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Product: VXN Phono preamplifier with separate power supply
Manufacturer: Exposure Electronics - UK
List price: VXN Phono Preamp €2500; VXN Power Supply €1300
Reviewer: Piero Canova - TNT-Audio Italy
Reviewed: December, 2025

Premise

I've written before that I like phono preamplifiers. These are electronic devices that have the thankless task of amplifying infinitesimal signals to a level manageable by the rest of the electronic chain. Many of the most famous consumer electronics designers have found the phono preamplifier to be the benchmark of their range. Just think of Norbert Lehmann (the Black Cube lineage), John Curl (Vendetta SCP2 and later Parasound JC3), Carlos Candeias (Aqvox 2CI), Nelson Pass (Threshold FET10), and so on. In short, when I had the chance to get my hands on Exposure's VXN phono preamplifier, I jumped at it, and I'll share my impressions below.

How it's made

The VXN phono preamp and its separate VXN power supply are part of Exposure's "half-format" family, which we saw in our review of the XM CD player last April. Both units measure 218mm wide, 89mm high, and 348mm deep. The phono preamp weighs 2kg, while the power supply weighs 4kg. This is a smart solution because it allows two units to be installed on a shelf without any problems. The power supply and the phono stage are connected using two identical cables, but in such a way that the two channels of the phono preamp receive power completely separately.

The power supply is quite substantial in terms of size: I've seen amplifiers with significantly inferior power stages. A nice oversized transformer, high-speed rectifier diodes, and a capacitor bank for low ESR (better transient response). In short, a really nice linear power supply. The single button on the front allows you to turn on both units; an LED on the front next to the word Exposure confirms that it's on.

The phono preamp also has some very interesting features: there are no integrated circuits, only transistors, highest quality resistors and capacitors are used, separate inputs for MM and MC cartridges, and separate power supplies for the two channels. The selectors on the back allow for a wide range of options for adapting the gain or load to the cartridge in use: the gain in MM mode offers four levels (40, 46, 54, and 55 dB), while in MC mode it is 54, 60, 63, and 66 dB. The load for an MC cartridge offers as many as 12 possibilities, starting from 32 Ohms and ending at 1000 Ohms. On the front, there is only a switch to choose between MM and MC and the usual LED that lights up when the power supply is turned on.

Mechanically, the enclosures are of excellent quality. The front panel is nice and thick, and the sheet metal casing is well-built with very tight tolerances. They aren't machined from solid metal, but they protect the internal electronics , shielding them well, and they sound quite hollow. The construction is very neat, with few loose connections, a sign of a well-designed and developed project.

The premise is interesting, so I'd say we should start listening.

How does it sound?

The connection is very simple: the power supply was placed on a lower shelf while the phono preamp was placed instead of my Lehmann Silver Cube given their similar width. In this position, I can, simply by swapping out the connected cables, use either a Shelter 901 or a ZYX R1000 AIry 3S as cartridge source. The device under review had already been used as a demo and therefore did not require any running-in.

The first impression was very positive. Having physically replaced the Silver Cube, I set the same parameters: 100 Ohms for the Shelter 901. The differences are immediately noticeable: with the same cables and cartridge, the VXN is quieter than the Silver Cube. The soundstage is more forward, wider and not by a little, but it loses some depth. The tone is more open and the reproduction is shifted towards the mid-high registers. The separation between the instruments and the harmonic richness are excellent. The PRAT is excellent and this gives the sound a truly remarkable liveliness. Given the flexibility in the load, I was able to switch to 150 Ohms, removing some brightness from the reproduction and bringing the sound of the two devices much closer.

Moving on to the Zyx, this time the comparison was with the Parasound Halo JC3, which in its original version only allows 100 or 47,000 Ohms for MCs. With the same cartridge load, the differences between the two devices are clearly audible: the JC3 has its strong points in the low range where it is much more authoritative than the VXN, but the VXN allows the ZYX's midrange to shine magnificently. The gain in these tests was set to maximum, therefore 66 dB, and compared to the other two devices, the perceived volume was very similar. As the listening progressed, I noticed that with the Shelter, which is an MC with a rather high output (0.5 mV), a bit of graininess could be perceived in the highs. By reducing the gain to 63 dB, this disappeared and my feeling is that perhaps the VXN was saturating with an MC which is not exactly a low-end model. Other phono preamps, such as the Burmester 838, for example, have a selector on the bottom where you set the cartridge's output and then adjust the gain with the knob on the front, so it is a very reasonable correction.

Recommendations for use

I wouldn't say much. Choose a foot that doesn't open up the sound too much (no spikes) if you want one. You can add a damper or weight to the preamp lid with small improvements, but it won't have any effect on the power supply. Among cartridges, I'd avoid the more open ones; I'd see it working well with a Koetsu, but it sounded magnificent with my Denon 103 S.

Conclusions

One could summarize the review by saying that this is a transistorized, two-chassis phono preamp with a very well-made power supply and a very classic look. Some might argue that these things have been around for at least forty years, so there's nothing new to highlight. This is all true, but Porsche has also been reissuing the 911 with the same flat-six engine for almost 70 years, and no 911 owner complains about this—quite the opposite. You don't always have to reinvent the wheel to produce something good, and Exposure has nailed it. It's a phono preamp that sounds good, is very flexible, and offers adequate performance for high-end systems at a fairly reasonable price. It doesn't have a display or special effects, but it lets you listen to great music, and I'd say that's what matters.

PS I still prefer 8 cylinders and up. 😊

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© Copyright 2025 Piero Canova - piero@tnt-audio.com - www.tnt-audio.com

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