Page 34 - Hi-Fi World (January 2020)

REVIEW

Value Of Vena

An affordable amplifier with a quality digital section, Bluetooth and LP. Noel Keywood looks
and listens.

uad’s Vena II is purposed against the 100 Watts that is all but output digital in this form, such as
to give you Quad tradi- obligatory nowadays, but it is more portable digital players (DAPs).
tional quality at a price than enough to go extremely loud; A USB B (printer style) input
you can afford. And it few of us will ever use 100 Watts in connects to a computer, allowing
does it well. The new real life – it’s a specs requirement. the Vena II’s sophisticated ESS chip
QVena II amplifier now Although Vena II harks back to to process digital audio either for
comes with a Phono input for LP and the styling of Quad’s 33 preamplifier headphone listening via a front panel
Bluetooth for mobile phone connec- of 1967 – a classic I once owned and 6.3mm (1/4in) headphone outlet, or
tion, in addition to an ESS Sabre32 loved – it is disappointingly sombre through the loudspeakers; plugging in
based digital section that is as in style to my eyes. The legends are ‘phones mutes the ‘speakers. The USB
smooth and advanced as they come. a dull grey on a dark background spec has been improved from 24/192
It’s a great all-in-one package that where the original was more strongly to 32/384kHz sample rate for PCM
gives true hi-fi – without hassle. defined visually with orange against and it also accepts DSD256 (double
And it is small. The Vena II takes brown – and legible legends. rate DSD).
up little space and is not heavy, even The horizontal line of push- Vena II also has a Phono stage
though it uses a solid linear power buttons on the Vena II are not for a turntable with moving magnet
supply rather than a noisy switch- mechanical switches as of yore, but (MM) cartridge, unlike original Vena.
mode. No modern tomfoolery here! electrical ones that select things There are two analogue line
No external boxes either: the mains not known in the days of the 33. inputs (Aux1 & 2) and even a
cable plugs straight into a well built One is Bluetooth short range radio preamplifier output for those who
chassis weighing 5kgs and measuring reception from mobile phone or iPad may want to hook up a bigger power
just 300mm wide and 300mm deep. (or similar) and the obvious others amplifier at a later date.
Height is 92mm, the Bluetooth aerial are digital inputs in the form Whilst there are two digital
increasing this to 155mm when of S/PDIF that will accept outputs, optical and electrical, they
upright, but it can be swivelled down the digital output of any are feed-throughs; there is no on-
to horizontal. CD player – optical (2) or board ADC to generate digital from
Inside there is a 55 Watt electrical (1) – or the many analogue sources such as LP. Digital
amplifier. It might not sound much other contraptions that inputs can be routed to a recording

34 HI-FI WORLD JANUARY 2020 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk