Exposure's top-end 5510 preamplifier promises a "pitch-black sonic background" and can be customised to suit your hi-fi system

British hi-fi brand Exposure has added to its flagship 5510 series with its latest launch, the 5510 preamplifier. The 5510 preamp joins the 5510 integrated amplifier that landed late last year, and features a modular design that offers a flexible foundation as your music system grows over time.

The Exposure 5510 preamplifier promises "exceptional purity and authority", and aims to place your music front and centre, regardless of the source used.

To achieve such performance, the 5510 harnesses an ultra-quiet power architecture to deliver what Exposure calls a "pitch-black sonic background", while a custom-wound toroidal transformer with integrated hum shielding aims to deliver "an exceptionally low noise floor" for a clearer, detailed audio signature.

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The 5510 preamp is an all-analogue affair at heart, with six line-level inputs available, along with pre-outs and tape outputs. Like the 5510 integrated, there is the option of adding a high-quality DAC board if you do want to incorporate digital sources like laptop or hi-res music streamer, with the DAC module available with BNC or optical inputs.

For turntable users, you also get the choice of three different phono boards depending on the cartridge being used. You can opt for a moving magnet or moving magnet phono stage board, while a brand new module has been made exclusively for DS Audio optical cartridges. This DS Audio Phono Board can also be used with existing Exposure products, including amplifiers from the 5510, 5010, 3510and 3010 ranges.

This modular design allows the preamp to adapt to your "listening preferences, system ambitions and growing music collection" over the years.

You get XLR and RCA analogue outputs for connecting to power amplifiers. Exposure hasn't launched a dedicated 5510 power amplifier just yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if there were plans for one on the horizon, as the step-down 3510 range features both a stereo power amp and mono blocks.

The 5510 preamp is housed in a resonance-controlled chassis crafted from solid aluminium, which helps minimise vibrations and reduce electromagnetic interference. The 99-step relay-controlled volume control promises "exact channel matching" and smooth adjustments at every step.

The Exposure 5510 preamplifier is available now for £3500.

The optional boards cost as follows:
MM / MC phono board – £420
DS Audio phono board – £500
DAC board – £650

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