Audiophilepure

After spending many months with the SV-500, here are some things that stand out for me. First, although rated at 2 x 50 watts (8ohm) this integrated had no problem driving either my Nola Contender or Triangle Antal loudspeakers. This unexpected torque was beneficial not only in providing volume on demand, but also in the way that music rose with power and impact in proportion to the increased level. Perhaps this extra oomph owes to the 110-watt toroidal transformer works in the power supply. Personally, blasting music is something that I don’t care to do all the time (anymore!), but there are moments when my external hard drive shuffles through the high-resolution files (remember them?) and kicks out gems like Jimmy Hendrix’s sublime recording of “Little Wing.” The beautiful chime-like tones in beginning of this song (so warmly presented by the SV-500MK) invariably provided the bait for giving the capacious volume knob a hefty turn to the right. And, if you’ve heard this rendition, you know what’s coming. When the solo kicked in, it was howling good fun at goosebump-inducing volume. “Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and her fairy tales,” indeed! Who would have thought such an unassuming black box held such a groovy rendition inside? Similarly, when playing Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3, the ominous double bass lines opening the piece hint at the terrifying struggle to come, and the Vincent proves surprisingly adept at conveying real weight and control to each note. As an aside, the violins circling upwards that reach their crescendo glide without shrillness or glare is also a credit to the Vincent Audio integrated amp’s tonal character.

Yes, if you really wanted to put in the work, you could build your own streamer for a fraction of the price of the Rivo Plus. But your time is also worth something, even if you have the skills to do it. And that homemade streamer would not have the high-performance digital output stage with all the format options the Rivo Plus has. I was very impressed with the Volumio Rivo Plus. It does just what it says it will do, with admirable build quality, looks, and software polish. There are only a few small bugs to continue to work out with the software, but it’s already very good.