“If you’re serious about vinyl reply, you need a serious phono stage,” writes reviewer John Pickford in the magazine’s September issue. And Exposure’s VXN “is on a par with the very best.”

Launched in early 2022, the VXN is Exposure’s new top-of-range VXN phono amplifier. Created with the serious vinyl enthusiast in mind, it’s designed to be partnered with Exposure’s VXN Power Supply, forming a two-box set-up in which the sensitive phono circuits are entirely isolated from the power supply circuitry for the lowest possible noise and highest possible performance. For the absolute maximum experience, two VXN power supplies can be used, one for each channel, in a three-box dual mono configuration.

As you might expect from a phono stage of this quality, all audio circuits use discrete transistors only, so there are no integrated circuits in the signal path to compromise performance. Premium resistors and capacitors feature throughout,  and very high quality polypropylene capacitors are used in critical areas of the RIAA equalisation.

“In practice, the noise floor is vanishingly low,” writes Pickford. “Bass lines sounded firmer, faster and more fluid” and “timbre and timing from the midrange audio was first-rate; Lou Reed’s closed-mic’d vocal had me mesmerised, even though I’ve played this track [Walk On The Wild Side] dozens of times. And the sound of female backing voices emerging from studio reverb was breathtaking.”

“Rhythmically, the VXN’s performance was spot-on, with the easy grace and pace only expressed by the very best solid-state and thermionic equipment.”

“Although I’m a valve afionanado at heart, I appreciate solid-state done right and Exposure knows how to do it extremely well.” The VXN ‘s performance “is on a par with the very best phono amplifiers available, regardless of price. A true reference product, then.”

Read John Pickford’s review in full in the September issue of Hi-Fi World.

Find out more about the VXN phono stage and track down your nearest retailer at www.exposurehifi.com