Thanks Tarun. I had the luxury of auditioning the Vincent against the Unico Primo hybrid integrated and I landed on the Primo. Just had more life and realism to me although it was a while ago so I'm reluctant to get too expansive. The Unico was very nicely built and the tubes added their magic. Build quality was excellent. I did find myself annoyed by the small space Vincent allocated to the visible tube and was difficult to change out. As I recall the Unico delivered more depth and holographic sound. Just wrangling the brute around to set it up and return it was interesting. I now have a hybrid tube preamp a Rogue RP-5 with four ECC82 tubes and combine that with two Belles Mono amps. I have evolved into a definite liking for tube preamps combined with solid state amplifiers. Perhaps I'm just done with dealing with large power tubes.
I was waiting for Vincent to send Tarun their SV237 MKll for some time now before I decide to get the Exposure 3510 integrated. And here you are putting your Unico Primo against the Vincent, which I was always curious how that fight would turn out. Aside from the Exposure 3510, I have had my eyes on the Unison Research gear (Unison Primo or Unico Due); you are the closest person I know that has paired this against the Vincent and decided on the Union Research. Thank you for sharing. Tarun's other review on the NVA mono blocks sounds amazing: I think my decision on an amp or integrated has finally been shriveled down to the Unison Research, NVA, Exposure or Vincent. Now it's time to ask Tarun. I usually don't make a move until I hear his reviews because it seems we have a similar ear and above all he's just spot on the description and suggested pairing for me.
It's difficult. Recommend also checking out Zero Fidelity's review of the Primo. He thought little bright when pressed and recommended a certain tube with it. I found it best after some tube rolling. Small things like the stamped metal lid on the Vincent vs the machined anodized aluminum top plate on the Primo seemed to make difference with me. You might want to shop around for used Primos. When I got mine it was an introductory price of $2000. Now I believe $2500 or more. Its a difficult decision. Ive never heard the Exposure but it must be good. @@markd4292
Hi Fletcher. What speakers do you have your Primo Unico driving? I have a local dealer of Unison Research products and I like to demo the Due, especially that they have a trade in deal and they usually sell open box or floor models for sale. Can't beat that. Right now I have a pair of Sonus Faber Lumina 5. I like them but I do believe and I heard elsewhere that they do like some power in the capacitor department. The Primo Due offers 80,000 microfarads of raw power and are stable down to 2 ohms which mathematically speaking should be great for these speakers (well aside from Tarun's suggestion for the Exposure 3510 - which I am sure will also be a great pairing). I will be buying the Exposure blindly w/o a demo but if I can demo the Due I rather start there first and if I don't care for it I'll get the Exposure. My speakers are rated 4ohms at 89dB. I may upgrade to the Sonus Faber Sonetto 5 or 7 maybe, or I may go in a totally different direction and get the more sensitive Klipsch Forte IV. I am a fan of horn speakers, despite their shortcomings, I just thought the Sonus Faber although not as dynamic as Klipsch got me pretty close to that experience compared to other brands I listened to. Cheers
This channel is by far the most entertaining, professional and trustworthy hifi review channel on yt imo. Always great picks for review and a lot of the time out of the mainstream and a little more niche as I like it.
I watch most of the reviewers on TH-cam and I noticed they say always good things about the product they reviewing,never a bad thing. It’s impossible to understand what’s what. But this channel is a bit different,I hope Tarum is a honest reviewer and does it for the people,not for money
If memory serves me, the tube on display in the small round window is what directly powers the headphone output. At least, that is what was claimed in an old brochure from Audio Adviser when they were selling previous versions of this model. From what I've seen on various reviews, Vincent is kind of underrated for the quality they produce. Great review Tarun.
Love the Volume Control , The volume control is so important in amp design even the power switch is so important 'Thanks Tarun (Looks like Teac volume control ) I am an integrated amp Enthuist ' Espically now days that speakers have made a huge improvement since the 90s '
I have an old Vincent SV-129, 50 watts but sounds far larger, great sound from it and was impressed the first time I heard it. Underrated manafactuer that make some classy sounding amps...
I spent a few days auditioning the Vincent 237m2 and I really liked it. It felt muscular and confident, however in the end I didn’t end up buying it. Although the amp sounded great, I felt like it was only really good for a narrow range of speakers/music genre’s. I think that if you know that it’s sound suits your music taste, then fine, you’ll love it, but if you listen to a variety of music styles, I’m not sure that it’s that versatile. For example if you like electronic dance music… it’s not the amp for that really. Loved the tone controls and particularly the loud button. Made low volume listening an absolute pleasure.
Interesting you say it's not great with edm, in my system and imo, that's where it really shines. Feels like a monster in my space lol. Do you mind if I ask what you're pairing it with?
I was auditioning it with a pair of Heco Celan rev3 speakers. Dont get me wrong, it was good... but it just lacked that energy and detail in the upper mid/highs that give it that super fun party sound. With more mellow vocal music, or instrumental, it was devine. My wife, daughter and myself have very different music tastes, and i just didnt feel it was suitable for that diversity. Its the same way I feel about the Buchardt p300 speakers... Beautiful speaker, for particular type of music... just not an allrounder .... but thats just my opinion. @@jakus514
I actually have the Vincent SP-32 preamp paired with the R8. It added the richness and body to the mids that I felt the R8 needed. The bass rounded nicely, while the upper frequencies became more fluid without sacrificing detail, clarity or coherency. Tubes are the PSVane 3L34PH, Raytheon 6SN7GTB, Raytheon 6SL7 VT-229 Speakers are the Philharmonic BMR
Another well thought review. Thanks Tarum :) I have the SV-237MK for a little more than a year now and I absolutely love it… even with the stock tubes! All my (four) pairs of speakers are very difficult to drive (around 85db / 4 Ohm) and the Vincent can make them work beautifully… although on different speaker cables. Once again your recommendation is spot on.
Excellent review Vincent is so underated i owned the MK1 of the 237MK also now have the SAT7 pre amp paired with some big 998 monoblocks from Vincent sounds superb also i have the DAC 7 made by Vincent excellent DAC
You always do such a great job, Tarun. I never tire of your content. It’s terrifically well produced. I was very interested in this product until you described how it sounds. I have vintage McIntosh which also excels in providing liquid midrange along with a wide stage. However I’ve never actually heard what I’d call a holographic experience. I’d love to get a hybrid amp that will deliver that. A “Recommended” from Tarun is decidedly luke warm.
