Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
Advance Paris is a fairly new entrant into the North American audio market, but it has been in business overseas for 30 years. The company started in France in 1995 as a speaker manufacturer, Advance Audio, then moved into electronics in the 2010s, changed its name to Advance Paris, and began exporting to North America in 2021. However, only in the last year or so have its products gained significant distribution on this side of the pond.
Several reviewers have characterized the X-i75’s big brothers, the A10 and A12 ($2499 and $3799, respectively, all prices in USD), as half-price McIntoshes—high praise indeed, and a comparison probably originating from the large, blue VU meters on their front panels. My introduction to the brand came a few months ago when two friends and I took a road trip to Indianapolis to audition the A10; one of my friends had decided it was time to upgrade his system.
He ended up buying a different amplifier, but I was very impressed with how the A10 sounded. So I contacted Rob Standley, founder of Advance Paris’s US distributor, Playback Distribution, in suburban Indianapolis, and requested a review sample of the X-i75, attracted by its very reasonable list price of $999.
Description
Most Advance Paris integrated amplifiers can be distinguished by a large aluminum knob in the middle of a black-glass front panel. The X-i75 is a full-size component, measuring 4.7″H × 16.9″W × 12.6″D and weighing 19 pounds. Rated output is 75Wpc into 8 ohms or 110Wpc into 4 ohms. Specified THD is 0.1%.
As noted above, the X-i75 is strikingly styled. When powered down, all you see is the standby/on push button on the left, the large control knob in the middle, and a 6.35mm (¼″) headphone jack on the far right. However, behind this simple front panel is an amplifier with an impressive range of features.
Turn it around and you’ll find, from left to right across the top, a connector for an optional Bluetooth receiver; a USB-A port for connecting an external drive containing WAV, WMA, and/or MP3 files; and a USB-B port for connecting a PC or Mac, with support for sampling rates up to 192kHz. Then, there’s a 3.5mm jack for 5V power, a connector for service diagnostics, and three S/PDIF inputs: two coaxial (RCA) and one optical (TosLink). Over to the right are a set of very good speaker connectors that accept bare wire, spades, or banana plugs; a three-prong IEC power inlet; and the main power switch and voltage selector.
The X-i75 has a generous range of analog inputs: one moving-magnet phono with ground terminal and seven line-level inputs, labeled CD, Tuner, Aux 1 through Aux 4, and PC2. Next are a fixed-level record output in case you want to connect a recorder of some sort, preamp-out and amplifier-in jacks, and a subwoofer jack that outputs full-bandwidth summed mono—the low-pass filter is set on the sub itself. An unusual element is a small slide switch that lets you select between conventional class-AB output and a high-bias option that puts the X-i75 in class-A mode for the first few watts of output. The manual cautions that high-bias mode increases heat output, so effective ventilation is important if you plan to use this option.
The big satin aluminum knob on the front of the amplifier is used to adjust volume, select inputs, and choose from the amplifier’s many options. Its default function is volume control. Push the knob once, and you can cycle through the inputs by turning the knob. Another push lets you adjust bass; yet another, treble; and one more, balance. Still another push turns bypass mode on and off in case you’re using the amplifier section in a home-theater setup. Push again and it activates or deactivates the loudness contour. Another push lets you set APD (Automatic Power Down), which offers choices for when the amp should shut off after the absence of a signal. One more push and the knob is back to controlling volume.
The X-i75 comes with a large plastic-and-aluminum remote control that not only duplicates all the functions of the front-panel knob, but also offers some extra functions such as mute. It can also be used to operate Advance Paris’s CD players. The remote is very long and doesn’t naturally balance in your hand, but I became accustomed to using it after a while.
Internally, the center of the amplifier is dominated by a large toroidal power transformer. The output stages are segregated on each side of the chassis to minimize crosstalk. Above the right-channel driver board resides the unit’s Wolfson 8740–based DAC. Another board contains the control and preamplifier circuitry. The printed circuit boards are a dazzling bright red. The layout is clean and uncluttered.
The included four-language Quick Start Guide (English, French, German, and Italian) is adequate, but a bit terse. The amplifier is covered by a two-year parts-and-labor warranty.
