercise in retro from an arriviste brand with cod heritage. Rather, the 3510 is a device for reminding people like me of (hi-fi) life in simpler times.
Bold Step
There are three forthcoming plug-ins – a USB/DSD64-compatible DAC and an MM phono or an MC phono board, but the 3510 can only house one. Both phono modules will offer two sensitivity/gain settings combined with 47 kohm loading for MM and 100, 110, 130, 160, 210, 310 and 470ohm for the MC board. In the spirit of the price category, I reviewed our line-only 3510 with an external sub-£500 phono stage.
Specs-wise, too, the 3510 integrated amplifier could have been plucked from the pages of the 1980 Hi-Fi Yearbook although key areas of the preamp circuit design, and even the choice of power transistors, have witnessed a process of evolution and improvement over the decades. Otherwise Exposure operates under the very sensible 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it' school of engineering. The conservative factory power rating is 110W/8ohm and it provides line inputs labelled Aux/Phono, CD, Aux 2, AV with fixed gain for switchable home theatre bypass, a tape in/out loop and two preamp outs, the latter useful for feeding subs or for connecting other power amplifiers.
All of these are single-ended RCA connections, accompanied by two sets of loudspeaker outputs for which Exposure took a bold step – instead of multi-way binding posts, the 3510 accepts banana plugs only. And, in case you're wondering why an amplifier would offer two sets of speaker outputs, but no A/B speaker selector switch (as was once the fashion), their role here is to simplify bi-wiring.
Its uncluttered front panel contains, from left to right, a push button for power on/off, rotary source selector, a row of LEDs to indicate the chosen source, a sensor for the remote control and a ¼in headphone socket. The supplied remote is a new system commander with buttons for other Exposure components, but here deals with source, volume up/down and mute.
Hot Topic
The installation is self-explanatory for anyone who has ever set up a basic system, which adds to the delicious blast-from-the-past ambience. The lack of phono or DAC modules in our sample made my life even easier, and I immediately set it up with feeds from an SACD player, a CD player, an open-reel deck and a turntable-via-phono-amp. Speakers were all stand-mounted two-way systems, but I couldn't resist a burst of the Wilson Sasha DAWs [HFN Mar '19] to sate my curiosity.
Despite the closed nature of all integrated amplifiers, the 3510 does encourage growth over the years, as its doubled-up pre-out and speaker outputs suggest, while a detachable mains cable also begs for experimentation. These, too, recall the mind-set, zeitgeist and status quo of the early days of Exposure, when cables, bi-wiring and other tweaks were hot topics, and even audiophiles on a tight budget expected an element of flexibility. If I remember correctly, even the market-dominating, £79 NAD 3020 [HFN Jan '80 and Nov '12] offered a preamp output.
Silky Thrills
Switch-on is accompanied by a brief muted period, after which three red LEDs illuminate and tell you the system is operational: one for power on, one for the source indication and the last is on the motorised volume control so you can see its position from the listening seat. When you hit mute, the source and level LEDs are extinguished. As for the headphone output, this mutes the speakers when you insert a ¼in jack, and I'm happy to report that I couldn't find a pair of cans it wouldn't drive with anything less than distinction.
Of late, I have been rediscovering SACD, staggered by the way it narrows the gap between CD and LP, but baffled by its cult status. What Exposure's 3510 delivered with the kind of impact I would expect of a £25k high-end import weighing 50kg was Nilsson's Schmilsson [Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2219], in its tougher moments. Of course, the aching ballad 'Without You' demanded finesse, which the 3510 exhibits by the bushel, but it was the bass run that opens 'Jump Into The Fire' that made me realise this wasn't 'just another integrated'.
For this track, the bass guitar is the lead instrument with Herbie Flowers in virtuoso mode, dominating the number while the rest of the album is piano-biased. The 3510 reaches down deep, but it pulls off a deft trick: instead of the bass overshadowing all else, the guitars at the extreme ends of the soundstage hover around it, while Nilsson's slightly nasal vocals nestle on top of the big, fat, bottom end.
All the while, there's a coherence and openness that reminded me more of the vinyl offering than CD, while the drum solo towards the track's finish had the kind of atmosphere I expect of a pristine Kodo recording. Then the bass comes in again, and even my diminutive LS3/5As seemed more comfortable with the surfeit of lower octave material than one might imagine. Why is simple, for the 3510 exhibits speaker control like a Sgt Major.