Nice review of a brand that doesn't get a lot of exposure in the reviewer universe. I have had a Vincent SA-31 / SP-331 combo for many years. Both use the tube/SS hybrid design and I like the pre-amp especially. The SP-331 is a really nice amp for Magnepans, in my opinion, though I've recently been letting it play with some Rogers LS3/5As and that is a very nice combo as well. Anyway, thanks for the review.
I thought that you must be "on holiday"! 😅 MY GOD! I have never seen this much integrated amp for the money and I agree with you…in the silver it's a stunning museum piece….so it’s is disappointing that it lacks truly exciting sound expectations. I am a fan of the design approach..I have a tube preamp that I have upgraded significantly all the resistors and capacitors..and a Denefrips Pontus II and a powerful McIntosh solid state amp. I've compared it to nothing 😅 but always look forward to powering it all up for listening and discovering! Good to see you back with your wonderful tours of the innards and explanations of design! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😀
Great work as always from this channel! I have a ifi tube buffer in my solid state system between my dac and integrated amp and I like it alot. I dont know if it’s added reverb, delayed cross feed or what is making it sound so good but I can’t take it out of the signal path now 😂
Great looking amplifier. I like the way you can pop the hood and look inside to see all the components. Not just the way you know what any of them are for. Just like the fact. 42 LB in weight. A Beast.
Interesting review, Tarun. It's good to see you back after your holidays.😎 I'm a solid state guy. I've been lucky enough just recently to have purchased a set of Vitus SM 101 monoblock amplifiers with the matching signature preamp. That for me is class A all the way, of course, with the option of selecting class A/B, and I'll never get sick of that class A presentation.
Terrific review marked, as usual, by a clear, technical examination of the amp. As to your question: we acquired a Rogue Audio Sphinx V.3 three years ago. It is an integrated hybrid amp: Class D power through a tubed output stage, 100 WPC @ 8 Ohms. A Herb Reichert review put us on the trail of the amp and a terrific, home-based hi-fi seller had us over to his place for a long audition with all parties masked. For our money, it's a great, high value amp with a fluid, musical mid-range and excellent grip on the bass.
Oh, so nice to see you reviewing this! I was very curious a couple of years ago them but couldn't find much about Vincent amps. Ended up getting an Advance Paris A12 instead because of a sale. It's a similar concept and I understand AP is much more available in the UK, I think you should take on those too ;) All the best!
I wanted to suggest the same thing, I have an Advance Paris A10 Classic, they pair beautifully with my Triangle Comete speakers. I would love for Advance Paris to be compared to this Vincent integrated.
Vincent audio products are very nice. I have a Vincent PHO-700 phono preamplifier paired with a Rega Planer 3 and Ortofon Blue cartridge and it sounds fantastic.
Have had my SA-32 Vincent preamp running into my Burson Audio TK monoblocks powering kef ls50 Metas. Heavy bass from the kefs and at 11 o clock, the airy but tiny kefs sound like floor standers. Seperates are delivering but the Vincent is a gem. Got the Fosi v3 with 48v and at 3o clock getting some solid bass. The Vincent pushes good current into the Fosi.
Hi Tarun, I agree, you get an awful lot of quality parts for your bucks with this amplifier. I did not hear you mention that you can split the tube pre-amp from the solid state power-amp. (or did I miss it?) That is a lost opportunity. It would have been very interesting to hear the contribution of each component separately.
Really appreciate your review of a Vincent product. The HiFi store closest to my house (still over an hour away) features their product line, and I haven’t stumbled across any reviews after three years of perusing TH-cam and Google searches for other products. Sounds quite appealing to me. I’m a bit mystified by the lack of a speaker switch; it must be an expensive option to install, both in cost and real estate, possibly sound quality as well, since you would have to be implementing the switching after the output stage. Regarding output power, I’ll have to admit that I am still not able to grasp the relationship between amplifier power ratings and speaker sensitivity, impedance curves, efficiency, etc. except to know that (much) less power is needed to drive efficient speakers, those approaching (or exceeding) 100 dB at 1 meter. Things get a lot more complicated at 85 dB at 1 meter (+/- 2 dB). I have power meters on the output of my power amp, so I can see how dynamic (or not) the recording is, and the ‘level’ of output power. I find that I generally run the amp at the middle of the range, between 0.25 Amps and 2.5 Amps corresponding to between -20 dB and -30 dB on the scale which my analog SPL meter tells me is approximately between 60 dBA and 80+ dBA at my listening position (fast response, 65 to 75 dBA damped [as the power meters are]). So why do I bridge a 250 Watt stereo into 500 Watts per channel? (Wait, the electrostatic speaker guy said that was a minimum for his product [which I have yet to purchase]). Anyway, looks like 10 Watts of power should be more than sufficient for my needs, provided my speakers can use all the power the amp can deliver. Like you, I would like to see four (4) of those capacitors in the power supply, but it might contribute to ‘headroom’ -it is much tougher to tell when the speakers are taxing the transient reserve, except by ears better trained than mine; in other words, I’m not sure how one might instrument it. Regarding tubes, I have them on the input on one system, but generally don’t use them. I find that under certain conditions, their distortion is unbearable, although I welcome their ability to amplify the signal into the amplifier. (I’m running a Freya+ in the system.). On another system, the preamp is dead quiet solid-state and the output is tube (Rogue Stereo 100) which does provide a marvelous sound stage, but the range is limited on both the bottom and the top end. Since my hearing topped out at below 12 kHz twenty years ago, and is surely even lower now, I don’t miss highs I can’t hear; but I really like the depths achieved by a decent solid-state power amplifier. So . . . I’m planning to purchase a tubed preamp in the near future. Tubes weren’t the main feature sought, but are welcome. I really wanted the balanced connections and especially the processor loop offered by the Rogue RP-7. My thoughts today. Welcome back from vacation. I missed your offerings while you were gone.
I moved away from tubes three years ago and I am using Atoll IN200 Signature and audiolab 8300a integrated amplifiers. They provide more detail, dynamics, bass and power without having to watch tubes change their sound every 300 hours. And if I ever miss the sweetness of EL34 tubes, then I can always get solid-state amplifiers like the Audiaflight. FLS3.