Listening
I connected the X-i75 amplifier to my Acoustic Energy Radiance 3 floorstanding speakers with 14-gauge Audtek speaker cables terminated in banana plugs. I used four signal sources: a Music Hall Stealth turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, a Cambridge Audio Azur 650C CD player, an Ocean Digital WR-10 internet radio tuner, and an iFi Audio Zen DAC fed by a Dell Precision 3630 desktop computer running JRiver Media Center 30. For the CD player, I used both the coaxial S/PDIF and analog connections. For the Ocean Digital tuner, I used the optical input.
Although my sample had been used by another reviewer, I ran it in for several days playing quiet jazz and classical music from my internet radio tuner. As I expected, the X-i75 sounded excellent straight out of the box.
When the time came for serious listening, my first selection was “101 Eastbound” from the 30th-anniversary remaster of Fourplay’s eponymous debut album (LP, Evolution EVLP025). I started with the high-bias switch in the “on” position so that the X-i75 was operating in class-A mode through the first few watts. I was supremely impressed. The class-A output was meatier and more mellow than the regular class-AB mode, which I tried a bit later. The prominent bass line on the song worked the woofers on my speakers heavily. The overall tone was very rounded, very mellow. The long piano part sounded nearly perfect, with sharp attacks and rather lengthy releases. The plucked guitar strings had sharpness and tension reminiscent of a sitar. The soundstage was broad and fairly deep, with stable and precise placement of individual instruments, except for some ethereal synth lines that wandered about throughout. I loved what I heard so much that I listened to this track several times just to repeat my enjoyment.
For the rest of my listening, I left the X-i75 in high-bias mode. Switching to CD, I cued up Holly Cole’s rendition of “I Can See Clearly Now” from her 2000 compilation The Best of Holly Cole (Metro Blue 7243 5 29064 2 0). For this track, I used an analog connection between the Cambridge player and Advance Paris amp. The Canadian chanteuse possesses one of the most versatile voices I’ve ever heard. She can sing barely above a whisper, purring the words, or belt out a phrase with the best of them. In the first part of the song, the X-i75 provided a warm, intimate presentation of Cole’s soft singing in the front center of the soundstage as she practically caressed the mike with her voice. David Piltch’s double bass was on the left and Aaron Davis’s piano on the right, both behind her, but in front of the strings that enter later in the song. The French amplifier convincingly tracked Cole’s expressive dynamics as she belted out crescendos and then dropped her voice to a whisper. This is one of my favorite recordings, and the X-i75 revealed its virtues as no other amplifier I’ve ever had in my system has done.
For “Anyone Who Had a Heart” from Maureen McGovern’s 1992 compilation CD Baby I’m Yours (RCA Victor 09026-60943-2), I connected my Cambridge player to one of the X-i75’s coaxial S/PDIF inputs. This is one of the most exquisitely recorded CDs in my collection. I was very impressed by the delicate sound of the electric piano and the perfect timbre of the soprano sax during its solo. Through some amplifiers, McGovern’s voice can sound glassy when she really exercises her lungs. Not here: the loudest notes were strikingly clear, and when McGovern drops to a whisper, her voice took on a poignant quality. The electric bass plumbed the absolute depths of its range and had great slam. The drum kit sounded about ten feet wide, but sat very nicely right behind the piano, displaying brilliant snare beats. McGovern was slightly right of center, rather as if she was performing on stage, standing next to the piano. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, this song is a tearjerker. On a good system, when McGovern asks plaintively at the end, “Why . . . won’t . . . you?,” it can really get to you. It did this time—the X-i75’s performance raised goosebumps on my arms.
For my last two selections, I spun CDs in the optical drive of my Dell desktop, which fed the USB input of my iFi Zen DAC. The DAC was connected to one of the X-i75’s line-level inputs.
Besides the Manhattan Transfer, who are my faves, there’s another very talented vocal group that experiments with vocalese and complicated arrangements: the New York Voices. Their version of Thelonius Monk’s “’Round Midnight,” from their eponymous debut album (GRP GRD-9589), is a vocal tour de force, and the sound quality of the album is excellent. The five singers, three women and two men, make great use of diminished, seventh, and ninth chords, for a very bluesy sound. The voices were reproduced by the X-i75 with great precision. During a complex 24-bar section where the tenor scats and the soprano and baritone sing solos, every note was clearly delineated. The soprano’s voice was sweet and tender, with excellent timbre. The baritone also demonstrated his chops with a smooth-but-short solo that showed off his fine voice. The sound of the piano, double bass, and drums backing the singers was tight and compelling. This music and the X-i75 seemed made for each other.
