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Roger: "The Virtue One and Two both share a common trait. They both have an ability to reproduce involving music whose soul and character are intact. Both reproduce realistic and tuneful bass with real impact. These little amps have rhythm and pace qualities that only far more expensive amps sometimes have. They are toe tappers! They transport us into a sonic space that is emotionally involving and absolutely absorbing. This is the little amp that can drive some really difficult speakers to quite satisfying levels. What I like most is this little amp's ability to do all that at such an incredible price. The amp is utterly non-fatiguing and very much a daily driver capable of providing hours and hours of musical enjoyment. The only problem is that it's not good for background music. It demands your attention."


Michael: "I like the Virtue amps. They're small, they're cute and you can get them in red and yellow. These little guys are really well built and solid as a brick. As small as they are, there is some serious work behind them. Until now it's been hard to find a small amp this well built, at this low a price and sounding so good. There are others—some of which I have designed and/or built—which are small and sound great. But I don't think any have brought together this combination of price, build quality and power. They're T amps of course! Anyone who knows me knows I love T amps and the "Tripath Sound." The Virtue amps have that Tripath sound with all the subtle detail and the liveliness of the smaller T amps but with more power, enough power for any system I'd ever own. 30 watts light up my living room just fine even with open baffle speakers. So I guess I'd have to say that the combination of the cool package, the right amount of power and that great T amp sound is what I like so much about these."


Integrity virtue: The secret recipe of these amps is based on the Tripath controller chips with external power transistors, one per channel. In other words, most people use one power chip, Virtue uses two so they get more power. To fully capitalize usable headroom, the switching power supplies are upgradeable. Let's inspect the features and specs of the Virtue Two.
  • Stereo integrated amp based on 1 x Tripath TC2001 controller chip and 2 x Apogee DDX2240 power chips.*
  • Max 30v, 90+ wpc @ 4 ohms
  • 22,000uF power capacitor
  • AuriCap input capacitors
  • Cryo-treated Auric hookup wire
  • Heatpipe thermal management
  • Tellurium copper propeller posts
  • Tellurium copper RCA jacks
  • Buffered mono subwoofer pre-out
  • Dimensions of 5"H x 2 3/4"W x 5.5"D
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*"The output stage Tripath used on their TK2050 kit was OEM from Apogee. Apogee was ahead of their time. They sold that division to ST Microelectronics. The Apogee technology Tripath OEM'd was the DDX line. ST calls the next generation FFX technology. It has efficiency advantages over traditional designs but it's the sound we really like. That's what's driving the output on our amps. Hence, TP2050/1 = DDX2100 = ST505. (DDX2400 is a better version of the DDX2100.) Ironically Tripath said that the TP2050/1 (the power stage) was one of their 'best parts'.... and the TC2000/1 is basically an AD converter for noise shaping. It's called the controller chip and that's the toe-tapping part of the amp."


Power Supply RMS Output Burst/Max Output
Max: 30v 4 ohms, <1% THD
24v/65w (One standard) 30wpc 100wpc
30v/90w (Two standard) 40wpc 100wpc
30v/130w (optional upgrade) 55wpc 100wpc


The $119 PSU upgrade is highly recommended for serious audiophiles not just because it's more powerful but also for its greater stability thanks to the PFC Power Factor Correction technology that counteracts the undesirable effects of excessive electrical loads. Power integrity produces lower THD and a more linear frequency response. For the oscillographically minded, see this Side Bar.


After months of ritualistic running in through the winter months, the Mark & Daniel Maximus subwoofers arrived in late spring as the perfect time to start critical biamp listening with paired subwoofers. My main listening room had undergone recent renovation with new cabinets to hide away the audio components. I owe that to my better half. She always wanted to reclaim the fireplace and recreate a more livable space without unsightly electronics and cables. I'm happy when she's happy. Friends who came by and listened thought I was using my Symphonic Line until they opened the cabinet doors. Ouch, jaws hit the hardwood floors. [To appreciate the misdirection, click on the next image for the full size].


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