![]() Parked between my Q Acoustic 2020i (HFC 360) bookshelf speakers (in matching walnut finish) and testing its Bluetooth input with my iPhone 4s, the little Sprout looks and sounds right at home. Listening to each of the Sprout’s inputs immediately reveals how it’s been crafted to give its all in equal measures across a range of sources, while being especially forgiving of lesser-quality content. Instead any BT-equipped device simply finds the Sprout and lets you pair automatically. Connecting to the Sprout via Bluetooth is more convenient, as there’s no pairing button on the rear panel antenna to fiddle with. Although if you plan on hard wiring analogue sources other than a turntable to the Sprout you’ll need to budget for interconnect cables that terminate with a 3.5mm jack plug, and to send music over USB requires installing a driver from PS Audio’s website (/support/downloads). ![]() Getting the PS Audio up and running takes seconds, not minutes. This module was chosen above others for its sound quality, with its size and efficiency also meeting the company’s brief.įor DAC duties, the Sprout’s USB, coaxial and BT inputs are fed into a Wolfson WM8524 asynchronous chip, selected for its smooth analogue character and how well it works with the high-quality clocking mechanisms. Alongside the front panel’s analogue stepped volume control sits a handy 6.35mm headphone jack, which auto-mutes the speaker outputs when a pair of cans are plugged in. Under the lid sits an Anaview ALC0100-2300 Class D switch mode amplifier, claiming 2x 32W into an 8ohm load. ![]() Instead of wi-fi streaming, PS Audio has armed the Sprout with aptX Bluetooth to bring music stored on smartphones and the like into the equation. On the digital side, you can choose from a USB-B or S/PDIF (coaxial) socket, both of which can accept data up to 24-bit/192kHz. On the analogue side, a 3.5mm jack socket is fitted for line-level inputs, while a pair of RCAs allow moving magnet-equipped turntables to connect to the Sprout’s internal phono stage, which boasts passive equalisation and a Class A gain stage. The Sprout’s five inputs have been carefully selected to each cater for different sources. Topping the case in style is a panel of walnut veneered MDF, which adds a touch of elegance to the compact unit. The two front panel knobs are machined from solid billets of aluminium, while the unit’s 3.5mm-thick main chassis is formed from bead-blasted extruded aluminium, with elegantly rounded corners and chamfered edges. Its intentionally stripped-back aesthetic means there’s no flashy digital front panel LEDs or menu screen to contend with, leaving you with the simplicity of just rotary dials for input and volume to choose which source you want to listen to and at what volume level.ĭesigned, engineered and hand-tested in PS Audio’s Colorado homeland, the Sprout is built in China and the quality of its finish is first rate. And judging by the 897 Kickstarter backers who pledged $414,963 against its $36k goal, this audience is clearly hungry for it. It’s a product that’s firmly focussed on taking the company’s know-how to new audiences, who will be equally wooed by its demure size and style as they will by its sonics. The Sprout is a different beast, representing the culmination of two and a half year’s work by sales director Scott McGowan, son of CEO and founder Paul McGowan. Like these two brands, PS Audio’s usual stomping ground also lies in the high-end separates arena where its DACs and digital products sit alongside a selection of audio power plants. But with improvements in more efficient amplifier technologies – such as Class D – combined with the move to higher quality streaming from portable devices, compact hi-fi no longer necessarily means compromised quality, as we’ve recently seen with Quad’s Vena (HFC 390) and NAD’s D 7050 (HFC 382) both of which come from companies with long-standing reputations for producing class-leading products. ![]() In the not too distant past ‘proper hi-fi’ inevitably had to equate to stacks of similar sized and similar looking separates for it to be taken seriously by audiophiles. With Bluetooth and vinyl bases covered, the stylish Sprout mini-integrated has plenty on offer. ![]()
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