Exposure 2510 – What’s inside counts.

At first glance it may seem that the new 2510 from Exposure is just a 2010 with a couple of features removed. The 2010 had an optional plug-in phono module arrangement for either MM or MC depending on your requirements. The 2510 has a ‘fixed’ inbuilt MM only phono stage with no upgradability. This could in fact seem like a downgrade from what went before. However, it isn’t as this new model from Exposure Electronics has been refined in a number of key areas. Judging by what I heard during this review there is definitely more to it than some phono input tweaks and the the swapping of a ‘0’ for a ‘5’ on the model number. Please read on…

Before I get to what I found inside, lets talk about the 2010 model further, and Exposure in general. For those not familiar with Exposure Electronics the brand, it has been around as long as Naim (established in 1974) but clearly is not as well known. Also like Naim, it’s based in the UK and still manufactures in its own facility. In Exposure’s case, the factory is on the south coast near Worthing. In fact, it is just one kilometre as the crow flies from the Bowers and Wilkins factory. Oh, and in a further ode to British high fidelity history, they are located on Chartwell Road. Where the two brands diverge is Naim is a household name (in at least music loving families) and Exposure is generally not. Except for the folk who are members of the cult-like Exposure Fan Club, which actually has more members than you might expect.

Professional HiFi repairs performed by a qualified technician available now in Brisbane

The 2510 effectively replaces the 2010, which has long been a a popular and affordable model in the Exposure range. The 2010 has been around for perhaps 20 years. It has provided an entry point to Exposure ownership for those looking for a step above run-of-the-mill. The 2010 generally sold for $2000 or less. The power output of the 2010 and the new 2510 are similar at around 75 watts per channel into 8 ohms. The 2010 has been both a Mosfet and Bipolar transistor output stage design. The 2510 retains the more recent bipolar discrete output design of the 2010.

I’m not sure who’s responsible for this lack of fame and familiarity for Exposure, because it certainly isn’t the fault of the product. Having had some exposure to Exposure (groan…) over the years my experience has always been positive in regard to ease of operation, reliability, sound quality and listening enjoyment.

The feature list of the 2510 is super simple. The front panel sports a volume control, input selector and a power switch. This makes it more highly featured than the Naim Nait which hides it’s power switch ’round the back. For the sake of luxury or laziness it also comes with a remote control (with many more buttons than would appear to be required). It, of course, has the previously mentioned MM phono stage. It also offers an AV bypass function (effectively turning it into a power amp), a tape out and a pre-amp output. So in reality the Exposure 2510 has everything you might need for a good old style analogue stereo system.

Under the hood – It has a good quality case of simple folded aluminium sheet construction, with an aluminium lid, and a fat slab of aluminium as a front panel. The lid is not ventilated in any way as the amp runs particularly cool. Having removed the lid for a peak inside, I discovered a further slab of aluminium under the circuit board with the output transistors screwed down to it. Together this slab of aluminium and the aluminium casework act as an excellent heatsink. There is no need for external heatsinking or convective cooling. Full marks for this as dust and salt air are not good for any electronics and a fully enclosed case largely solves this problem.

My recollection of the last time I had the lid off a 2010 (fitting a phono stage) was that there were plenty of premium components inside. Having said that, the 2510 may have taken the premium parts list to a new level. The 2510 premium bill of materials includes: Elna electrolytic capacitors; a mains transformer of toroidal design; and main filtering caps of European manufacture in the form of Kendeils. Even the bipolar output stage employs very high current Toshiba devices. The volume level is controlled by an Alps Blue Velvet motorised pot. This impressive parts list is a great start in the quest for quality sound and is certainly likely to help with longevity. It is worth mentioning that having these kinds of quality components inside an amp at this price is unusual.

A few other observations of the general design would include: (a) no obvious unnecessary over-engineering of the circuit (b) no speaker output relay (see tech notes in green below) (c) the speaker terminals are of the banana socket variety (d) input switching is via microprocessor controlled relays. Everything has a nice feel to it. Yes, it lacks visual ‘edge’. However I’m guessing money not spent on industrial designers and fancy casework has instead been spent inside. This no doubt helps with the real reason amplifiers exist – to make sweet music !

