advertisement


Small form factor amplifier

T

topsy

pfm Member
Space constraints mean I need a small amp. Something along the lines of a powernode. Just wondering if people had any other suggestions. Needs to drive a pair of KEF Q550s in a medium sized living room. Needs to have a DAC and/or built in streamer. This is because even if it doesn't have a streamer I can hook up a Wiim mini to an optical input if it has a dac. Basically this means Rega IO and Brio don't fit the bill.

Looking at:
- Bluesound powernode
- Sonos Amp
- Bluesound Edge
- NAD D3045

Any other suggestions. The £850 price of the powernode is my max.

Cheers
 
ossy said:
Quad vena 2 - has a great onboard dac.
Click to expand...

Hmm... interesting. Wish the Quad Vena II had airplay.

Any idea if I attached something like a Wiim Mini to the Vena 2 via optical, would it wake itself up if I started streaming to it? I know its a small thing but I like just being able to select some music and have it play without the need to turn the amp on manually. That sounds so lazy!
 
Darko reviewed Powernode Edge (favourably) and Sonos Amp recently. Might be worth checking out.
 
Never heard one, but the rave reviews are compelling - particularly if you need phono facilities…

PS AUDIO STELLAR STRATA - Available in mat black also…

[Unsure of pricing and availability in your neck of the woods...]

Strata-Silver-Front-1700x681.jpg
 
topsy said:
Hmm... interesting. Wish the Quad Vena II had airplay.

Any idea if I attached something like a Wiim Mini to the Vena 2 via optical, would it wake itself up if I started streaming to it? I know its a small thing but I like just being able to select some music and have it play without the need to turn the amp on manually. That sounds so lazy!
Click to expand...

Once you have that ability, it’s hard to imagine not having it. I very rarely touch my Sonos Amps or Play3 speakers. I have the amp setup to play at a preset volume as soon as it detects a signal from the turntable which will override what’s being streamed. The auto sensing function also works for the HDMI input for tv viewing.

The Sonos has Airplay2 which comes in handy for listening to YouTube videos through the large speakers in the living room.
 
Last edited:
SONDEKNZ said:
Never heard one, but the rave reviews are compelling - particularly if you need phono facilities…

PS AUDIO STELLAR STRATA - Available in mat black also…

[Unsure of pricing and availability in your neck of the woods...]
Click to expand...
$3,299 in the US.
 
If you like Play-FI as a streaming platform ... the Quad is fine. Mind, the OP has a streamer he could use
 
Like Quad stuff in general, but be wary of the Va-one, it ticks all your boxes but the sound isn’t really up to snuff.
 
I have a Bluesound POWERNODE (latest version) does everything I need and with the RC1 remote makes it a doddle for the wife to use without unlocking a device and loading an app.

Bought it before the EDGE was released which would have been suitable for the small living room.

Do watch the Darko videos on both Bluesound and Sonos devices.

The Wiim mini looks interesting but reading the ASR forums with constant releases, bug fixes and things broken with each release I am happy to have bought into Bluesound.
 
topsy said:
Hmm... interesting. Wish the Quad Vena II had airplay.

Any idea if I attached something like a Wiim Mini to the Vena 2 via optical, would it wake itself up if I started streaming to it? I know its a small thing but I like just being able to select some music and have it play without the need to turn the amp on manually. That sounds so lazy!
Click to expand...
Quad Vena 2 play?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top