Hey Tarun, nice review, as always. Lots to love about this amp from the component perspective. Those MKPs are a ‘mare to run in but worth it in the end. Having been spoiled by the detail retrieval of my Elites, I can’t see this kind of amp making a shortlist for a replacement for my Musical Fidelity. Although, to be fair, I think my budget would need to be much more elastic. Tubes and class A may be very audiophile, but I don’t miss either in my system. Class A/B and transistors will do just fine for a while longer. 😊
Valves, everywhere!!! Pre, power, wherever you put them I’m there. My old tuner has valves. I love an amp with a personality and charm and I don’t mind sacrificing other aspects of the sound. I feel that many expensive amps are built to a price but Vincent didn’t scrimp on the components
Hi Tarun, to your point RE: B&W speakers - I suspect you're right, these high-end emphasised (aka: bright) speakers should pair very well. I'm currently trialling the SV-237's little baby sibling the SV-200 with my pair of B&W CM5s2's (these are B&W's last ever kevlar-coned bookshelf speaker, before they switched to "continuum"). Despite only 25w of amplifier power, the match really is incredible - the best I've ever heard on these speakers with any amplifier. I also agree that while the DAC chip itself isn't special, its voicing works very, very well with the rest of the unit and the net result is incredibly good - I tried external "better" DAC's but kept coming back to the internal DAC. I'm augmenting the setup with my pair of REL T5/i subs (2.2 setup) and the overall sound is fantastic. As you say, it can be listened to all day long with zero fatigue. That's saying a lot for B&W's! I'm seriously considering trialling the SV-237 before I pull the trigger on the SV-200. It's a much more sizeable and expensive amp, of course, but I have a feeling it'll be something special. Will update in due course. Cheers!
Great review. Vincent for some reason is quite underestimated, and the lack of good quality reviews dose not help. Would be great If You could do a SV-228 review some time, and compare it to 237mk2 :)
Thanks for the highly educational review again Tarun. I could see myself staring at this amp admirably through long listening sessions, but i'm just wondering if you think this would be would possibly be too smooth/warm for matching with a pair of S400 mk2's?
Thanks Tarun for an excellent review. I am curious to know more about your observations when pairing the SV237 with the Venus II. I just bought a Venus II 12th and it seems it may not have been the best of ideas? I've had an older version of the SV237 paired with XT8Fs, and a Hugo 2 for 5 years now, and thought I'd give it a go, even if no matter what I try to upgrade to seems to always fall short. There is something for me hard to describe (fluidity?) in the sound that keeps me going back to this setup, possibly because I am usually doing something else at the same time I am listening to music, and what remains with me is perhaps the emotional connection I make with the music rather than detail recognition. By the way, I learned the sound of the sv237 can improve vastly with a 120 Euro tube upgrade. In any case, any feedback on the Denafrips Venus II vs the SV237 would be welcome. Any DAC you'd pair with this amp? I thank you in advance for any time you can carve out for this.
Thanks Tarun for another insightful review. Where to have tubes in amplification? Well, I remember Paul McGowan championing tubes in the pre-amplifier and a solid state power output. I have a passive pre-amp and tube monoblocks, which certainly works okay for me.
The more interesting tube / solid state manufacturer is Kora from France. Much more expensive, but they eliminate some of the drawbacks that you describe. Also for an acquired taste though, but the soundstage of Kora is amazing.
Hi Tarun, My current setup is: Source - Tidal Network Transport - Bluesound Node 2021 DAC - Denafrips Venus 12th Preamp - Denafrips Athena Power Amp - Kinki Studio EX-B7 mono blocks Speakers - Focal Diablo Utopia Color Evo III Need your kind advice on whether to add Denafrips Gaia DDC to the setup or change the Network Streamer to An Auralic G1.1 / G2.2 or Hifirose RS130
It seems to me that the KEF LS 50 Meta might be a standard for comparison more people can relate to. It may not have the mid range tonality as your Proacs but perhaps you would provide an even more meaningful review for many viewers.
I see Vincent used JJ tubes in the preamp section; I used JJ Hi-Performance Gold Pin tubes in my preamp for a while, which are warm tubes; don't know how they compare with the regular JJs. Could you roll tubes with the Vincent if you wanted, or do they not recommend that? My preamp is tube, my monoblock power amps are solid state. I'd rather that than the other way around.
I am currently in an interseting situation, haveing electrocompaniet eci 80d and naim xs2, I want the eci 80d to kick like naim that sad I want the naim to have soundstage depth, organisation and detail retrival of eci 80D. Was checking possible setups that could check all the boxes I am resulting in about 6000 K, seing this video I ask my self could this one give me what I am asking for that "little"? I think I am going to give him listen with a bit of scepticism but maybee I will be very surprised and seve couple of thousands :), Thank you for the review
i have the Vincent SV 737 same as this but more power...could you help me figure out if there are better sounding tubes that I could use to replace 737 stock tubes? thx.
Good day, Brittish Audiophile. If you get a chance, please let us know about how the tone controls affected the sound character of this amplifier. If you didn't test this, please let us know. Thanks
@abritishaudiophile7314 Okay, I can understand that point. What about studio mixing boards? They employ lots of tone adjustability, do they degrade sound quality significantly? Hi-End speakers use top-quality crossover capacitors and other components in their speakers. Why not offer consumers swtchable high-quality tone control (options) in their integrated amplifiers like they always used to do back in the day. How much would that cost? Thanks
Hi Tarun Which one of the 3 following amps would you pick at a similar price if considering the most revealing yet musical sound ?Exposure 3510 or Audiolab 9000 or Vincent 237 mkii Thanks
I'm happy to see Vincent getting some attention from YT reviewers. I bought a Vincent SV-500 for $1000 US just before the pandemic hit and I've recently paired them up with KLH Model 3s. I live in a co-op so I'm not able to blast away at volumes I listened to back in the 70's, but the sound and look of the combo brings back the feeling I had listening to the stereo back in my mis-spent college years.
I also have the SV-500, have not given it much use due to change of living situation but moving into my forever home in a few weeks.... Good choice I hope!
@@AdamPotaznik I was in the same situation where I wasn't using it much until I moved out of my old old house into a senior co-op building. It's a great choice for my new place and I hope you wind up liking it too. I've been selling off some extra equipment and a deep vintage fanatic came over and told me how well I'd chosen my modern components. He pointed specifically at the SV-500. It made me feel so good that he was impressed by my modest system.
