Jump to content
IGNORED

PS Audio "Sprout" - audiophile HW for millenials?


Recommended Posts

Let's welcome Sprout into the world | Sprout Forum | Forums | PS Audio

 

Sounds intriguing. A declared attempt to lure 30 somethings into hi-end audio.

 

Only prototypes so far; apparently will be built in China -but not with Chinese parts - to meet price point.

 

Promising. Looks like it could succeed. Good luck to them.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
Let's welcome Sprout into the world | Sprout Forum | Forums | PS Audio

 

Sounds intriguing. A declared attempt to lure 30 somethings into hi-end audio.

 

Only prototypes so far; apparently will be built in China -but not with Chinese parts - to meet price point.

 

Promising. Looks like it could succeed. Good luck to them.

 

 

Certainly feature packed

 

 

  • 50 watts per channel (4 Ohm) stereo power amp
  • Passive EQ MM phono preamplifier built in
  • Line level analog input
  • Line level analog output
  • Asynchronous 192kHz/24 bit DAC
  • USB and coax inputs for digital
  • aptX Bluetooth streaming

 

Great call on the line level output as it can stay in the chain with an amplifier upgrade later down the road.

Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not." — Nelson Pass

Link to comment

Interesting decision to (if I read correctly) have no remote control...

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

Link to comment
Interesting decision to (if I read correctly) have no remote control...

 

You can control basic functions over bluetooth from your phone/tablet; it is also largely aiming at the market playing vinyl, and they figured (paraphrase) "you will have to get up anyway".

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment

That looks very nice! The "all in one" approach is appealing. I think the bluetooth streaming connection would get the most use…and I love that they call it "vinyl" not "phono" for the record player connection.

 

I could see this as an office rig for folks, too. It has most of what one wants for a simple rig without all the "fiddly" stuff, right?

 

John

Positive emotions enhance our musical experiences.

 

Synology DS213+ NAS -> Auralic Vega w/Linear Power Supply -> Auralic Vega DAC (Symposium Jr rollerball isolation) -> XLR -> Auralic Taurus Pre -> XLR -> Pass Labs XA-30.5 power amplifier (on 4" maple and 4 Stillpoints) -> Hawthorne Audio Reference K2 Speakers in MTM configuration (Symposium Jr HD rollerball isolation) and Hawthorne Audio Bass Augmentation Baffles (Symposium Jr rollerball isolation) -> Bi-amped w/ two Rythmic OB plate amps) -> Extensive Room Treatments (x2 SRL Acoustics Prime 37 diffusion plus key absorption and extensive bass trapping) and Pi Audio Uberbuss' for the front end and amplification

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
audiophile HW for millenials?
I don't see it bringing anyone else into this hobby at $800.

 

A $200 AVR gets you better specs on paper (6 channels of 100W/Ch) which has a lot more inputs and it'll handle video as well.

$800 would buy you a nice wireless B&O or B&W speaker with money to spare.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad product by any means, but this is for seasoned audiophiles that want a nice small office setup.

To me it just shows how out of touch audiophile companies are, if they think that's who it's going to sell to.

Link to comment
I don't see it bringing anyone else into this hobby at $800.

 

A $200 AVR gets you better specs on paper (6 channels of 100W/Ch) which has a lot more inputs and it'll handle video as well.

$800 would buy you a nice wireless B&O or B&W speaker with money to spare.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad product by any means, but this is for seasoned audiophiles that want a nice small office setup.

To me it just shows how out of touch audiophile companies are, if they think that's who it's going to sell to.

 

 

This has to stop, me tending to agree with you I mean. :)

 

The Sprout is definitely an audiophile class product, and is probably priced appropriately given that it is not mass manufactured and available only in limited quantity.

 

But I agree I do not see the appeal in it. Simple? Yes. Useful? Not so much. Lost me at no remote control, to be honest.

 

-Paul

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

Link to comment
This has to stop, me tending to agree with you I mean. :)

 

The Sprout is definitely an audiophile class product, and is probably priced appropriately given that it is not mass manufactured and available only in limited quantity.

 

But I agree I do not see the appeal in it. Simple? Yes. Useful? Not so much. Lost me at no remote control, to be honest.

 

-Paul

I'm most interested in the claim of "concert level performance". Although the introductory message on the PSA board says that the goal is to sound like live music, the rest of it focuses on undefined concert "level" performance (whatever that means). Given the stated orientation toward an apartment-bound young and impecunious customer base, and 50WPC output power, concert volume level would be a surprising goal. But it's hard to imagine that PS has hit on a secret formula to deliver sound quality so good it's even close to live at that price, regardless of the source or speakers.

 

Lack of a remote doesn't bother me at all. You do have to get up to deal with vinyl, and digital sources have their own remotes. If it fulfills the PS promise for $800, I may even get in line despite a 24/192 limit on resolution. But ya' gotta prove it to me, Scott.

