Listening to the Volumio Integro
Contents
The pop/rock and classical playlist were used for this review.
The Integro feels at home with the music of Foreigner, Queen, Sting and Led Zeppelin.
Poor sounding recordings are acceptable without being smoothed over. Metallica packs plenty of punch and sounds tight and layered.
Radiohead’s Decks Dark is mixed a modern way with lots of effects, and on the Integro it is pleasantly coherent, even though it doesn’t take the reproduction to the limits.
Madonna’s “Jump” is rolling into the living room with just the right bouncy beat, and Cinematic Orchestra holds its own until the track gets more complex. The amplifier seem to struggle to drive the speakers properly. With some less demanding speakers, this will probably be better.
The Mammal Hands track shows where the limits of the amplifier can be found. Instruments are easy to follow, but placement is a bit diffuse at times. The sound of the piano breaks down a bit into treble and bass. The resonance of tones sound velvety, but the Integro has some trouble with microdynamics. This is especially noticeable in impulses from the saxophone, which sometimes starts to sound a bit nasal. Admittedly, this is a difficult track; it is chosen because of this quality and proves itself to work as a divider track every time. Does the result disappoint? No. For a 1200 Euro streaming amplifier, this is good.
The conclusion is with pop, rock and dance the Integro is at home, but playback of more complex acoustic music, such as many tracks in the classical playlist, is a bit more tricky.