@@AdamPotaznikI started with Vincent SV-500 went to Vincent 237 Mk ( which I sold it to my buddy ) and then currently listening to Vincent SP-20 Power Amp + Vincent SA-T7 Pre-amp comb with Bluesound Node 2i DAC. Love it
@@williamsparkman1874 They're warm, but I usually have the high end attenuated down one notch at the speaker. I'm finding that they tend to not play well with overbaked 80s and 90s productions. If the CD sounds harsh, the speakers won't cover it up. I'm kind of tag-teaming the speaker's attenuators and the Vincent's treble control to try to find a nice balance for harsh CDs. The system still reminds me of my 70's set-ups with a really good CD or LP.
Tarun! It's such a pleasure to listen to your reviews unbiased and succinctly presented with excellent clarity and superb diction! Keep em coming Tarun!
I always appreciate that the comment section with Tarun's reviews is so civilized. It's like an intelligent letters to editor with a print audio magazine. This channel is print magazine quality. 🙂
Prior to buying this amp I had a love/hate relationship with my Forte IV's. Now it's all love and as you mentioned, the Forte"s are lively like the JBL's and a match made in heaven. And I did try a Decware SET amp and Yamaha AS2200 both of which just made an already unforgiving speaker more so, but with the Vincent I get a more powerful/prominent yet somehow softer in character bass with silky smooth mids and highs!
Honesty is what sets your reviews apart from the vast majority. You don’t cut any ice when it comes to letting us know it’s strengths and weaknesses. That is what I call fair. The Burr Brown chips are what sets them apart from others. I prefer the Burr Brown phono chip over the one that ordinarily comes on my AGI 511 preamp. It completely changes it into the highest class in resolution and detail. This chip DAC is not bad, but it won’t lick any external DAC like a Venus or a Spring 3 KTE even. Can’t expect that from a simple chip DAC. I prefer the tube rear end rather than the front end as this yields more detail in my experience and more resolution. It is heavily influenced by partnering equipment as well. Speaker choices are very limited with my choice using tubes but having subs made that easier. My EBTs loved the RM9. It was a glorious sound. Best tube amp I have ever heard. Thing is now I would rather not have to fiddle with tubes even though I like their sound, EL34s in particular. They have a sound very easy to love, fluid and transparent with just a touch of sweetness. I prefer a more open and transparent sound now. Resolution which doesn’t hide any flaws, in other words, brutally honest. It separates the real performers from the wannabes. It is harder to make the cut both in individual component choices as well as content as it doesn’t forgive flaws in components or media choices. This can limit what is pleasurable, but I also have a less resolving system in my bedroom just for those media choices that don’t cut the primary system grade. You must find what suits your own ears. They are the ones that matter. Press on Tarun. People notice your way and you are winning over more people everyday. Don’t go changing.
I just ordered one of these amps ($3000 in the US) based partially on this review and other glowing reviews on TH-cam. Going to pair it with Emotiva T2+ speakers I just bought and a subwoofer (if necessary).
Very informative review. However, this amplifier has high-quality tone controls. Why didn't you mention this? It would seem the tone controls could have changed your sonic impressions of this amplifier. High-quality tone controls can do wonders and take the music to that special place. I know that from experience. Thank you for the review.
Unbelievable..first, was wondering where you had got to recently, and secondly, your first review back is of my no. 1 amp in my system. I have the MK version, which is virtually identical except it doesn’t have the DAC/Bluetooth, which I already have in another amplifier, and scored the MK for more than 50% off the retail as they were introducing the MK2. Great review Tarun, and so pleased to see someone like yourself(one of the very best audiophile reviewers on TH-cam) giving kudos to this fabulous brand that deserves to be more widely known. Vincent gear is absolutely top notch quality. Kia ora from New Zealand.
I have the Vincent PHO 701 phono stage, which is also excellent for the money. Interestingly it uses a very similar 12 AU7 tube to the 12 AX7 used in this amp. The 701 certainly benefitted from tube rolling, so I'd expect this unit to do likewise...
Happy owner of the sv-237 mk. One thing that stands out for me with this integrerad amp is the PRAT. Natural rhythmic and lovely grip. Again and again I find myself unconsciously head bobbing. Unintrusive engagement. I agree with Tarun on the internal DAC. I never thought it would better my external DAC but it did. Synergie done right by Vincent, hat's off. One thing I hate with this kit, the eye piercing bleu LED. 😡
Hi Tarun, Always enjoy the review and the look at what is inside. The Vincent has been on my radar but being in the USA they are even more niche. I have been looking to pair something with Magnepans and the big transformer is a delight to see. I also like the DAC explanation. Many reviewer do not give this level of detail into the synergy and parts.
What a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen this attention to old school build quality in many moons. I had hopes that the unit would blow your socks off, but no. No raves, just an appreciation for the effort put forth to introduce such a good sounding, attractive unit.. Thanks for the great review, once again. Anxiously awaiting the complete absence of your socks.
note: Vincent is a german "brand" but not a "manufacturer". Its product is made by Zhongshan ShengYa (China). Vincent is part of the Sintron Distribution company, same as Dynabox (made in Taiwan). Would not know what was first, the chicken or the egg... But good products at a good price.
Thanks for the review! This may be a dumb question, why didn't they include XLR inputs (and ideally pre-outs) in this integrated amp given its price? Also the digital inputs appear to be "bare bones" coax/toslink.
Welcome back Tarun ! Very nice review. Tubes and Class A "The Holy Grail" but unlike with separates a more affordable grail. This unit sounds like it would do well with non-audiophile (real world recordings) that could use some smoothness without giving up too much in return. No matter what your format(s) are, we all have recordings with great performances and recording quality that could use some help. Early CDs come to mind as well as the original version of Metallica's 'Death Magnetic'.
Surprised that Tarun finds this particular Vincent amp dark & lacks high frequency extension. I heard a pair of Sigma orchestra 2.2 speakers driven by a Vincent amp (cannot recall which model) and the sound was superb. Very open, transparent, airy extended shimmering highs, huge soundstage & superb bass wallop. Heard the same speaker driven by an Audio Research amp & the sound was absolutely terrible. No highs, loose bass, shouty midrange & small soundstage. Overall very murky & slow as well. Over the yrs i have also heard other Sigma speakers driven by other amps but i have to yet to hear one as good as the Vincent.
