New Quad Vena

[chebby]

Yes, I have finally bought a new Quad Vena (integrated amp/DAC/Bluetooth) this morning.

Now I just need AirPlay (audio only) functionality so it's either ATV3 (£59) or AEX (£79) plus an optical cable. (A very short one I hope.)

Any advantage to one over the other? (If not i'll save £20 and get the Apple TV before they upgrade it in September.)

 

[drummerman]

Yes, I have finally bought a new Quad Vena (integrated amp/DAC/Bluetooth) this morning.

Now I just need AirPlay (audio only) functionality so it's either ATV3 (£59) or AEX (£79) plus an optical cable. (A very short one I hope.)

Any advantage to one over the other? (If not i'll save £20 and get the Apple TV before they upgrade it in September.)

Nice. Gratulations for a decision not made in haste!

It looks however a little 'nordic'. Did you buy the nice wooden jumper?

 

[chebby]

Yes, I have finally bought a new Quad Vena (integrated amp/DAC/Bluetooth) this morning.

Now I just need AirPlay (audio only) functionality so it's either ATV3 (£59) or AEX (£79) plus an optical cable. (A very short one I hope.)

Any advantage to one over the other? (If not i'll save £20 and get the Apple TV before they upgrade it in September.)

Nice. Gratulations for a decision not made in haste!

It looks however a little 'nordic'. Did you buy the nice wooden jumper?

No wooden jumpers. I went for grey metal.

One: it's a Faraday cage so nothing in or out (except where it's supposed to) and ...

Two: it's £100 more for the wooden jackets.

Three: metal conducts and dissipates heat better (if I ever run it loud enough to actually generate any heat).

P.S. I've bought the Apple TV for AirPlay and a shockingly expensive (£12.95) 1 metre optical cable.

 

[drummerman]

I remember you saying that you'd have to loose the metal casing first. Not ideal, agree. Shame.

Perhaps you can find someone handy to replicate a case that fits around the metal one in time?

Anyways, I am sure you've done your research (!) now all we all want to know is how it compares with the 610 and what speaker change, if any, you have in mind in the future?

Enjoy

 

[chebby]

I remember you saying that you'd have to loose the metal casing first. Not ideal, agree. Shame.

Perhaps you can find someone handy to replicate a case that fits around the metal one in time?

Anyways, I am sure you've done your research (!) now all we all want to know is how it compares with the 610 and what speaker change, if any, you have in mind in the future?

Enjoy

I won't be setting it all up today. (Exhaustion sets in quickly at the moment only a couple of weeks after a big operation.)

Let you know tomorrow or Sunday.

The speakers may have another year or two left. What I really want is going to cost around £900 to have built (unless some miracle happens on ebay, or I become a competent, furniture grade, cabinet maker in the next year).

 

[drummerman]

Ah, much I miss with my sporadic attendance on this forum!

Wishing you a good and joyful recovery with your new toy. Don't let us wait for to long though

I take a guess at the speakers ... something to do with the Beeb?

 

[chebby]

Ah, much I miss with my sporadic attendance on this forum!

Wishing you a good and joyful recovery with your new toy. Don't let us wait for to long though

I take a guess at the speakers ... something to do with the Beeb?

Thanks. You haven't missed anything. I just haven't said much - until now - in case I 'spooked' anything *

Not the Beeb. Not Harbeth. More Snell Type K/Audio Note AN-K/Heybrook HB1 (ish) in nature. I'll worry away at it like an old bone until I either give up or get what I want. (Or buy some effing Harbeths!)

* TBH I didn't want to actually buy any new hi-fi until now, just in case that 'spooked' anything also. It's stupid I know, but when those consultants and anaesthetists start going through the lists of everything that can possibly go wrong with your op/procedure you begin to seriously doubt even your short-term mortality let alone making it to the next hi-fi upgrade :-(

Anyhoo, it was time for a little 'reward'.

 

[drummerman]

* TBH I didn't want to actually buy any new hi-fi until now, just in case that 'spooked' anything. It's stupid I know.

Not at all, understand. I don't know what needed mending but hope all will be well in time!

Mmmh, Quad ... kinda is asking for Harbeth, Rogers or Spendors, medicinal purpose of course

 

[chebby]

Ok, curiosity got too much.

I have cleaned up and packed away the Marantz (sad) and - after a bit of hoovering and dusting - installed the new Quad. I have connected the optical from the TV and I am - temporarily - using Bluetooth until I get the ATV (AirPlay) set-up tomorrow.

So far so excellent! Smooth & detailed. Playing some jazz from BBC 4 HD televison right now (BBC Proms) and sounding groovy.

I don't know about 'Lancaster Grey', it's more like dark charcoal - verging on black in the current light.

I like it.

 

[drummerman]

Ooh, success

Any discernible differences to the Marantz yet?

 

[chebby]

Ooh, success

Any discernible differences to the Marantz yet?

Yes, more relaxed and warmer seeming until ... someone sings or there is some sudden brass when it gets more 'muscular' than the Marantz ever did. It's really rather good so far.

I need to play it for longer and with more mixed content but it's staying if present performance is a guide.

