Quad celebrates 78 years In business with the launch of Vena: a compact integrated amplifier sporting a wide range of digital and analogue inputs, plus wireless streaming over Bluetooth with aptX support.

Just 313mm wide, the diminutive Vena updates the familiar Quad aesthetic, yet remains distinctly ‘Quad’. A neat row of source-selection buttons and a large, smooth-acting volume control adorn its fascia.
Vena’s built-in DAC incorporates the same 24-bit/192kHz chipset used in the company’s flagship Platinum CD player and the Class AB power amp section sports “exemplary design and implementation”. A headphone source is also built in, accessed via a front-mounted socket, which we at Hifi Pig think is a great addition.

Quad selected Bluetooth wireless transmission to ensure compatibility with the widest possible range of devices, and pairing the amp with smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs is easy say the company.

Inputs for digital source components comprise two optical and one coaxial, plus two asynchronous USB sockets: one Type A, the other Type B. The latter is the type most commonly used for connecting PCs/Macs to audio devices like Vena; the former allows Apple iDevices to be docked, charged and played via a cable connection. Digital outputs are also provided, in optical and coaxial flavours. Analogue signals are catered for by two stereo RCA inputs, while pre-out sockets permit the addition of an external power amp. In terms of Bluetooth, support for the aptX codec ensures the best possible audio quality when streaming from suitably equipped devices.

Vena is finished in Quad’s classic ‘Lancaster Grey’ as standard, augmenting the metalwork’s smoothly curved edges to create an elegantly understated appearance. For those with more exotic tastes, three premium finish options will launch later this year – piano black, piano white and real rosewood – ensuring Vena complements any domestic setting.

It’s available from mid-August in the standard Lancaster Grey finish, at an RRP of £599.95. The three premium finish options will launch towards the end of 2014 and add £100 to the price tag.