Link to comment

Wow, PS Audio is doing a kick starter too? Did anyone really believe their claims? I hope that people understand that when one leads with BS, more often follows...

Forrest:

Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA

DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP>

Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz

Link to comment
Less than 12 hours left on the Kickstarter if anyone has been considering this.

 

Looks like a nice product but don't really need yet another little amp.

 

Will be interesting to see how they sell. PS Audio turned an awful lot of their dealers off when they not only went direct but were undercutting the dealers prices. They have not been the same since.

David

Link to comment

All these HiFi for the masses are all well and good, but without promotion and sales in the right stores the masses will not hear about them...

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

Link to comment
All these HiFi for the masses are all well and good, but without promotion and sales in the right stores the masses will not hear about them...

 

What are these "stores" of which you speak? ;)

 

Seriously, I do 99% of my shopping with Internet providers, to the extent that if a store doesn't have an online shop, I'm not likely even to know about them. I suspect most younger customers (at least here in the U.S.) are the same. So I'm not sure that Internet-only marketing and sales is a bad thing.

 

That said, I wish I could find a good store in my area where I could hear some seriously high-end equipment (particularly speakers), as I'm interested in putting together dedicated audio system sometime soon - easy to buy speakers over the Internet, not so easy to hear them first :/

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

Link to comment
That said, I wish I could find a good store in my area where I could hear some seriously high-end equipment (particularly speakers), as I'm interested in putting together dedicated audio system sometime soon - easy to buy speakers over the Internet, not so easy to hear them first :/

 

I wouldn't feel too guilty about "showrooming" at Best Buy, but I would at my local independently-owned HiFi shop. If they take the time to demo the equipment for me, I will buy from them. Mostly because I want the business to survive. They host live music and other great events there.

Link to comment
I wouldn't feel too guilty about "showrooming" at Best Buy, but I would at my local independently-owned HiFi shop. If they take the time to demo the equipment for me, I will buy from them. Mostly because I want the business to survive. They host live music and other great events there.

 

Absolutely - what I meant to say is I'm not aware of any local indepedently-owned HiFi shops in my area to visit and listen to speakers / components. If I *were* to go to one and got good service, I'd be sure to shop there - I don't believe in "showrooming" (love that term) ;)

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

Link to comment
I wouldn't feel too guilty about "showrooming" at Best Buy, but I would at my local independently-owned HiFi shop. If they take the time to demo the equipment for me, I will buy from them. Mostly because I want the business to survive. They host live music and other great events there.

BestBuy is the showroom for Amazon :~)

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

Link to comment
When I first heard about this product I thought to myself, hasn't Peachtree Audio been doing this for several years? I'm struggling to find why the Sprout is something we don't have already from a number of manufacturers.

 

Agree it's not a unique product, though off the top of my head I couldn't name a lot of integrated amps in that price range with a 24/192 DAC, asynchronous USB, and a phono stage. At $449, the Kickstarter price was definitely right for the desktop system I'm putting together.

 

As has already been stated, PS Audio seems to be trying to market HiFi to the hipster/millennial/vinyl revival demographic.

Link to comment
Agree it's not a unique product, though off the top of my head I couldn't name a lot of integrated amps in that price range with a 24/192 DAC, asynchronous USB, and a phono stage. At $449, the Kickstarter price was definitely right for the desktop system I'm putting together.

 

As has already been stated, PS Audio seems to be trying to market HiFi to the hipster/millennial/vinyl revival demographic.

I'm happy to see PS Audio going for an expanded audience. The more people that get in to good sound the better.

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

Link to comment
Absolutely - what I meant to say is I'm not aware of any local indepedently-owned HiFi shops in my area to visit and listen to speakers / components. If I *were* to go to one and got good service, I'd be sure to shop there - I don't believe in "showrooming" (love that term) ;)

 

John,

 

My undergraduate degree is from SMU. I practically lived in Hillcrest High Fidelity in college, but I don't think it exists anymore.

 

I worked all one summer to buy an Adcom amp and preamp, and I had a 15" dbx sub under the desk in my dorm room. :)

Link to comment
When I first heard about this product I thought to myself, hasn't Peachtree Audio been doing this for several years? I'm struggling to find why the Sprout is something we don't have already from a number of manufacturers.

 

Somewhat true, but the Sprout has a phono pre and is even lower priced than the Peachtree stuff. It is aimed at the vinyl buying youngish audiophiles.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
John,

 

My undergraduate degree is from SMU. I practically lived in Hillcrest High Fidelity in college, but I don't think it exists anymore.

 

I worked all one summer to buy an Adcom amp and preamp, and I had a 15" dbx sub under the desk in my dorm room. :)

 

I graduated from TCU myself, but had a similar experience. Great hi-fi shop just across the street from campus - spent hours / week in there :)

 

There are a couple of home theater stores in my area, but carry none of the true "hi-fi" brands :P

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...