I always like to include a big orchestral recording in my listening selections, and to that end, I cued up Leopold Stokowski’s transcription of J.S. Bach’s Fugue in G Minor for Organ (“Little Fugue”) from The Fantastic Stokowski: Transcriptions for Orchestra by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, conducted by Erich Kunzel (Telarc CD-80338). This recording has greater dynamic range than almost any other album in my collection. The “Little Fugue” transcription starts quietly with a solo oboe, followed four measures later by a second oboe, then gradually by the rest of the orchestra, playing in a call-and-response fashion a bit like a sung round of “Frère Jacques.” Powering my Acoustic Energy speakers, the Advance Paris amplifier arrayed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra on a very broad soundstage with decent depth. It was obvious the brass and percussion were behind the strings and woodwinds—but not that far back, a reflection of the Cincinnati Music Hall’s stage layout. Dynamics were excellent, especially the iconic “Telarc drum” at the end. The highest notes of the violins were almost too bright but their lower notes were more restrained, which I believe is another characteristic of the hall. In all, the X-i75 took what the CD gave it and reproduced it convincingly.
Comparison
I replayed the Stokowski transcription, but this time through my reference components, which include a vintage Apt Holman preamplifier and NAD C 275BEE power amplifier. Especially in high-bias mode, the Advance Paris integrated sounded warmer than the Apt/NAD combination, which was somewhat drier sounding. For example, the solo oboe in the opening sounded very fine through the Apt/NAD combination, but it had a rounder, fuller tone through the Advance Paris amplifier. The huge bass-drum thwacks at the end had more depth and presence through the X-i75. Both amps portrayed the strings nicely, with accurate timbre and resonance. The crescendos near the climax of the piece were richer and fuller through the X-i75. In the end, the Advance Paris provided a more convincing portrayal of this orchestra playing in the Cincinnati Music Hall, where I have attended many concerts.
Conclusion
I can’t think of an integrated amplifier I have ever enjoyed as much as the Advance Paris X-i75. During my listening, it delivered beefy bass, rather punchy mids, and gorgeous highs. Its phono stage is nearly as good as my Apt Holman’s (which is high praise indeed). Its on-board DAC performed at least as well, if not somewhat better, than my iFi Zen DAC. I especially enjoyed using the amplifier’s high-bias setting, which made the sound a bit mellower and rounder. However, that is not to take away from the amp’s performance in class-AB mode, which was ever-so-slightly more forward and etched.
I could go on and on, but here’s my main takeaway: the Advance Paris X-i75 is the most satisfying integrated amp I’ve ever auditioned. It’s also visually striking—so clean and modern, even my wife liked its looks. If you’re in the market for an affordable, high-performance integrated amplifier, the Advance Paris X-i75 is a component you must experience for yourself.
. . . Thom Moon
thom@soundstagenetwork.com
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
Associated Equipment
- Loudspeakers: Acoustic Energy Radiance 3
- Power amplifier: NAD C 275BEE
- Preamplifier: Apt Corporation Holman
- Digital sources: Cambridge Audio Azur 650C CD player, iFi Audio Zen DAC, Dell Precision 3630 desktop computer running JRiver Media Center 30, Ocean Digital WR-10 internet radio tuner
- Analog source: Music Hall Stealth turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
- Interconnects: Manufacturer-supplied for the turntable; Linn Silver analog and StraightWire coaxial for the Azur 650C; WireWorld Luna analog for Zen DAC analog output; Morrow Audio MA1 analog from preamp to power amplifier
- Speaker cables: Audtek 14-gauge OFC cable terminated in banana plugs
Advance Paris X-i75 integrated amplifier
Price: $999
Warranty: Two years, parts and labor
Advance Paris Sarl
13 rue du coq gaulois
77390 Brie Comte Robert
France
Phone: +33 (0) 160 185 900
Website: www.advanceparis.com
US distributor:
Playback Distribution LLC
3257 Wildlife Trail
Zionsville, IN 46077
Phone: (317) 603-8114
Website: playbackdistribution.com
