Advance Paris X-i75
Contents
We do love the wacky Advance Paris (Supplied by Servi-Q). Not only because it’s a brand that offers great value for money, but also because the design is so… different. We just think it’s kind of cool.
Although the Advance Paris X-i75 does not have the blue VU meters on the front; it does have the transparent front panel that is also so characteristic of the French brand. At the back, we see unprecedented connectivity options. At least Advance has already won that battle. Now if anyone is still short, we don’t know where he or she should go looking for an integrated amp. Maybe just buy a huge mixing deck and patch panel?
Sound-wise, this entry-level device unfortunately does not match the TADs very well. We can hear the amp is running out of breath in the form of compression and some roughness. Especially in the midrange. We do not know this from the larger models, think of the X-A160EVO or the A10 Classic, so we can assume that this is just a matching problem. So be prepared for that if you own some larger speakers or hard to drive monitors.
Measurements Advance Paris X-i75
While this “entry-level Advance” doesn’t really match up very well with the TAD, it does measure up tightly. Advance Paris uses quite a bit of feedback which creates a quiet image on the dScope III. The noise floor is around -115dB with few spikes (grass). Noise on the power supply is a bit higher than the rest though. Especially Common Mode.
Advance has the phase well under control. At least: in the treble. There we see only 5 degrees. In the bass, this amplifier rolls off quite a bit, giving a substantial phase shift: -70 degrees.
As with the Arcam, this Advance Paris has a sweet spot when it comes to volume. In fact, we don’t really recommend going above half (i.e., not above 30 / 35). Then it plays considerably cleaner than above 40.
Specifications Advance Paris X-i75
| Brand / Type | Advance Paris X-i75 |
| Power 8 Ohm | 75 |
| Power handling 4 Ohms | 110 |
| Inputs | 7 x RCA in Phono Power in |
| Outputs | Pre-out REC out Sub out |
| DAC | 1 x optical, 2 x coaxial |
| Price | 749 |