This would be my experience too. Just heads and tails better in every respect over the tube SET amp I tried and SS Yamaha, or Denon AVR (as expected and the only I'd characterize as dark). The other integrateds caused my Forte IVs to accentuate the horns (mids and highs) to the point of fatigue but somehow the Vincent strikes the perfect balance and gives an incredibly powerful sound you would expect looking at these speakers. Also has that character that makes me enjoy turning it up but that's not necessary as it sounds amazing (probably best) at low volumes when it runs pure class A. To the contrary of what some have said I find it extremely versatile as well due the loudness button and excellent tone controls. Reminiscent of the very best of vintage amps with powerful and warm but airy, open and detailed sound. Silky smooth and lovely round bass! This amp sounded great with the KEF R300 and Wharefedale lintons I tries as well, but of course the Fote's are in another league and it the Vincent that allowed me to truly appreciate them. It also allowed me to better appreciate my expensive tube dac. Right now though I'm really enjoying the analog out directly from my iFi NEO stream. Everything sounds better with the Vincent!
I own the smaller brother Vincent SV 227MK, puts 100W into 8 Ohms, paired with a pair Graham Audio Chartwell LS6. Very happy with the combo for a small room. Versatile, beautiful sounding and lovely botton end.
Your better off listening or buying any of the Unison Research hybrid amps. Much better sounding and not made in China. Did the comparisons and it's a no brainer. Cheers
Aaah… the rabbit hole of hybrids! Thanks for the outstanding review! I love your matter of fact approach. I myself started with transistor amps, then got introduced to the tube sound and was sold. But the power combined with the tube sound is just heaven for me. I purchased the unison research unico nuovo and I’ve never looked back. Perhaps an idea to compare or review these hybrid amps? Unison research has a whole line of them!
What a beautiful unit! You keep bringing us these future classics. Thanks for sharing. My favorite tube device is my 1936 Silvertone 4485 radio. 3 watts of class A power and it has a visible tube at the top of the tuning dial.
Glad you got away for a break and are back safe and sound with us all. Great equipment and review. I am also mesmerized by glowing tubes and flashing lights. Add in a spectrum analyzer and EQ, and I'm sold. Thank you for your time and efforts sharing this with us all. Take care, Sir.
This is a very interesting looking amp! I'm wondering how this compares to what Advance Paris are doing with hybrid amps? Also, in terms of packing a lot of features in, I'm very very curious about the Advance Paris myconnect 150 as an all in one solution, also using a solid state/tube combo. Thanks for yet another great review Tarun.
Thanks Tarun, cool review. Recently changed from Rega Elex-r amp and Exposure 2010s2 cd player to Uninson Research Unico Primo amp and cd player. Couldn't resist them as they were on sale in a local electrical store, ex display and going for a song, £500 each. There's have one tube in each unit and after a bit of cable swapping, I'm loving the sound coming out of my Epos K2 speakers. Running the cd player through a Pathos Converto mk1 dac for an experiment. Subtle differences. Will keep the Pathos hooked up for now. Will be looking into tube rolling soon. Great channel young man.
This integrated is very choked up by the stock tubes! Rolling in some NOS Sylvania 5751 (12ax7) and Siemens and Halske E88CC (6n1p) opened it up and let it breathe like i couldnt believe. Since then, i havent felt a lack of detail, and im definitely experiencing a holgraphic stage, all while retaining and improving upon its wonderfuly rich tonality :) And thank you from the excellent review as always!
Just make sure you're doing a blind test on the tubes, for your own sake. I got caught on this myself when my very good friend had a go at me for being over-excited about tube-rolling. Let me just say, I ate humble pie for dinner that evening, haha. In my opinion, tubes in general have a sound. Tube rolling makes differences, but they're quite narrow (unless you get very bad tubes as a stock configuration).
@WSS_the_OG I haven't gone for totally blind, but I have consistently experienced the same sonic differences going between tube to tube, and back again. And I have absolutely experienced myself being prone psychoacoustics, so there's that too 😅 I believe there are fairly small differences between most tubes, but sometimes there are very synergistic matches that really get the unit singing, and just the opposite and it's unlistenable!
I have the Vincent 237 MK for the last few years and it still surprises me with its sound quality. It brings life to the sound in a way that other amps can’t achieve in my opinion. (at least in this price range) I paired it with the Wharfadale Evo 4.1s and Rega Dac. I finally settled in a system that still gives me pure joy every time I listen to it.
Umm...erm... trying to add a comment without annoying anyone. Okay, there are two types of audiophiles (I don't class myself as a true audiophile), ones who gravitate to typical SS amps and those who prefer a tube/Class A amp. There's no right and wrong. I fall into the former. Having heard a Graaf and Icon valve or tube amps, they really don't make me smile. Of course they have qualities a typical SS amp can't achieve: Big bass, smooth midrange and more realism with vocals, whereas a SS amp has tauter bass, better detail retrieval and a more open presentation. And they don't cost a fortune with upgrades -- valves only have a certain lifespan. The upside is during the winter you don't need central heating😂
Thanks Tarun. I had the luxury of auditioning the Vincent against the Unico Primo hybrid integrated and I landed on the Primo. Just had more life and realism to me although it was a while ago so I'm reluctant to get too expansive. The Unico was very nicely built and the tubes added their magic. Build quality was excellent. I did find myself annoyed by the small space Vincent allocated to the visible tube and was difficult to change out. As I recall the Unico delivered more depth and holographic sound. Just wrangling the brute around to set it up and return it was interesting. I now have a hybrid tube preamp a Rogue RP-5 with four ECC82 tubes and combine that with two Belles Mono amps. I have evolved into a definite liking for tube preamps combined with solid state amplifiers. Perhaps I'm just done with dealing with large power tubes.
I was waiting for Vincent to send Tarun their SV237 MKll for some time now before I decide to get the Exposure 3510 integrated. And here you are putting your Unico Primo against the Vincent, which I was always curious how that fight would turn out. Aside from the Exposure 3510, I have had my eyes on the Unison Research gear (Unison Primo or Unico Due); you are the closest person I know that has paired this against the Vincent and decided on the Union Research. Thank you for sharing. Tarun's other review on the NVA mono blocks sounds amazing: I think my decision on an amp or integrated has finally been shriveled down to the Unison Research, NVA, Exposure or Vincent. Now it's time to ask Tarun. I usually don't make a move until I hear his reviews because it seems we have a similar ear and above all he's just spot on the description and suggested pairing for me.
It's difficult. Recommend also checking out Zero Fidelity's review of the Primo. He thought little bright when pressed and recommended a certain tube with it. I found it best after some tube rolling. Small things like the stamped metal lid on the Vincent vs the machined anodized aluminum top plate on the Primo seemed to make difference with me. You might want to shop around for used Primos. When I got mine it was an introductory price of $2000. Now I believe $2500 or more. Its a difficult decision. Ive never heard the Exposure but it must be good.
