Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier Review

The Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier delivers 190 watts per channel from a solid-state amp with a dual-mono topology, two toroidal transformers, and a tube preamp. It has every input known to man for the ability to connect to literally any source component. It can drive large and power-hungry speakers with ease and supports two zones. There are dual subwoofer outputs with bass management and a phono input for moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. It does all this with a high-end sound and gorgeous styling that features the tubes in a window and a large pair of VU meters.

Advance Paris is a new brand to me, but it has been around since 1995. They are right in my wheelhouse because they promote high-end performance at accessible prices. Indeed, the A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier is loaded with premium features, gorgeous sound, and elegant styling but costs just $3,799. For this reasonable sum, you get a two-channel hybrid integrated amplifier with a dual mono solid-state amp driven by two toroidal transformers and a tube preamp with ECC81 tubes featured in a window on the front panel. It has every conceivable analog and digital input including balanced XLR, AES/EBU, USB, HDMI, and a phono section with moving magnet and moving coil support. It also has dual subwoofer outputs with bass management. It can drive up to four speakers in two zones and has more than enough power to make music from cabinets small to large and everywhere in between. You can even add a Bluetooth module for wireless streaming from phones and tablets. Let’s take a look.

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Looking at the A12 Classic, it just drips high-end with premium styling and a large chassis. The front plate is thick black polished acrylic with a central window through which you can see the two ECC81 preamp tubes glowing. On either side are two large VU meters backlit in blue. These aren’t digital screens, they are actual needles, all analog of course. On the bottom left is the power button ringed with colored light, red for standby and white for music. A large central knob controls volume and the two flanking ones switch analog and digital inputs. All three are ringed with white light and turn smoothly with fine clicks. The input knobs are a bit too sensitive making it tricky to stop where you want. Below the VU meters are two displays that show a variety of information. On the bottom left are two headphone jacks, 3.5mm, and a quarter inch. Switches in the back adjust their impedance and gain.

Despite its analog styling, the A12 Classic supports digital sources and has a TI Burr-Brown PCM 1796 DAC with 24-bit/192 kHz resolution. The preamp section features two ECC81 tubes. These are equivalent to 12AT7 and are a double triode configuration with medium gain. They bring a nice warmth and breadth to the sound that takes some of that digital edge off the top without reducing clarity or detail. The dual-mono power amp section delivers 190 watts per channel into eight ohms and 280 watts into four ohms. Each channel has its own toroidal transformer. A and B speaker outputs feed two zones with binding posts that are heavy-duty and accept bare wire, spade, or banana plugs.

The back of the A12 Classic is a literal masterclass of input types. Everything is clearly labeled, and I appreciated the light-colored background which makes small text much easier to read. Digital sources are covered by three optical and three coax, they sample at 24/96 and 24/192 respectively. USB ports include A and B types, the latter supporting DSD 64 and 128. There are two HDMI inputs, one of which supports Audio Return Channel (ARC). You also get an AES/EBU input. A proprietary jack accepts one of Advance Paris’ Bluetooth modules, sold separately. They are available in aptX and aptX HD versions.

Analog inputs come in RCA and XLR varieties. There are two balanced XLRs and five RCAs plus a tape loop. A phono input supports MM and MC high and low, and you can even set the capacitance for the ground terminal, 100P/200P/320P.

Outputs are here aplenty as well. Two subwoofer outs include crossover switches for 75 or 120 Hz. Preamp outs come in RCA and XLR if you want to use a different power amp. And there are two 12v triggers for control.

The remote was the one thing that didn’t seem to belong. The A12 Classic is premium all the way but the remote feels cheap. It’s so light that even with batteries in it, you’ll think there aren’t batteries in it. It isn’t backlit and it’s all shiny black plastic, the kind that quickly collects fingerprints. Functionally though, I have no complaints. It’s loaded with keys that control the A12 and other Advance Paris components. It has transport controls and a number keypad. There are four discrete input buttons at the bottom for CD and Aux 1 (analog), and USB and Optical. A rocker labeled input will cycle through every input. It also includes bass and treble rockers which will be appreciated by those wanting tone controls.

A long press of the A12’s volume knob brings up a settings menu where you can change speaker zones, access tone controls, set a power-off timer, defeat the power button ring light, turn on the tape loop, toggle TV audio and CEC, and reset everything to factory defaults.

Installation of the A12 Classic was a breeze. It’s heavy but not extremely so, and it fits nicely atop my rack on its substantial rubber feet. They get the job done but are nothing special. If you are finicky about feet, they can easily be swapped out. The A12 is completely silent with no perceivable noise floor from speakers or sub. The unit is passively cooled so there are no fans, and I heard nothing from inside the case whatsoever.

For speakers, I used my reference Axiom LFR1100s, front baffle only. This effectively makes them M100s which are a full range floor-standing model that play cleanly down to around 31 Hz. Since the A12 includes sub-outs with bass management, I connected an Axiom EP800 and set the amp’s crossover switch to 75 Hz. A 120 Hz setting is there for use with smaller speakers. Sources were digital only. A Panasonic DP-UB9000 disc player went into the coax input while an iPhone 12 played streams into the USB-B input. I also connected an Apple TV to the HDMI Audio input to try out some streamed content. I made some interesting discoveries there, more on that later.

The power supply has a rocker switch in the back that must be turned on first. Once the standby ring glows red in front, press the power toggle either there or on the remote. A 30-second warmup ensues with a countdown timer on the front left display. When ready, the last used input starts playing. Clicking the digital input dial was a bit fiddly as its detents are extremely fine. It’s easy to go past your goal. Alternatively, you can use the discrete keys on the bottom of the remote or the rocker which cycles through all inputs. The left display shows the volume level in dB and the right one shows the current input and sample rate for digital sources.

The first Beatles album I ever listened to was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and though I am a fan of all their work, it has remained my favorite. The A12 came alive playing this seminal work with a deeply layered presentation. From the opening crowd noise, then the tinny guitar solo, then the timeless vocals, the buildup was everything The Beatles imagined. The tubes smoothed the edges just enough to keep it from becoming harsh. I could rock the volume without any fatigue or distortion. The A12 has plenty of headroom, even when driving my Axioms which are a nominal four Ohms.

Led Zeppelin’s remastered catalog from 1993 has a great analog feel and is completely devoid of the digital correction found in modern recordings. The A12 captured this sense of nostalgia while still presenting a wide sound stage. Though these are studio recordings, they feel as though you’re at an arena concert. Stairway to Heaven seemed destined to be played on a rig like this.

Turning to the vast array of music on my iPhone, I switched to the USB-B input. I have a few hundred recordings ripped directly and can access the Apple Music catalog over the wonderous Internet. My newest playlist is a collection of music I’ll be performing next season and includes Tchaikovsky’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies along with Beethoven’s Fourth and Ninth.

Apple Music lets me easily compare recordings and I quickly settled on the Berlin Philharmonic’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth in a modern performance conducted by Kirill Petrenko. The opening bassoon solo was a revelation as its foreboding tone rode just above the violas. It was clear and precise, and I could easily hear the subtle variation in dynamics. The opening of the Fifth Symphony, courtesy of the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa told a story with the two clarinets stating the main theme, then the bassoon starting off the main section of the first movement. Another bassoon solo in the third movement came to the fore as well. I could hear all the player’s nuances as clearly as if I were playing them myself.

Beethoven and its more angular textures were a treat on the A12. For the Ninth, I went to the fourth movement to enjoy the vocal soloists and chorus. The first statement of Ode to Joy was presented with a rich fullness that I don’t often hear. The tubes were a real asset here. The full chorus maintained a detailed sound where you could hear individual voices just enough to know how many people were singing. This can often sound mushy but the A12 had no problem presenting an accurate picture. The Fourth Symphony is almost a throwback in style when compared to its predecessor, Eroica. The counterpoint was clear and decisive with a presentation one could almost take score dictation from.

As I enjoyed surfing through different genres and artists on my iPhone, I wondered how it would sound to stream using AirPlay. The A12 doesn’t include this feature but it has an HDMI input, so I plugged in an Apple TV. Put simply, it works fine but doesn’t sound as good as the USB Audio input. Past experience makes me suspect clock jitter as the culprit. The takeaway is that it’s best to use the USB audio input when streaming from a phone, tablet, or computer. And if you spin CDs, the coax inputs are far superior to HDMI.

With my staple music selections consumed, I spent several more days listening to genres from classical to hard rock. The A12 clearly showed the difference between compressed tracks and the latest Dolby Atmos and spatial selections found on Apple Music. Like any good amplifier and DAC, better material makes for better sound. The A12 isn’t completely neutral in that it adds a subtle warmth to the top thanks to the preamp tubes. But it is precise and accurate. It deals prodigious bass when appropriate and presents a fully realized midrange. No part of the spectrum is over or under-emphasized. Rather, it is well balanced in the manner of contemporary premium electronics.

The Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier delivers high-end sound at a mid-fi price. It’s super flexible with connections for every source component imaginable.

My only complaint about the Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier is it’s remote. And that is a minor issue, it works fine but just doesn’t seem to be of the same build quality. And that part is tremendous. The A12 is truly tanklike in its construction and elegant in its attention to detail. It provides dinner and a show with its backlit VU meters and glowing preamp tubes. It reminds me a little of the McIntosh aesthetic except Advance Paris looks more modern and polished.

The sound is equally lovely with a smooth balance, large three-dimensional stage, and high accuracy. The tube warmth is just enough to take the edge off without masking anything. Thanks to its hybrid design, you can have a sound suggestive of tubes with far more headroom. At any volume level from subtle to gross, the sound is always highly detailed and balanced.

The A12 is also perfect for those who have a lot of gear. It will connect to anything, analog, digital, networked, you name it. CD players, streamers, turntables, and even cassette players (how many preamps come with a tape loop these days?), all connect. My parting advice is to use the A12’s coax input for a CD player, or the USB Audio input for streaming devices. The sound is unmarred, as in, what you put in is what comes out, 100 percent.

If you’re looking for a flexible integrated amplifier that will drive any speaker while presenting a rich balanced sound, and will connect to any source, the Advance Paris A12 Classic should be on your shortlist.