Quad VENA II Play
Quad’s VENA II Play delivers muscular, controlled bass, warm tonal sweetness and a generously spacious soundstage from a compact streaming hub. Hi-Fi Choice praises its detailed, emotionally engaging ESS DAC performance, while HiFi News highlights effortless Play-Fi setup, convincing analogue playback and exceptional one-box versatility.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
91/100
Features Connectivity
95/100
Value for Money
94/100
Pros
Warm, detailed presentation with expansive soundstage space, tonal sweetness and strong emotional communication.
Muscular, controlled bass and confident drive make compact speakers sound weighty and propulsive.
Stable, simple Play-Fi streaming plus comprehensive digital, analogue, phono, headphone and pre-out connectivity.
Cons
Bluetooth sounds grainier and less refined than Wi-Fi or wired playback.
No AirPlay or Chromecast, and the MM phono stage is capable rather than class-leading.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
The VENA II Play combines strong detail retrieval and spacious presentation with a warm, sweet and emotionally engaging character. It also earns repeated praise for its controlled, muscular bass and its ability to sound lively and authoritative despite its compact proportions.
Transparency Resolution
94/100
Hi-Fi Choice praises the ESS DAC implementation for “superb detail retrieval,” while Hi-Fi News calls the amplifier an “open window” into an audiophile recording. The presentation is described as open and refined, particularly when using wired or Wi-Fi streaming rather than Bluetooth.
Tonal Balance Musicality
93/100
Reviewers describe a warmer, tonally sweet presentation that adds humanity without sacrificing clarity. It finds emotional expression in vocals, gives instruments convincing naturalness, and can temper aggressively bright speakers; the independent video review also notes its full-bodied, bass-rich character.
Dynamics
93/100
The 45W amplifier is repeatedly said to have more authority than its rating might suggest. Hi-Fi Choice found it propulsive and convincingly scaled, while Hi-Fi News heard ample attack and the video review praised its drive, focus and confident control of bass-heavy music.
Soundstage Imaging
92/100
Hi-Fi Choice highlights a generous sense of space, and Hi-Fi News reports a massive soundstage with precise placement of performers and instruments. Instrument separation is also praised by HIFI Daydreaming, although that reviewer stops short of calling the stage class-leading.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
91/100
Hi-Fi Choice describes the build quality as excellent, noting the pleasing proportions and thoughtful LED-tracking volume control. The compact chassis and distinctive Quad styling are well received, though the external Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas slightly compromise the retro visual appeal.
Features Connectivity
95/100
This is an unusually complete compact amplifier, with Play-Fi streaming, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Bluetooth aptX/aptX LL, USB, optical and coaxial digital inputs, MM phono, headphone output and RCA pre-out. Reviewers find setup and operation notably simple, praise the physical remote and front-panel control, and regard Play-Fi as a genuinely capable streaming platform; AirPlay and Chromecast are the notable omissions.
Value for Money
94/100
At £749, Hi-Fi News calls it “astonishing value,” citing its power, ergonomics and remote control. Hi-Fi Choice says few similarly priced devices can match its breadth of connectivity and performance, while HIFI Daydreaming sees it as an appealing one-box route into a serious system, albeit one that would become even more compelling at a discount.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Specifications
- Model
- VENA II Play
- DTS Play-Fi Technology
- Dual - band 802.11a/b/g/n
- Specification
- Support global, popular streaming content(Amazon Music, Spotify, TIDAL,\nJuke, BBC, ESPN, KKBox, SiriusXM, Napster, Internet Radio, Deezer,\niHeartRadio, PANDORA, SOUNDMACHINE, tunein, Qobuz, Qmusic)
- Specification
- Support Speakers Group
- Specification
- Support android/iOS/Kindle Fire/Windows PC
- Input Sensitivity (AUX)
- 525mV
- Input Sensitivity (Phono, MM)
- 2.5mV
- Input Impedance
- 10Kohm (AUX) , 47Kohm // 100pF (Phono)
- Inputs
- 2 x AUX , 1x Phono (MM)
- Output
- 1 x Pre-Out (RCA)
- Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20KHz (+/- 0.5dB)
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
- < 0.002%
- Signal To Noise
- > 110dB (A-Weighted)
- Rated Power
- 2 x 45W (8ohm) / 2 x 65W (4ohm)
- Frequency Response
- 20Hz-20KHz (+/- 0.5dB)
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
- < 0.005% (30W, 8ohm)
- Signal To Noise
- > 108dB (A-Weighted)
- DAC
- ESS Sabre32 ES9018K2M chip
- Sampling Frequency
- Optical, coaxial: 44.1kHz ---192kHz ;\nUSB:44.1kHz---384kHz(PCM)/DSD64, DSD128, DSD256\nEthernet, Wi-Fi: 44.1kHz ---192kHz
- Digital Input
- 1 x Coaxial, 1 x Toslink Optical\n1 x USB for PC USB\nBluetooth(aptX, aptX LL)
- Size (W X H X D)
- 301 x 95 x 313 mm
- Net Weight
- 6.1kg
Manufacturer's Description — Quad
OVERVIEW
SMART AESTHETICS
The DTS Play-Fi® platform offers a wealth of music options from around the globe. Spotify, Tidal, HD Tracks, Deezer, Amazon Music, Napster, KKBox and Sirius XM, to name a few. Browse a radio guide with thousands of stations and podcasts, or stream from a home media server with DLNA compatibility.
QUAD Vena II Play borrows more than just looks from its sibling, the Vena II – utilizing much of the same high-specification design, including the ES9018K2M from the Sabre32 Reference DAC as well as the aptX Bluetooth connectivity, it has all the pure musicality of QUAD coursing through its very versatile circuitry.
There is also a smattering of both digital and analogue connections, including an MM phono stage, for a turntable. So however you want to enjoy your music, analogue or digital, the QUAD Vena II Play will have you connected and ready to play.
Technology
WIRELESS STREAMING TECHNOLOGY
DTS Play-Fi is premium whole-home wireless audio, now available from the largest ecosystem of brands in the world. Stream your favourite content with astounding audio quality, from every device that you’ve got.
All DTS Play-Fi products are seamlessly interoperable, so you can find the perfect speaker for every room, and know that they will all make beautiful music together.
Whole home audio, made easy:
DTS Play-Fi sends audio from mobile devices to speakers throughout the home using proprietary streaming, synchronization, and authentication technology.
An endless supply of music
DTS Play-Fi comes with a wealth of music options from around the globe. Spotify, *Pandora, Deezer, Napster, KKBox and Sirius XM, to name a few. Browse a radio guide with thousands of stations and podcasts, or stream from a home media server.
Stay tuned, because new services are added all the time. * Pandora is enabled for select Play-Fi products only.
Freedom of choice, at last
Every single DTS Play-Fi product works perfectly with all the rest, regardless of brand, so you get a huge range of options to customize your home, and one simple, elegant listening experience.
DTS Play-Fi offers an unparalleled selection of audio products for your home, from compact battery-powered speakers to powerful soundbars, built by the most respected audio brands in the business. No more compromising your style or taste to get a high-quality wireless audio solution.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Quad VENA II Play
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Alma Music & Audio — online and in-store — San Diego, California, United States (website)
- Alpha Audio Pte — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Area Hifi — online and in-store — L'Eixample, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Aris Audio — in-store — Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (website)
- Art & Voice — online (website)
and 102 more verified dealers