You’ve probably never heard of Advance Paris, but the prestigious French audio manufacturers are hoping to change that, today announcing that its premium lineup of amplifiers and hi-fi separates, adorned with their signature luminous VU meters, are now available to the U.S. market.
Hi-fi enthusiasts and audiophiles will undoubtedly be most interested to get their hands on Advance Paris’ most popular component, the flagship A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier. The 120-watt-per-channel (into 8 ohms) integrated amplifier combines both solid state and tube amplification, with two tubes on the pre-amplification section for that smooth, warmer sound that only tubes can deliver.
The A12 features dual toroidal transformers to deliver its substantial Class A/B amplification that Advance Paris says will handle any speakers — from bookshelf to towers — with ease.
But we’ve buried the lede here: the Advance Paris A12’s clean design is likely to be as much of a draw as its power. The face of the A12 features a sleek black finish, clean machined aluminum dials and buttons, and its glowing orange tubes can be seen tucked back within the chassis. But the flagship feature the brand has become known for (that McIntosh fans may find familiar) is the amplifiers glowing blue VU meters that have been the brand’s signature since 2003.
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Little else is known about the Advance Paris A12 integrated amplifier, but it’s also a Swiss Army knife when it comes to connectivity and includes: 2 HDMI ports (on eARC), a trio of optical and coaxial digital inputs, 5 RCA AUX line inputs (one for CD), a dedicated Phono (MM/MC) input for turntables, 2 USB ports, two sets of balanced XLR inputs and optional Bluetooth (with a Bluetooth module).
Available online and through its U.S. dealer partners, the A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier runs a substantial $3,799.
Advance Paris also highlighted several other hi-fi separates that have landed on U.S. shores, including its more attainably-priced integrated amplifier, the 75-watt-per-channel X-i75 ($999); the X-CD9 CD player that features a digital output as well as an analog output, as highlighted by its glowing-tubes ($1,199), and a 115-watt-per-channel streaming amplifier, the PlayStream A7 ($1,999), an ethernet and Wi-Fi network player with support for services such as Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, and Tidal.
“American hi-fi enthusiasts have been asking for Advance Paris for many years, but we have been slow and deliberate about our expansion into each new territory, making sure we secure the right partners at the right time,” said Advance Paris product manager, Cédric Léon. “The United States is an exciting market for us and it feels fitting that we have found our footing here on this important anniversary as a brand.”
Advance Paris’ full lineup can be found at its website.