Ever since the first version of PS Audio’s Sprout Integrated Amplifier was announced back in 2015, I was intrigued by its promise. PS Audio was a well-respected high-end audio company, with renown driven not only by great sounding gear but also by the personality of its founder Paul McGowan. Before Sprout, all of their gear was high-end separates, components with amps, dacs, and preamps contained in separate boxes. They were very good, but not accessible to a good portion of people either just getting started in the hi-fi hobby or just looking to put together an affordable system. Not to mention the fact that many people just didn’t have room for multiple components.
As an answer to this, the founder’s son, Scott McGowan, decided to create a small, affordable, integrated amp which offered the same quality and performance of his father’s more expensive designs. This led to the $499 Sprout, which got many good reviews but also left people wanting more since it didn’t have a remote or optical input, and was only 32W per channel into 8 Ohms.
Last year, these issues were addressed in the new $599 Sprout 100, which has the optical in, a very nice metal remote, and more power in the form of 50W per channel Class-D ICEpower. I just got one in for review, and the pictures really don’t do it justice. It really looks a lot nicer in person. I never got the chance to hear the first Sprout outside of a show setting, so I’m really glad to be able to audition the new model in my space. Stay tuned for my review…
Specs:
Physical |
|
| Unit Weight | 2.9 lbs [1.3 kg] |
| Unit Dimensions | Width 6.2″, Height 1.9″, Depth 8.2″ (chassis only, not including knobs) or 9.2” (including connectors and knobs) |
| Shipping Weight | 5lbs [2.2 kg] |
| Shipping Dimensions | Width 10.5″, Height 5″, Depth 14″ |
Power requirements |
|
| Voltage Options | 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, Auto-Detect |
| Power Consumption | 280W Maximum |
| Mains Power Input | IEC C14 |
Phono Audio Input |
|
| Connector | 1 Stereo Pair, Phono RCA |
| Cartridge type | Moving Magnet |
| Cartridge Output | 3mV-10mV (5mV recommended) |
| Cartridge Loading | 47KΩ (100pF) |
| EQ Type | RIAA |
| Gain | +40dB |
| S/N ratio | >84dB A-weighted (analog output) |
Analog Audio Inputs |
|
| Connector | 1 Stereo Pair, Line Level RCA |
| Maximum Input level | 2.1VRMS (+6.44dBV) |
| Input impedance | 10KΩ |
Analog Audio Output |
|
| Connector | 1 Stereo Pair, Line Level RCA |
| Output level, maximum | 3.0VRMS (+9.5dBV) |
| Output Max Gain (using Analog Inputs) | 8.45dB |
| S/N ratio | >105dB (3VRMS ref) |
| THD (Analog) | <0.01% (1VRMS, 1KHz) |
S/PDIF Digital Input |
|
| Connector | Optical (Toslink) |
| Format | PCM (96KHz max), 24 bits |
USB Input |
|
| Connector | USB “B” Type |
| Format | PCM (384KHz max), 24 bits, DSD64 (DoP), DSD128 (DoP) |
| Transfer mode | Asynchronous |
Bluetooth |
|
| Antenna | Built in |
| DAC | Uses Sprout’s built in asynchronous DAC over S/PDIF (ESS Sabre 9016 DAC) |
Stereo Power Amplifier Output |
|
| 8Ω loudspeakers connected | 50 watts per channel, both channels driven |
| 4Ω loudspeakers connected | 100 watts per channel, both channels driven |
| THD (Speaker Output) | <0.01% (1W, 1KHz into 4Ω) |
| Frequency Response | +/- 1dB (1VRMS out, 20Hz – 20Khz into 4-8Ω) |
| Signal to Noise | >100dB at max power into 4Ω |
Headphone Output |
|
| 32Ω headphones connected | 500mW |
| 300Ω headphones connected | 125mW |
| THD | <0.01% (1KHz, 50mW into 32 Ω) |
| Signal to Noise | >105dB at max power into 300Ω |
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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