Hi folks, and welcome to the latest article from us here at Audio T Brighton. We’re potentially in for a bit of amplification bliss this month as we’re taking a look and a listen to a product from across the English Channel; the French manufacturer, Advance Paris.

Offering a diverse range of products new to us here at Audio T, they provide consumers an alternative choice of hi-fi products at both the entry-level, right up to the high-end. Advance Paris has been in business for over a quarter of a century and it will be fascinating to see what delights they bring to the Audio T-able! (See what I did there?)

Advance Paris x-i75 integrated amp...

The Advance Paris x-i75 integrated amplifier is a well-adorned and smart-looking device with a specified 75W/ch into 8-ohms, a plethora of inputs on the rear, which includes: a MM phono input for a turntable, 1 x CD analogue input, 1 x Tuner analogue input and 4 x Auxiliary analogue inputs, 2 x co-axial digital inputs, 1 x optical(toslink) digital input, 1 x asynchronous USB-B input for a computer/laptop and 1 x USB-A input to allow music files to be played from an attached storage device, such as a USB memory stick or hard drive. An optional Bluetooth module can be purchased and plugged into the provided slot on the rear, if desired, as there is no network wireless connectivity built-in as standard. To be fair, consumers have alternative options from Advance Paris with products available in their range should they wish to go for network connectivity. Apart from that, customers will be unlikely to want more plug-in options than are available in the current range.

the well adorned input rear of the advance paris x-i75

Headphone users will be pleased to see a 1/4 inch headphone jack for personal listening. This is an advancement on the usual 3.5mm mini-jack available on many of the competitors offerings.

For full specifications on the Advance Paris x-i75 integrated amplifier please click on this link.

The Advance Paris x-i75 in use... Sacre bleu!

In order to gain some sonic impressions of the Advance Paris x-i75 amplifier we decided to partner it with a source from the same stable, the x-CD7 compact disc player, commensurate in price and a product we’ve heard a real buzz about!

I carefully placed a copy of The Very Best of Nina Simone and witnessed a positive closing of the CD tray. If you’re in a hurry to start listening to music, the x-CD7 won’t keep you hanging around because once the drawer has closed the CD starts to play immediately! It appears that the default setting on this unit is set to autoplay and this may be a convenient feature for some. On a more light-hearted note, it did remind me of a scene from Ronnie Barker’s BBC production of Open All Hours where Arkwright’s till drawer closed in a similar manner 😆

Sonically, the Advance Paris x-i75 amp and x-CD7 CD player seemed perfectly well-matched and provided a vibrant and flavourful sound, especially when reproducing Nina Simone’s voice.

John Scofield’s Uberjam Deus provided an album of weight and punch to test out the x-i75’s ability to control bass and play a tune and the pairing did a fine job, exceeding the performance of its price class.

Horses for courses, when it comes to hi-fi systems at this price point, both products performed extremely well in different areas, with subjective differences evident with a good in-store demonstration. We always recommend this approach before parting with your hard-earned cash when buying a new hi-fi system, of course, because variety is the spice of life.

We tried the Wharfedale Lintons with the Advance Paris set-up and the Lintons did the job nicely, offering a warm balance which we think complements the Advance Paris very well.

Quelle surprise!

We have been surprised by the quality of the Advance Paris offerings and the extensive range of models available to potential customers. The x-i75 amplifier and matching x-CD7 CD player offer customers a viable alternative to the competition with an extensive upgrade path available as you advance through their range.

As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so get in touch to book a demonstration.

Thanks for reading.

Ade - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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