Intro
Contents
The Volumio Integro is a streaming amplifier. Add a pair of speakers, connect with a speaker cable and you can play music. That sounds enticing, but how enticing is it?
The Volumio Integro competes with products such as Bluesound’s PowerNode. Suppose you have a budget of 1200 Euros for a streaming system, without speakers. This means you have to find a streamer, a DAC and an amplifier, or a combination of those three elements. It is quite challenging to compose a great sounding system with that budget. You will be forced to make compromises, and search for the gems in the huge offering on the market. With that in mind, devices like the Volumio Integro or the Bluesound PowerNode are attractive options for a very large group of consumers. After all, the manufacturer has everything matched.
The audio hobbyist will pass up a product like the Integro, but Volumio is not targeting that audience with the Integro. For hobbyists, Volumio is known for their software, as a stand-alone product. When you use your own copy of Volumio software, you will need a subscription to integrate streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz. With the Integro this comes included, there are no additional fees.
Updates to the Volumio software are installed at the press of a button in the menu, so you don’t need an IT training to keep the Integro up to date.
The Integro is of interest for a large group of music lovers who do not want to spend a lot of money on something that sounds good, or who have a limited budget and who seek value for money.
Add to this the modest size and nice design of the Integro and you potentially have a HiFi product that could be a hit. The nice design does not just look good in a photograph, on close inspection it is a neatly finished product. For its price, even very neat.
The Integro has nice packaging, different from the usual gray cardboard box with a white label. This also signals that the Integro should entice a large group of consumers to make a purchase.
On design alone, Volumio gets bonus points. We do not often see devices in this price range with a careful considered design like the Integro has.