And the sound ! – My first thought whenever I listen to an Exposure product is just how damned neutral they generally are. This is definitely the case with the 2510, unlike some amps that have a definite ‘colour’. Initially it’s slightly disarming…it just does everything sort of really well. It’s annoying because as a reviewer you can’t grab any one aspect of performance and carry on about it. For instance, the overall sound is very clean, smooth, and obviously fully extended at both ends of the spectrum. There is little grit or grain, and maybe its even a smidge ‘sweet’. The old “straight wire with gain” comes to mind. Stereo-wise, it’s big and wide, there is plenty of detail and it’s very fast. Although, I reckon it takes a few minutes to adjust to this lack of colour. In the end, 20 minutes in and I’m loving it, playing all sorts of things and enjoying the music.

I played Yello’s ‘30,000 days’ which had a huge stage. The finest of subtleties were delicately handled AND with a pace not always heard. It’s exciting! There is a real finesse about the way this amplifier reproduces percussion. The 2510 avoids sounding thrashy and trashy and yet offers up what feels like all the detail in the recording. The bass is extended and may be just a touch ‘full’ but in balance with the way the rest of the spectrum is reproduced. I like it a lot!

Calling up Jeff Becks ‘Live at Ronnie Scott’s’ and the track ‘Cause we’ve ended as lovers’ the bass solo (and what a solo) from Tal Wilkenfeld is wondrous. The Exposure allows us to hear more of what she is doing than many amplifiers. The 2510 also opens up this slightly closed-in sounding recording without a hint of hardness or undue sizzle.

I listened to dozens of tracks before realising I should actually note a few things down and scratch together this review. I guess that is the test and it passed. If you forget what you are doing and just start to listen to music – job done. I have heard plenty of products where I would just like to turn it off. Not so in this case.

The negatives? Well it’s not really a negative but it doesn’t punch extra hard in the lower octaves and it doesn’t have the apparent ‘grip’ of a huge amp or that Naim ‘snap’. It swaps that kind of grip for a reassuring warmth which is again in balance with the rest of the amplifier’s attributes. This attribute meshes nicely with its character in other areas.

Amplifiers do all indeed sound slightly different. Their character varies for generally obvious reasons such as the output devices being of one type or another. Or perhaps the outright power or damping factor might offer more control over the movement of your speakers bass units etc. In this case, I think the Exposure sounds the way it sounds simply because it has the bare minimum of stuff in between the input and output sockets. Just enough ‘doins’ to make the waveform bigger and allow the loudspeakers to sink some current. That’s that. I don’t think there is much more to it. I love simple reliable things that are enjoyable to use, and very enjoyable to listen to. Hence I did rather like the 2010 that went before. I rather prefer this incantation though as it sounds a bit bigger and even more charming.

If you just want to plug in an outboard streamer, CD player or turntable, connect speakers and do some listening the 2510 is perfect. Bluetooth, an app to control it and a 5 inch display are not available options.

The 2510 is for those who value sound quality above a long feature list. If this is you, then you should definitely take a close look at this new integrated amplifier from Exposure Electronics. Very Highly Recommended! Happy listening!

Click on any image above and peruse the gallery for High Resolution images.

• For – A genuinely good sounding amplifier. Incredibly transparent, clean and enjoyable to listen to.
• For – First class build quality and components at the price.
• For – Built in the UK if that is important to you.
• For – Simple to use, and a couple of useful extras such as AV mode and pre amp outs. Not always available on this type of amp.
• For – Sealed casework makes damage from salt air unlikely.
• For – It runs cool and includes premium quality components inside making a long life very likely.
• Against – The remote control appears to be a bit of an after thought but it does what it needs to do well with the volume control operating smoothly and enabling small changes in level easily.
• Against – A proper detailed manual would be nice although the quick start manual is one of the better ones out there.
• Against – Some won’t like the banana socket/plug only speaker connections.
• Against – Nothing else – there is a lot to like here!
• Note 1 – I did briefly listen to the inbuilt Moving Magnet phono stage but not in enough detail to comment here on its competency. The turntable I had on hand was not appropriate for the task. I will take a proper listen to it in the future if the opportunity arises and report back here.
• Note 2 – This amplifier is also available in Black finish.
• Dimensions – 440mm Wide x 93mm High (including feet) x 330mm Deep (inc knobs on front and sockets on rear)
• Weight – 6 Kg
• Price – AUD$2899
• Manufactured by – Exposure Electronics, Lancing, UK.
• Imported and distributed in Australia by – Audiofix, Qld.
• Tested with – Cambridge CXN V2 and Falcon LS3/5A Gold Badge, sited on Custom Design SQ402 stands, connected by Straightwire Symphony cables.