VAC Statement 452 iQ Musicbloc

MONO/STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER

- MICHAEL FREMER

VAC’s Statement 452 iQ Musicbloc amplifier ($75,000 for a single amp; $150,000/pair mono, as reviewed) is tall, young, and lovely, but unlike the girl from Ipanema, it isn’t tan. Nor, at 280lb in its flight case, is it likely to “go walkin’.” Getting the pair moved into my listening room required considerable effort— fortunately not mine.

Sized similarly to many modestly sized floor-standing loudspeakers, a pair of 452s makes for a striking physical presentation. They were first introduced to the public at the Capital Audiofest, November 2019—though at AXPONA earlier last year, VAC demoed, in a large room, the Statement 450 iQ integrated amplifier, which shares the 452’s stellar industrial design and, no doubt, much of its circuitry.

In my much smaller room, the look is even more dramatic and appealing. The thick aluminum chassis is finished in a clear metallic base coat, while other parts are copper, nickel, or chrome-plated—including the stabilizing feet, which also call to mind the appointments of some floor standing speakers.