7/27/2023 0 Comments Ps audio sproutIt’s easy: Sprout’s headphone amp is better, and so its its loudspeaker amp. Finally, it comes with an AC/DC converter that obviates the worst ground hums. And while optical has a host of problems, cutting it out isn’t a solution. If you’ve got an TV, or basically most decent HiFis from like the 1990s on, optical’s there. Then there’s optical, which for some reason, Sprout lacks. Oh, and while it has trouble driving low-Ω loads, it nails a flat 20 – 20.000 Hz frequency response as both a pre-amp and a high-impedance load amp. If you’re not into wood, it’s matte metal will do you good. It’s also way easier plug into and out of. So why would you choose the DACmini PX over the Sprout? Build for one. And it handles impedance swings better than the PX, ensuring contrast and detail levels are high all while avoiding the worst distortion. Of course, most bookshelf speakers won’t even hit 70Hz without a major dip in frequency response, so Sprout isn’t losing anything. Of course, just like its headphone out, Sprout’s power amp section is sub-bass shy. Even when watching movies, Sprout dishes out clearer dialogue, and a lot less crosstalk between lows and highs. But in use, Sprout handles low-Ω bookshelf and living room speakers far better. On paper, PX’s Class-A 50 watt/channel amp betters Sprout. But I’d be happier choosing that cut myself than it being part and parcel to Sprout’s sound signature. And, noting how airy and clear Sprout sounds, I get it. Interestingly, since the amp performs nearly flawlessly no matter the load, cutting bass response below 100Hz was a conscious decision. And most of my favourite headphones are either bass-light or bass-neutral, meaning that when fed by Sprout, they’re spritely. Why? Well, a lot of the EDM and dubstep I listen to actually drops below 50Hz. Which makes me wish that it spat linear signal from 50Hz on up. Stringed instruments are weighty, percussion is clear, and spatial cues are effortless. Sprout is airy, clear, and pretty-sounding. Highs and mids are neutral, contrast into the mids and highs are great, as is post-bass dynamic range. In fact, American Hip-hop, a genre most people think of as ‘bassy’, sounds virtually the same through Sprout as it does through similarly-voiced amps with linear bass responses. That is to say that this sudden drop in information may not even be audible for most of what you listen to. The good news is that most music we listen to, even stuff we consider ‘bassy’, has very little true audible sub-bass information in it. If you’re into Bruce Springsteen, you’ll have to enjoy Born in the USA without its subtle bass cues. 5,5dB may not seem like much, but it is. I’m talking about a precipitous drop from 100Hz to 50Hz of more than 3dB and -5,5dB at 20Hz. Anything under 100Hz is practically inaudible against higher-frequency signals. There is a catch, though, and that is: Sprout puts out next to no low-bass information. And only when driving the SM2 do distortion numbers ramp up to what some amps consider ‘normal’ levels. Most amps suffer crosstalk collapses of at least 15% under similar conditions. But even loaded with something crazy like an Earsonics SM2, that number drops by only 3 dB, or 5%. To be fair, unloaded it manages a mere 68dB of stereo crosstalk from its headphone out (as measured through a Lynx Studio HILO). Next, no matter the load, the volume, the source material, or the bit-rate, its stereo detail and image barely contract. First, it puts out amazing current into any Ω load. Sprout’s headphone amp pummels the DACmini PX in a number of key areas. In fact, there’s not a single headphone’s load under which Sprout suffers. And the resolution that it pops into the same headphones is nearly as good as an unloaded signal. Sprout blasts the ES7 with next to no IMD distortion better than most amps I’ve tried. It packs such effortless power and current that I can run its volume nearly at 100% when driving Audio Technica’s sensitive ES7, which usually rattle like the Dickens when fed too much volume. Assuming that your hydro is sorted, it perfectly drives any headphone or earphone you own. PS Audio Sprout vibrates between impressive and awesome.
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