Advance Paris has chosen the new A10 Classic integrated amplifier with DAC for a tube based preamplifier, where old and new go hand in hand.
Traditionally Advance has always played a prominent role with integrated amplifier/dac models in the price range up to €1500. Well-known predecessors of the brand new A10 Classic are the MAP 308, X-i120 and X-i125. However, the successor A10 Classic is different, because it has a tube preamplifier on board. It is the first time that Advance uses vacuum tubes in the preamplifier section.
For the power amplifier, tubes are not chosen, because Advance chooses for sufficient power, dynamics and reliability. The Advance Paris A10 Classic delivers two extra distinguishing features. One is the HIGH BIAS circuit, which will amplify with less power, but uses more Class A power. So it acts like a class-A amplifier. For difficult to control speakers, High Bias (Class A) is often not the ideal option, but speakers with a fairly high efficiency can benefit from the High Bias setting. It’s a lot of fun to experiment with. The differences can be small, but also surprisingly large.
Inputs
Advance Paris promises that there will be plenty of analog and digital inputs available, as well as USB-A, USB-B, HDMI-ARC (for TV sound) and HDMI-Audio for video sources. The latter can be used for Blu-ray players that have a separate HDMI audio output or extract the audio signal (e.g. a game console) via HDMI and convert it via the internal D/A converter to an analog signal offered to the amplifier. For vinyl enthusiasts, there is a very extensive phono input for MM with adjustable input capacity of 100, 200 or 300pF.
DAC
Advance is a pioneer in the field of dac integration and continues this tradition. The A10 Classic uses the famous AKM AK4490 (32bit/768kHz) dac. The asynchronous USB-B input, equipped with the latest XMOS chip (xCore 200-XU208-256-TQ64), allows Hi-Res music files such as DSD84, DSD128 and DSD256, both direct DSD and DSD over PCM (DoP) modes, to be played
Advance has also been a specialist in this field since the advent of the Bluetooth aptX standard. The A10 Classic is equipped with a digital input for an optional Advance X-FTB01 or X-FTB02 Bluetooth receiver. Unlike many other Bluetooth receivers, which are equipped with a relatively simple built-in DAC, the X-FTB…makes a direct connection (Direct Path) with the high quality DAC in the amplifier itself,” says the manufacturer.
One-button operation
The Advance Paris A10 Classic is also distinguished by its practical one-button operation, which allows you to adjust volume, input selection, bass and treble tone control (by-pass), balance and other settings. An IR system remote control is included in the scope of delivery. The current retail price is €1499.