Quad Vena Ⅱ Play

摘要

Is Editor PM simply testing me, or coaxing me? I'm not merely uninterested in streaming, Wi-Fi, et al to the point of virulent loathing, I'm actually reverting to decades-old formats for daily listening: CDs, tapes and LPs. That said, I am not unaware of DTS Play-Fi [see PM's boxout, p63], having used it for many months for the wireless speakers on my kitchen counter - though with no more concern than I show a spatula or potato peeler. Yet here I am faced with Quad's update to the Vena Ⅱ, its entire raison d'etre being the full-on wireless experience. At £799, it's only £ 150 more than the regular, Lancaster-grey Vena II, which stays in the catalogue at £649. The Vena II Play looks to be the same device we reviewed last year [HFN Jun '19], but now sprouting a trio of antennae from its backside. This wondrous all-in-one was already a perfect solution for a compact, no-mess-no-fuss system, needing only a pair of speakers such as the ideally-matching Quad S1s and whichever sources you cared to feed it, analogue or digital - including phono! -to create a full set-up.