Build quality is impeccable both inside and out, as one expects of Quad. Internal components have been painstakingly selected to ensure the VA-One maintains the company’s traditional dictum of “the closest approach to the original sound”, while external styling is classically Quad, finished in traditional ‘Lancaster Grey’. The amp’s front panel sports a smooth-acting volume control incorporating a motorised potentiometer, allowing precise adjustment via the supplied remote control, together with a high-quality headphone output and controls for input selection and Bluetooth pairing.

It all adds up to the ideal compact amplifier for modern music lovers who crave the mellifluous sound quality and delicious retro appeal of valves, whilst listening to music from all manner of modern devices, like smartphones, tablets and computers.