 

[drummerman]

Just a thought; It should be possible to shield the inside of the wooden sleeve with self adhesive copper foil.

 

[chebby]

Just a thought; It should be possible to shield the inside of the wooden sleeve with self adhesive copper foil.

I like the dark charcoal grey metal case now, so i'm not going to lose sleep over a bit of veneered MDF that would have cost an extra £100 and wouldn't have matched anything else in the room.

 

[grdunn123]

Nice looking piece of kit, typical Quad - most people would look at it and wonder what the hell it was. Will your main use be Airplay or do you have other components to connect?

 

[matthewpiano]

Whatever procedure you have been through I hope you are gradually feeling better Chebby. Having been through the mill medically myself this year, I can complete empathise with how you are feeling. The Quad Vena looks to be a very good product and I hope you get a great deal of pleasure from it.

 

[Al ears]

Hope post-open recovery is going well Chebby. Love the look of the Vena myself and have long thought about getting one for a second system. Also kicking myself for selling the HB1's a long time ago.

I guess your quest for those Evox speakers came to nought?

 

[chebby]

Whatever procedure you have been through I hope you are gradually feeling better Chebby. Having been through the mill medically myself this year, I can complete empathise with how you are feeling. The Quad Vena looks to be a very good product and I hope you get a great deal of pleasure from it.

Thanks Matthew. I hope you are 'out of the woods' now.

Since last November it's been a bit of a rollercoaster which is partly why - until the Quad yesterday - my spending had been on better headphones and high capacity iPhone and iPad Mini (for whenever the next hospital stay might occur) even down to a 2m thunderbolt/USB cable (the standard 1m isn't long enough for use in a hospital bed).

Over the last 8 months i've had a total of 26 nights in hospital - and a lot more days - so it was more important to improve the portable gear.

I am hoping that episode is all over now (touch wood) so time to buy a few nice things. (There is to be a new carpet and new leather chairs and another Mac - or MacBook - too.)

Over eight months without cigarettes now (by choice rather than related to the other events) will have paid for it all (and more).

 

[chebby]

Hope post-open recovery is going well Chebby. Love the look of the Vena myself and have long thought about getting one for a second system. Also kicking myself for selling the HB1's a long time ago.

I guess your quest for those Evox speakers came to nought?

Thanks Al.

Yeah, the Quad looks suberb in the 'flesh' and the build seems very solid (and rather heavy for a small box).

As for the HB1 (or Snell Type K) models / derivatives, it's a little fixation that may come to something or not. In the meantime the Rega R3s are sounding delightful (even with the limitations of Bluetooth or optical (from TV) so there's no hurry.

 

[tino]

I am hoping that episode is all over now (touch wood) so time to buy a few nice things.

That's the spirit! *clapping* Hope you get many years of enjoyment from your Vena and other bits and bobs. What to do with the Marantz ... and will you be going for some speakers of older cabinet proportions that you have spoken about?

 

[chebby]

What to do with the Marantz ... and will you be going for some speakers of older cabinet proportions that you have spoken about?

Clean up the Marantz a bit more until it's 'showroom' and either sell it, or store it as a 'spare'. It's carton is quite small.

Yes I am going to pursue speakers with infinite baffle cabinets and cabinet proportions from a less fashion conscious era that I believe used to sound better. I may have to wait a while and/or spend a lot. We'll see.

 

[plastic penguin]

Wishing you well in your recovery Chebby.

This may sound like a stupid question: have you not considered a s/h pair of ATC SCM7 or 11s?

 

[chebby]

Wishing you well in your recovery Chebby.

This may sound like a stupid question: have you not considered a s/h pair of ATC SCM7 or 11s?

Thanks.

I don't really get on with the ATC SCM11s but i've not heard the 7s.

I don't think they'd be a good idea with a 45 wpc amp and an owner who prefers low - medium volume levels. They need to be played pretty loud with a big amp to be at their best. ATC recommend 75 - 300 watts per channel. They are not very efficient at 84dB for 1 Watt @ 1 metre which doesn't help. (Mine are 89dB and i'd not be straying far from that with any new ones.)

 

[chebby]

I've just realised (seeing the newly redundant FM aerial cable) that this is the first time - since the age of 18 - I have been without an FM tuner.

Second hand Sony ST-88 bought in 1981. (It was about 1975 vintage I think and was a favourite.)

Replaced a few years later with the QED T260 to match my QED A240 SA ...

Then the 'Rega Radio' that partnered an original 'clamshell' Rega Brio amp from 1996 until 2007 ...

Then the Arcam Solo Mini ...

And a Naim NAT05 that was used with a Nait 5i-2 and CD5i-2...

Until the M-CR603 that i've just replaced after four and a half years of excellent service.

I am somehow troubled by this lack of a 'proper' radio (despite having radio via all my iThings and iPlayer and via Freeview HD) and my finger is hovering over 'Add To Cart' for one of these ...

(About four inches wide!)

 

[drummerman]

Looks good. Don't give up on the old FM.

I love my cyrus tuner and it is on most days at some stage.

 

[drummerman]

There are Quad FM4 tuners on the bay.

Nnnnice