Small Box, Big Vinyl: Exposure XM3 Phono Stage

Turntables deserve better than an afterthought input. The Exposure XM3 Phono Stage is a dedicated, hand-built British phono preamplifier that brings your records fully to life — with separate, optimised inputs for both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. Part of Exposure's award-winning compact XM series, it delivers the quiet, detailed amplification that vinyl's tiny cartridge signals demand.

Engineered Around a Clean Supply

The XM3 is built around a single circuit board carrying all power-supply and audio circuitry, with a substantial 200 VA toroidal transformer mounted behind the front panel and its own mains switching and filter board alongside. Eight pairs of capacitors run in parallel in the power supply for generous smoothing — because a quiet, stable supply is exactly what a low-noise phono stage lives or dies by. Switching between MM and MC is a simple push-button on the rear panel.

Solid, Compact, Beautifully Finished

The chassis is genuinely solid, with an aluminium front panel in black or titanium, in the familiar half-width XM form that partners the rest of the series. It's a phono stage that looks and feels like the serious component it is.

Why You'll Love the Exposure XM3

• MM and MC on board — separate, optimised inputs for both cartridge types
• Big 200 VA toroidal supply — mounted behind the front panel for a quiet, stable feed
• Generous PSU smoothing — eight parallel capacitor pairs for a low-noise background
• Simple cartridge switching — MM/MC selected by a rear push-button
• Award-winning XM series — compact British engineering
• Solid build — aluminium front in black or titanium

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the XM3 support both MM and MC cartridges?

Yes. It has separate inputs for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, selectable via a push-button on the rear panel.

Why does a phono stage need such a big power supply?

Phono cartridge signals are tiny and require a lot of clean, quiet amplification. The XM3's 200 VA toroidal transformer and generous capacitor smoothing keep the power supply stable and low-noise, which directly benefits detail and quietness.

Will the XM3 match my other components?

It shares the compact half-width XM form and black/titanium finishes, so it partners naturally with Exposure XM electronics and works with any line-level input on your amplifier or preamp.

Exposure XM3 Technical Specifications