@@markd4292
Hi Fletcher. What speakers do you have your Primo Unico driving? I have a local dealer of Unison Research products and I like to demo the Due, especially that they have a trade in deal and they usually sell open box or floor models for sale. Can't beat that. Right now I have a pair of Sonus Faber Lumina 5. I like them but I do believe and I heard elsewhere that they do like some power in the capacitor department. The Primo Due offers 80,000 microfarads of raw power and are stable down to 2 ohms which mathematically speaking should be great for these speakers (well aside from Tarun's suggestion for the Exposure 3510 - which I am sure will also be a great pairing). I will be buying the Exposure blindly w/o a demo but if I can demo the Due I rather start there first and if I don't care for it I'll get the Exposure. My speakers are rated 4ohms at 89dB. I may upgrade to the Sonus Faber Sonetto 5 or 7 maybe, or I may go in a totally different direction and get the more sensitive Klipsch Forte IV. I am a fan of horn speakers, despite their shortcomings, I just thought the Sonus Faber although not as dynamic as Klipsch got me pretty close to that experience compared to other brands I listened to. Cheers
@@markd4292 Hi Mark. I do indeed hope you like the Primo. It worked for me. I believe I was using Klipsch 16
This channel is by far the most entertaining, professional and trustworthy hifi review channel on yt imo. Always great picks for review and a lot of the time out of the mainstream and a little more niche as I like it.
Agreed. * professional * a lot.
@@johnristheanswer thanks and fixed. Hope it makes you happy 👍 Spell check in my native language makes it hard to write in english sorry.
I watch most of the reviewers on TH-cam and I noticed they say always good things about the product they reviewing,never a bad thing. It’s impossible to understand what’s what. But this channel is a bit different,I hope Tarum is a honest reviewer and does it for the people,not for money
@@YuengsNwings the information presented in the videos seem balanced and honest.
Totally agree
If memory serves me, the tube on display in the small round window is what directly powers the headphone output. At least, that is what was claimed in an old brochure from Audio Adviser when they were selling previous versions of this model. From what I've seen on various reviews, Vincent is kind of underrated for the quality they produce. Great review Tarun.
Love the Volume Control ,
The volume control is so important in amp design even the power switch is so important 'Thanks Tarun
(Looks like Teac volume control )
I am an integrated amp
Enthuist '
Espically now days that speakers have made a huge improvement since the 90s '
I have an old Vincent SV-129, 50 watts but sounds far larger, great sound from it and was impressed the first time I heard it. Underrated manafactuer that make some classy sounding amps...
Thank you for sharing 😊
I spent a few days auditioning the Vincent 237m2 and I really liked it. It felt muscular and confident, however in the end I didn’t end up buying it. Although the amp sounded great, I felt like it was only really good for a narrow range of speakers/music genre’s. I think that if you know that it’s sound suits your music taste, then fine, you’ll love it, but if you listen to a variety of music styles, I’m not sure that it’s that versatile. For example if you like electronic dance music… it’s not the amp for that really. Loved the tone controls and particularly the loud button. Made low volume listening an absolute pleasure.
Interesting you say it's not great with edm, in my system and imo, that's where it really shines. Feels like a monster in my space lol. Do you mind if I ask what you're pairing it with?
I was auditioning it with a pair of Heco Celan rev3 speakers. Dont get me wrong, it was good... but it just lacked that energy and detail in the upper mid/highs that give it that super fun party sound. With more mellow vocal music, or instrumental, it was devine. My wife, daughter and myself have very different music tastes, and i just didnt feel it was suitable for that diversity. Its the same way I feel about the Buchardt p300 speakers... Beautiful speaker, for particular type of music... just not an allrounder .... but thats just my opinion. @@jakus514
I actually have the Vincent SP-32 preamp paired with the R8. It added the richness and body to the mids that I felt the R8 needed. The bass rounded nicely, while the upper frequencies became more fluid without sacrificing detail, clarity or coherency.
Tubes are the PSVane 3L34PH, Raytheon 6SN7GTB, Raytheon 6SL7 VT-229
Speakers are the Philharmonic BMR
Another well thought review. Thanks Tarum :)
I have the SV-237MK for a little more than a year now and I absolutely love it… even with the stock tubes!
All my (four) pairs of speakers are very difficult to drive (around 85db / 4 Ohm) and the Vincent can make them work beautifully… although on different speaker cables.
Once again your recommendation is spot on.
237mk amazing amp. Tarun should make another review with good dac. The vincent internal dac is quite bad
Thank you 👍
Excellent review Vincent is so underated i owned the MK1 of the 237MK also now have the SAT7 pre amp paired with some big 998 monoblocks from Vincent sounds superb also i have the DAC 7 made by Vincent excellent DAC
You always do such a great job, Tarun. I never tire of your content. It’s terrifically well produced. I was very interested in this product until you described how it sounds. I have vintage McIntosh which also excels in providing liquid midrange along with a wide stage. However I’ve never actually heard what I’d call a holographic experience. I’d love to get a hybrid amp that will deliver that. A “Recommended” from Tarun is decidedly luke warm.
Nice review of a brand that doesn't get a lot of exposure in the reviewer universe. I have had a Vincent SA-31 / SP-331 combo for many years. Both use the tube/SS hybrid design and I like the pre-amp especially. The SP-331 is a really nice amp for Magnepans, in my opinion, though I've recently been letting it play with some Rogers LS3/5As and that is a very nice combo as well. Anyway, thanks for the review.
I thought that you must be "on holiday"! 😅
MY GOD! I have never seen this much integrated amp for the money and I agree with you…in the silver it's a stunning museum piece….so it’s is disappointing that it lacks truly exciting sound expectations.
I am a fan of the design approach..I have a tube preamp that I have upgraded significantly all the resistors and capacitors..and a Denefrips Pontus II and a powerful McIntosh solid state amp. I've compared it to nothing 😅 but always look forward to powering it all up for listening and discovering!
Good to see you back with your wonderful tours of the innards and explanations of design! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😀
Great work as always from this channel! I have a ifi tube buffer in my solid state system between my dac and integrated amp and I like it alot. I dont know if it’s added reverb, delayed cross feed or what is making it sound so good but I can’t take it out of the signal path now 😂
That is great! Thank you 👍
Great looking amplifier. I like the way you can pop the hood and look inside to see all the components. Not just the way you know what any of them are for. Just like the fact. 42 LB in weight. A Beast.