As I wasn't in the mood to wallow solely in wooferland, I cued back to 'Without You', a song so excruciatingly poignant that even Maria Carey's histrionic delivery couldn't butcher it. Nilsson treats it with a tenderness that recalls the great romantics such as Johnny Mathis, the stage set with the most delicate piano trills, along with utterly gorgeous strings and horns.
What the 3510 did to surprise me was to present them with a silkiness I associate more with tubes like EL34s or even 300Bs. The 3510 was emerging as a solid-state amp for those who want but cannot cope with valves. Better still was the sense of majesty that this love song warrants, because it is one of the all-time heartbreakers, up there with the likes of 'In My Life' and 'Waterloo Sunset'.
Into Africa
I was starting to think that, at least in digital terms, using SACD was a cheat because it is so inherently superior to any other pre-recorded digital format I have experienced. Turning next to conventional CDs, I slipped in a disc from a package I detest, 80 vile tracks from Now Yearbook 1983 [Sony/EMI 94398 73352]. It made me thank the heavens that I wasn't a teenager when the charts were dominated by the likes of Spandau Ballet, Wham, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, or the tedious Spandau Ballet. Desperate to find even one track that wouldn't render me suicidal, I settled on Toto's 'Africa'.
Why, you might ask, would I even bother with this set if I hate 75% of the content? Simple: if a system is magical, you will listen to anything, as I found myself sitting through open-reel tapes from Mantovani, Percy Faith, and even the soundtrack to Zorba The Greek. If the 3510 could render any of those tracks tolerable, from a period when everything was synthesiser-driven, reeking of artifice and so bright and edgy that one's teeth ached, then it was a champion indeed.
Thumbs Up
Back to Toto, which I actually admire because they are peerless musicians and 'Africa' is a gorgeous, elegiac work. (It was that, or Public Image Ltd, or New Order…) Bang! Straight off I was hearing snap and transient attack, supported by rich bass. I have no idea what instruments are on this track because it is, like the dreck that shares disc space with it, a mix of the real and the electronic.
Regardless, the sound drew me in, a scaled-down facsimile of what was possible from an SACD via £100,000's worth of high-end kit. And it was enough to sell me on the 3510's sheer listenability, its competence having already been demonstrated with the Nilsson SACD. One other track on Now Yearbook 1983, though, couldn't be skipped as it's been a while since I revelled in genuine a cappella.
Five voices in perfect harmony: The Flying Pickets' magnificent 'Only You' was a fave demo track back 40 years ago and it still sends chills up and down my spine. Here the challenge was to see how Exposure's 3510 separated the voices, though I have no idea if this was multi-tracked, tweaked in the studio or otherwise manipulated electronically. Whatever its origins, the performance was opened up sufficiently for me to home in on each voice with remarkable facility, and yet it was always cohesive.
It was the new 45rpm issue of Jeff Beck's immortal Truth [Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-502] that stamped a solid thumbs-up on this integrated amp. Take my word for it, if you love this album as I do, this is as good as it gets. The 3510 handled every element with skill, from the textures of a then-young Rod Stewart's vocals to the roiling bass courtesy of Ronnie Wood, all the while respecting the thunderous percussion of Micky Waller.
But the star here is Beck, and his specialty is wrenching myriad textures and sounds from his guitars: wah-wah, fuzz, even a lush interpretation of 'Greensleeves'. So a tip for Exposure dealers: demo the 3510 amp with this album, and you'll sell one every time.
Hi-Fi News Verdict
In addition to providing a muchneeded and refreshing wander down Memory Lane, Exposure's 3510 integrated reminded me how much fun an uncomplicated system of source/amp/speakers can be. It worked faultlessly, drove hungry speakers with ease (inc. Wilson's Sasha DAW) and established a case for simplicity – not something every part of the audio biz wants to hear. You want painless hi-fi? You got it.
Technical Specifications
Continuous power (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 135W / 220W
Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 166W / 318W / 546W / 762W
Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.010–0.022ohm
Freq. resp. (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) –0.19dB to –1.0dB / –15.8dB
Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/110W) 25mV / 265mV
A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/110W) 80.2dB / 100.6dB
Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1W/10W) 0.003–0.058% / 0.006–0.051%
Power consumption (idle/rated o/p) 25W / 370W (1W standby)
Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 440x115x300mm / 12kg
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