Just curious on this one.
The Sprout100 powers my smaller speakers in my small office room just fine, but just wondering if people have bigger speakers, or a larger space, and need/want to use an amp with theirs.
Or maybe it’s just because you have an “extra” power amplifier – so why not?
And then, does the subwoofer output become irrelevant when using an external amp, or does it still function?
Have used the sprout as preamp before, single ended of course to a power amp. Did not like it because I had balanced inputs in such amp. It did an adequate job. Never have used the sub out on it. If all I had was the Sprout as preamp, the remote compensates and will do an adequate job. Would get a Schitt Saga instead.
Well, I’m testing the sprout100 as not so much a pre-amp, but as a DAC.
I have an older Audiolab 8000A integrated amp, and i wanted to compare that with the Sprout100 in my den for playing albums on my Thorens TD-150. Well, I think the Audiolab does a better job. But what about digital?
So I plugged the headphone out from the Mac Mini running Roon into an aux input on the Audiolab, and it sounds pretty darned good. So I thought, let’s try the Sprout as the DAC, and run a USB from Mac Mini to sprout, and then from Sprout to the same Aux IN. Yes! Sounds even better.
So… I think I’ll probably get a smaller, specific-to-the-purpose DAC for the Mini, and then maybe use the Sprout for something else.
So it sounds like you’re going to run your Audiolab plus a dedicated DAC in your main system.
Do you have another amp you are thinking about using with Sprout100 in a separate system? Or is your question more broadly about how best to use a Sprout if it won’t be going in your main system?
If the latter, I find that Sprout really shines in desktop and bedroom systems. Using just your phone as the Bluetooth source makes for a tidy, great sounding system.
I use them at home in the cottage for my S 400 speaker and it plays really well. Here it is from the HIFI fair in Copenhagen where we used the amplifier for the demo. It kicks ass
More love Denmark
Yeah, that is one option: to move the Sprout to the bedroom (find some nice small speakers for that)… but in my den, to keep the mac mini running through the Audiolab.
RIght now in the bedroom I have a pair of Polk Hampden powered speakers, and for what they are, they sound just fine. (Fed by an Airport Express via Airplay.)
I had the Audiolab down in my guitar room, feeding some ELAC’s. I’ll put the sprout down there for now.
So, the real question for the moment is to find a DAC from the Mini into the Audiolab.
Looking at budget ones like the NuForce DAC5, Topping D50, Schiit Moda 3, Pro-Ject Pre Box s2, etc… would like DSD capability, but not critical for this system.
I’ve been interested to hear Topping for a while now, so that’s what I’d try out first were I in your shoes.
Though depending on how much digital audio you plan on listening to, I would certainly humor Schiit. It’s a good bit cheaper than the D50, so if you don’t plan on listening to digital audio too, too much then I would put the money saved from buying the Schiit towards more LPs or CDs 
haha, i hear you there.
I do listen to a lot of digital, though. Really enjoying Roon with Tidal and Qobuz. I really don’t know that DSD will make a gnat’s hair difference on this particular system.
I wouldn’t stress much about DSD, especially since it sounds like a decent bit of your listening is streaming anyway.
I’d love to hear what DAC you decide on and how it does in your system!
I would like to try my Sprout100 as a preamp to fan amp with a little more power like the Schmitt Vidar 2. My room is small so moving up to 100wpc should be a nice bump without being too much. As I think about it, I would not be able to connect my subwoofer to the Sprout/Schmitt combo. Thoughts?
SPROUT 100 TO THE RESCUE
My Sprout 100 is my hero. It’s really versatile and still giving me good value and performance. The Sprout is substituting in place of my dead pre-amp.
I bought the Sprout years ago at the start of my 2 channel stereo journey. I connected the Sprout to my home theater main speakers using an A/B switch. Through the years I built up a component stack with power generator, transport, DAC, turn table, pre-amp, and mono block amps. Eventually, I purchased dedicated speakers and moved the stereo system to a new room. The Sprout eventually was relegated to a phono pre-amp.
Having a dead component pre-amp, I grabbed a couple sets of RCA cables and connected the mono blocks and DAC to the Sprout. It’s now the control center of my component stack where I can select source, adjust volume, and stream music. I can even listen to headphones!
The Sprout’s quality really surprised me at how good the system still sounds. The Sprout sounds better than I remember. I grant that the up signal and down signal components help a lot. Using RCA cables instead XLR were not the best choice. BUT, my hobby wasn’t silenced. I am still grooving to the music.