Thank you 😊
I thought the black quite hansome and part and build impressive but the ears have the final say. Another good job Tarun.
Interesting review, Tarun.
It's good to see you back after your holidays.😎
I'm a solid state guy. I've been lucky enough just recently to have purchased a set of Vitus SM 101 monoblock amplifiers with the matching signature preamp. That for me is class A all the way, of course, with the option of selecting class A/B, and I'll never get sick of that class A presentation.
This exists also as a standalone pre-amp and it is a marvel .
Terrific review marked, as usual, by a clear, technical examination of the amp.
As to your question: we acquired a Rogue Audio Sphinx V.3 three years ago. It is an integrated hybrid amp: Class D power through a tubed output stage, 100 WPC @ 8 Ohms. A Herb Reichert review put us on the trail of the amp and a terrific, home-based hi-fi seller had us over to his place for a long audition with all parties masked. For our money, it's a great, high value amp with a fluid, musical mid-range and excellent grip on the bass.
Thank you. Much appreciated. I need to get my hands on the Sphinx V3 😊👍
Oh, so nice to see you reviewing this! I was very curious a couple of years ago them but couldn't find much about Vincent amps. Ended up getting an Advance Paris A12 instead because of a sale. It's a similar concept and I understand AP is much more available in the UK, I think you should take on those too ;) All the best!
Thank you 👍
I wanted to suggest the same thing, I have an Advance Paris A10 Classic, they pair beautifully with my Triangle Comete speakers.
I would love for Advance Paris to be compared to this Vincent integrated.
Vincent audio products are very nice. I have a Vincent PHO-700 phono preamplifier paired with a Rega Planer 3 and Ortofon Blue cartridge and it sounds fantastic.
Have had my SA-32 Vincent preamp running into my Burson Audio TK monoblocks powering kef ls50 Metas. Heavy bass from the kefs and at 11 o clock, the airy but tiny kefs sound like floor standers. Seperates are delivering but the Vincent is a gem. Got the Fosi v3 with 48v and at 3o clock getting some solid bass. The Vincent pushes good current into the Fosi.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Thank you Tarun. Finally, for me, a much needed review of Vincent Audio. BTW is that my buddy John Lee in the background?
Thank you. Yes, it is 👍
Thanks a lot for your highly appreciated review! I just have to wait til it's available on Italian market!
Thank you. Much appreciated 👍
A modern amp that looks good! Impressive build quality. Splendid review with a look also on construction and internals.
Thank you 👍
Hi Tarun, I agree, you get an awful lot of quality parts for your bucks with this amplifier. I did not hear you mention that you can split the tube pre-amp from the solid state power-amp. (or did I miss it?) That is a lost opportunity. It would have been very interesting to hear the contribution of each component separately.
Really appreciate your review of a Vincent product. The HiFi store closest to my house (still over an hour away) features their product line, and I haven’t stumbled across any reviews after three years of perusing TH-cam and Google searches for other products. Sounds quite appealing to me. I’m a bit mystified by the lack of a speaker switch; it must be an expensive option to install, both in cost and real estate, possibly sound quality as well, since you would have to be implementing the switching after the output stage.
Regarding output power, I’ll have to admit that I am still not able to grasp the relationship between amplifier power ratings and speaker sensitivity, impedance curves, efficiency, etc. except to know that (much) less power is needed to drive efficient speakers, those approaching (or exceeding) 100 dB at 1 meter. Things get a lot more complicated at 85 dB at 1 meter (+/- 2 dB). I have power meters on the output of my power amp, so I can see how dynamic (or not) the recording is, and the ‘level’ of output power. I find that I generally run the amp at the middle of the range, between 0.25 Amps and 2.5 Amps corresponding to between -20 dB and -30 dB on the scale which my analog SPL meter tells me is approximately between 60 dBA and 80+ dBA at my listening position (fast response, 65 to 75 dBA damped [as the power meters are]). So why do I bridge a 250 Watt stereo into 500 Watts per channel? (Wait, the electrostatic speaker guy said that was a minimum for his product [which I have yet to purchase]). Anyway, looks like 10 Watts of power should be more than sufficient for my needs, provided my speakers can use all the power the amp can deliver. Like you, I would like to see four (4) of those capacitors in the power supply, but it might contribute to ‘headroom’ -it is much tougher to tell when the speakers are taxing the transient reserve, except by ears better trained than mine; in other words, I’m not sure how one might instrument it.
Regarding tubes, I have them on the input on one system, but generally don’t use them. I find that under certain conditions, their distortion is unbearable, although I welcome their ability to amplify the signal into the amplifier. (I’m running a Freya+ in the system.). On another system, the preamp is dead quiet solid-state and the output is tube (Rogue Stereo 100) which does provide a marvelous sound stage, but the range is limited on both the bottom and the top end. Since my hearing topped out at below 12 kHz twenty years ago, and is surely even lower now, I don’t miss highs I can’t hear; but I really like the depths achieved by a decent solid-state power amplifier. So . . . I’m planning to purchase a tubed preamp in the near future. Tubes weren’t the main feature sought, but are welcome. I really wanted the balanced connections and especially the processor loop offered by the Rogue RP-7. My thoughts today. Welcome back from vacation. I missed your offerings while you were gone.
I moved away from tubes three years ago and I am using Atoll IN200 Signature and audiolab 8300a integrated amplifiers. They provide more detail, dynamics, bass and power without having to watch tubes change their sound every 300 hours. And if I ever miss the sweetness of EL34 tubes, then I can always get solid-state amplifiers like the Audiaflight. FLS3.
Hey Tarun, nice review, as always. Lots to love about this amp from the component perspective. Those MKPs are a ‘mare to run in but worth it in the end.
Having been spoiled by the detail retrieval of my Elites, I can’t see this kind of amp making a shortlist for a replacement for my Musical Fidelity. Although, to be fair, I think my budget would need to be much more elastic.
