Advance Paris A12 Classic – Exclusive Stereo Integrated Amplifier with Tube Preamplifier

Advance Paris promotes the latest addition to the Advance Paris Classic Series, the Advance Paris A12 Classic, as an exclusive stereo integrated amplifier. It is said to distinguish itself first and foremost by combining the qualities of a tube preamplifier with those of a transistor power amplifier, and also by offering a particularly flexible solution with an excellently equipped connection section.

Advance Paris A12 Classic – Fine sound through tubes, power through transistors

According to the manufacturer, the new Advance Paris A12 Classic features a preamplifier equipped with selected tubes, which should guarantee a harmonious, pleasant and multi-faceted sound.

The power amplifier is designed as a transistor power amplifier, which in Class A/B is supposed to offer an output of quite remarkable two times 190 watts of power to speaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms, even two times 280 watts to solutions with an impedance of only 4 ohms.

The new Advance Paris A12 Classic owes this performance not least to a very solidly designed power supply, which uses two 300 VA toroidal transformers – one per channel. The new Advance Paris A12 Classic is supposed to be able to deliver power peaks without any problems at any time, thus keeping almost every speaker system under full control and guaranteeing a distortion-free performance.

Analogue, digital, phono preamplifier and Bluetooth optional

As already described, the new Advance Paris A12 Classic is supposed to be characterised by a high degree of flexibility. As is well known, the French hi-fi manufacturer Advance Paris always tries to equip its solutions for all eventualities in the best possible way.

The new Advance Paris A12 Classic offers five analogue inputs in the form of unbalanced RCA jack pairs, plus two pairs of XLR connectors for balanced sources.

As if that were not enough, the new Advance Paris A12 Classic also has an integrated phono preamplifier that is designed for both MM and MC cartridge systems. Switches can be used to adapt the system to different cartridge systems.

Three further pairs of RCA sockets are located on the rear panel: an amp in, a pre out and a rec out.

In order to bring subwoofers into play, there are two Sub Out in the form of Cinch connections, whereby the crossover frequency can be selected with 75 Hz or 150 Hz.

For digital sources, the Advance Paris A12 Classic has three coaxial and three optical S/PDIF interfaces, plus an AES/EBU and an HDMI ARC for direct connection to a TV set, as well as an HDMI Audio In.

A PC or Mac can be used directly as a source via a USB-B port, and corresponding storage media can be connected directly via a USB-A port.

Optionally, the Advance Paris A12 Classic can be upgraded with Bluetooth using the Advance Paris X-FTB01 and Advance Paris X-FTB02. In addition to SBC and AAC, the aptX and aptX HD codecs are also supported.

The signal conversion is done by means of a TI PCM 1796 D/A converter from Texas Instruments, as the data sheet of the amplifier from France reveals.

It should also be mentioned that four pairs of screw terminals are available for connecting the loudspeaker systems, so that an A/B configuration can be operated. There are also 12 V trigger connections to control the Advance Paris A12 Classic in combination with other solutions.

High-quality headphone amplifier

It should also be mentioned that the new Advance Paris A12 Classic has an integrated headphone amplifier which, as a special feature, not only has a 6.3 mm stereo jack as well as a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack directly on the front, but can also be adjusted in terms of impedance and efficiency of the headphones via selector switches on the back of the unit.

Elegant design of the Advance Paris Classic Series

The new Advance Paris A12 Classic presents itself in the well-known elegant design line of the Advance Paris Classic Series and thus with a metal housing in black, a high-gloss black front, where above all the two illuminated VU meters catch the eye. Between these VU meters is a viewing window that provides a clear view of the preamplifier’s tubes. The front also features a two-part display and high-quality, silver-finish rotary controls.

Prices and availability

The new Advance Paris A12 Classic is available immediately from specialist dealers. The manufacturer lists the recommended retail price at € 2.690,-.

Getting to the point

Advance Paris calls the new stereo integrated amplifier of the Advance Paris Classic Series a high-end hybrid stereo integrated amplifier and refers to the combination of tube preamplifier and powerful transistor power amplifier of the Advance Paris A12 Classic. What also speaks for this solution is the flexibility it offers through numerous analogue and digital interfaces. The fact that a fine phono preamplifier and a high-quality headphone amplifier are also available should also be explicitly emphasised.