Integrated Amplifiers

Quad, along with other high profile hi-fi brands including Klipsch, Rotel, Sonus faber, Arcam, SVS and Paradigm to name a few, has signed up to the Play-Fi platform developed by DTS, itself part of the Xperi audio, imaging and licencing group since 2016. Compatible with Amazon's Alexa assistant, Play-Fi is described as a 'premium whole-home wireless audio' solution that transmits audio files and streaming audio services from smartphones to speakers throughout the home using a proprietary, data-authenticating technology. The Play-Fi app is free for both Android and iOS smartphones and there's also a version that runs on Windows PCs. And wireless headphones? Yes, there's an app for those too!

Of course, Play-Fi is not only for 'speakers' as the Vena II Play aptly illustrates. In practice, DTS's receiver module can be built into any hi-fi product from network-attached DACs to multichannel audio receivers. The platform accommodates numerous services, including Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, Napster, iHeartRadio and SiriusXM, and will also allow you to access music files stored on your smartphone or other NAS facility connected via your home hub. However, for us audiophiles, what sets Play-Fi apart from most generic 'around the house' Wi-Fi audio solutions is its 'Critical Listening' mode. This facilitates the transmission of files up to 192kHz/24-bit resolution with no format conversion, lossy compression or downsampling. And, in our independent Lab tests, it performed just as advertised on the can. PM