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Reviewer: David Kan
Digital Source: Marantz SA8260, Philips DVP-9000S, Restek Radiant, Assemblage D2D-1 sample rate converter / DAC-3.1 Platinum D/A converter
Preamp: Symphonic Line RG3 Mk III, NuForce P-9, Dared SL-2000A, Dared MC-7P
Power Amp/Integrated Amp: Symphonic Line RG4 Mk III, NuForce Reference 9 SE V2, Reference 9 V2 (x 4 bi-amp)
Speakers: Apogee Centaur Minor, Apogee Stage, Mark & Daniel Diamond+ / Ruby, Klipsch Synergy F2, DIY Fostex FE126SE, JohnBlue JB4, Glow Audio Voice One
Subwoofer: Mark & Daniel Maximus-subwoofer
Cables: Symphonic Line Reference interconnect, Clearaudio Silver Line interconnect, Deltec Black Slink interconnect, Luscombe LBR-35 interconnect, Symphonic Line speaker cables, OCOS speaker cables by Dynaudio, JohnBlue S2 speaker cables
Power Cords: Aural Symphonic Missing Link, Ensemble Powerflux, Symphonic Line
Power Line Conditioning: Tice Power Block III Signature, Belkin PureAV PF60, Monster Power HTS-3500 Mk II (modified by NuForce)
Room Size: 15' x 13.5' x 7'/8' diagonal setup / 11' x 18' x 7'/8' opens to 18' x 19' x 7'/8', long wall setup, carpeted concrete slab floor, suspended ceiling and all walls finished with drywall / 12' x 24' x 9' opens to 12' x 17' x 9' L-shape, short wall setup / 13' x 28' 8" x 9' with openings on one side to hallway and staircase, short wall setup, suspended hardwood floor, suspended ceiling and all walls finished with drywall, external wall finished with insulation inside and concrete on the outside.
Review component retail: $469 with standard 24v/2.7A PSU and black enclosure (other colors add $10), 30v/4.33A PSU ($149), 30v/10A JT Dynamic Power ($249), Dodd Audio 24v/5Ah battery with charger kit ($149), fire-proof welded steel box ($100)

Patience is a virtue and virtue has grace. Procrastination is neither. My follow-up to the Virtue Two preview had procrastinated for over a year. Part of the reason was that the 2.1 has been replaced by the 2.2 shortly after yet the replacement model didn’t actually arrive at my door until June. Still, I had the Two.2 for more than six months. There was no excuse. To make up, I’ll give you the conclusion now. The Virtue Two.2 is the best Tripath amp I’ve yet come across for raw drive and on cost vs performance. On musicality of course Virtue isn’t the only firm to have gotten it right. KingRex and Winsome Labs too have found their own 'class T' recipe to satisfy us.


However, the Virtue Two.2 stands out first by going nonconformist and beyond the others on design flair, build quality and functionality—propeller posts, heavy-duty volume knob and subwoofer out—in ways that don’t belong in this price class. Second, by carefully matching high-voltage/high-current PSUs of your choice, one can maximize the potential of the Tripath promise. This makes Virtue synonymous with the biggest bang for the buck in this arena. Not only does their amp have flexibility in budgeting and with future upgrades, it allows unprecedented versatility in speaker matching.


Now for the details. What exactly is the difference between the Virtue Two.1 and Two.2 - or rather, what improvements were built into the replacement? Remember, the 2.1 retailed for $379 with a 30v/90w/3A standard PSU. The 2.2 went up by 24% to $469 and arrives standard with a 24v/65w/2.7A power supply but upgraded Auricaps. (You can save $35 if you opt for the Virtucaps.) Standard trim is still black velvet. If you fancy snow white, mesa yellow, red brick or cloud blue, add $10 to the bill. Power supply options extend to four levels:

PSU     Output power
30v/65w/2.7A PSU (no charge, standard)   30W/30W x 2 (4/8 ohms RMS)  
30v/130w/4.33A PSU ($149) 55W/45W x 2 (4/8 ohms RMS)
30v/300w/10A JT Dynamic Power ($249) 87W/45W x 2 (4/8 ohms RMS)
Dodd Audio 24v/5Ah battery with charger kit ($149)     ~75W/~45W x 2 (4/8 ohms RMS)*
  * Battery fully charged at ~26VDC

Virtue’s website shows two more options – a $59 30v/80w/2.66A PSU to be discontinued once stock is sold out; and Red Wine Audio’s $699 Black Lightning Series 10 24v battery which you’d order directly from RWA. What I received was the Auricaps amp, JT Dynamic Power and Dodd battery.

First the amp. Still based on 1 x Tripath TC2001 controller and 2 x Apogee DDX2240 power chips, performance specs of the Two.2 remain impressive for a stereo amp of its price and size: 87/45wpc (4/8Ω RMS), less than 0.1%THD and maximum/minimum allowable load impedances from 20Ω to 2. Point Two improvements include a 20K stepped attenuator; a built-in soft-start circuit that can utilize higher-current power supplies up to 30VDC; and a second set of Auricap input capacitors that can cut the low frequencies to the main speakers by changing a pair of jumpers on the volume PCB. That’s handy for a subwoofer. Detailed instructions are in the user manual, which also warns against connecting the amp’s speaker outputs to powered subwoofers. These 2.2uF Auricaps work as 80Hz high-pass filters. Should you prefer other values (0.082, 0.068 or 0.05uF for 100, 120 and 160Hz respectively) or want to do your own cap upgrades to Mundorf, Sonicaps or Claricaps, save $35 by ordering the basic 0.1uF Virtucaps.
Another new feature is power amp conversion by changing a second pair of jumpers on the volume PCB. This bypasses the 20-step attenuator. For a pdf of the user manual, click here. Debugging and fine-tuning the Two.2 involved eliminating subwoofer pop, lowering the noise floor and maximizing the low-end response. One significant chassis improvement was the rearrangement of the propeller posts to vertically (instead of horizontally) aligned pairs with cut outs on both side panels rather than just one. Now one can use spade connectors.

The JT Dynamic Power itself is well finished in a beefy 8.5 x 6 x 4.5’ heavy-duty black-brushed aluminum enclosure complete with IEC power inlet and on/off mains rocker in the back. (JT are the initials of Jason Terpstra, the Virtue cable designer.) Power-hungry audiophiles should be happy with what’s inside, basically an Antek PS-3N30. That’s a 300watt/10A power supply capable of 30VDC. It’s over-engineered for audio purposes as it was originally intended for servo motors, stepper motor drive and high over-load applications. The Antek AN-3222 300VA toroidal transformer has heavier-gauge windings than normal to avoid copper loss during full load and overload conditions. That makes it perfect for noise-sensitive equipment. The main output is coupled with 2 large 22,000uF capacitors to keep output ripple to less than 0.1V. The rectifiers are effectively cooled by a 3/32" thick aluminum U-shaped heat sink. For a pdf on specs, click here.
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