Tubes and class A may be very audiophile, but I don’t miss either in my system. Class A/B and transistors will do just fine for a while longer. 😊
Valves, everywhere!!! Pre, power, wherever you put them I’m there. My old tuner has valves. I love an amp with a personality and charm and I don’t mind sacrificing other aspects of the sound. I feel that many expensive amps are built to a price but Vincent didn’t scrimp on the components
Very nice review and very nice entertainment. Always a pleasure. :)
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Hi Tarun, to your point RE: B&W speakers - I suspect you're right, these high-end emphasised (aka: bright) speakers should pair very well. I'm currently trialling the SV-237's little baby sibling the SV-200 with my pair of B&W CM5s2's (these are B&W's last ever kevlar-coned bookshelf speaker, before they switched to "continuum"). Despite only 25w of amplifier power, the match really is incredible - the best I've ever heard on these speakers with any amplifier. I also agree that while the DAC chip itself isn't special, its voicing works very, very well with the rest of the unit and the net result is incredibly good - I tried external "better" DAC's but kept coming back to the internal DAC. I'm augmenting the setup with my pair of REL T5/i subs (2.2 setup) and the overall sound is fantastic. As you say, it can be listened to all day long with zero fatigue. That's saying a lot for B&W's! I'm seriously considering trialling the SV-237 before I pull the trigger on the SV-200. It's a much more sizeable and expensive amp, of course, but I have a feeling it'll be something special. Will update in due course. Cheers!
Good to know. Thank you for sharing your experiences 👍
Great review. Vincent for some reason is quite underestimated, and the lack of good quality reviews dose not help. Would be great If You could do a SV-228 review some time, and compare it to 237mk2 :)
Thanks for the highly educational review again Tarun. I could see myself staring at this amp admirably through long listening sessions, but i'm just wondering if you think this would be would possibly be too smooth/warm for matching with a pair of S400 mk2's?
Thank you. The S400 Mk2 is not a particularly warm speaker. On paper, they should be a reasonable match 😊
Thanks Tarun for an excellent review. I am curious to know more about your observations when pairing the SV237 with the Venus II. I just bought a Venus II 12th and it seems it may not have been the best of ideas? I've had an older version of the SV237 paired with XT8Fs, and a Hugo 2 for 5 years now, and thought I'd give it a go, even if no matter what I try to upgrade to seems to always fall short. There is something for me hard to describe (fluidity?) in the sound that keeps me going back to this setup, possibly because I am usually doing something else at the same time I am listening to music, and what remains with me is perhaps the emotional connection I make with the music rather than detail recognition. By the way, I learned the sound of the sv237 can improve vastly with a 120 Euro tube upgrade.
In any case, any feedback on the Denafrips Venus II vs the SV237 would be welcome. Any DAC you'd pair with this amp? I thank you in advance for any time you can carve out for this.
Thanks Tarun for another insightful review. Where to have tubes in amplification? Well, I remember Paul McGowan championing tubes in the pre-amplifier and a solid state power output. I have a passive pre-amp and tube monoblocks, which certainly works okay for me.
Great. Thank you for sharing 👍
Appreciate the review. Well done.
Thank you 👍
Thank you for making these videos, you are amazing!
Is this amp made in China?
Thank you. Much appreciated. They are made in China 😊👍
Very cool like the perk-a-boo window with the lit-up tubes
Me too 👍
Looking forward to your review of the Castle speakers. Surprised to see you kept the JBL 4309. Looking good in your room!
Coming soon 👍
Coming soon 👍
The more interesting tube / solid state manufacturer is Kora from France. Much more expensive, but they eliminate some of the drawbacks that you describe. Also for an acquired taste though, but the soundstage of Kora is amazing.
Cool. I will check them out 😊
Never heard of the company, but I like the retro style of it.
It looks great in the flesh 😊
Hi Tarun, My current setup is:
Source - Tidal
Network Transport - Bluesound Node 2021
DAC - Denafrips Venus 12th
Preamp - Denafrips Athena
Power Amp - Kinki Studio EX-B7 mono blocks
Speakers - Focal Diablo Utopia Color Evo III
Need your kind advice on whether to add Denafrips Gaia DDC to the setup or change the Network Streamer to An Auralic G1.1 / G2.2 or Hifirose RS130
It seems to me that the KEF LS 50 Meta might be a standard for comparison more people can relate to. It may not have the mid range tonality as your Proacs but perhaps you would provide an even more meaningful review for many viewers.
great review!! great channel !! thx brother
Never heard of Vincent before thanks Tarun
Most welcome 👍
I see Vincent used JJ tubes in the preamp section; I used JJ Hi-Performance Gold Pin tubes in my preamp for a while, which are warm tubes; don't know how they compare with the regular JJs. Could you roll tubes with the Vincent if you wanted, or do they not recommend that? My preamp is tube, my monoblock power amps are solid state. I'd rather that than the other way around.
Thank you. Tube rolling would be fun with this amp 😊
Great video I considered buying a vincent amp but went with the model 40n .How would compare the vincent to the marantz model 40n thanks
The 40N has a steamer and is probably a bit more open on top. I would need to AB them to be sure 😊
I am currently in an interseting situation, haveing electrocompaniet eci 80d and naim xs2, I want the eci 80d to kick like naim that sad I want the naim to have soundstage depth, organisation and detail retrival of eci 80D. Was checking possible setups that could check all the boxes I am resulting in about 6000 K, seing this video I ask my self could this one give me what I am asking for that "little"? I think I am going to give him listen with a bit of scepticism but maybee I will be very surprised and seve couple of thousands :), Thank you for the review
Thank you 😊
Great review Tarun. A lovely looking amp. But at this price point it's up against the mighty Unison Research Unico Nuovo. The purists dream machine.
True. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you James. Much appreciated 😊👍
This or the The Willsenton R8 for FYNE classic 8s?
@@troyhouse253 R8 for me 😊
i have the Vincent SV 737 same as this but more power...could you help me figure out if there are better sounding tubes that I could use to replace 737 stock tubes? thx.
Good day, Brittish Audiophile. If you get a chance, please let us know about how the tone controls affected the sound character of this amplifier. If you didn't test this, please let us know. Thanks
No tone control is phase coherent (messes with timing) and add extra circuitry in the signal path (reduces resolution) 😊
@abritishaudiophile7314 Okay, I can understand that point. What about studio mixing boards? They employ lots of tone adjustability, do they degrade sound quality significantly? Hi-End speakers use top-quality crossover capacitors and other components in their speakers. Why not offer consumers swtchable high-quality tone control (options) in their integrated amplifiers like they always used to do back in the day. How much would that cost? Thanks
Hi Tarun Which one of the 3 following amps would you pick at a similar price if considering the most revealing yet musical sound ?Exposure 3510 or Audiolab 9000 or Vincent 237 mkii Thanks
Depends on the rest of the system and I still have to audition the 9000A 😊
looking forward to it Thanks again @@abritishaudiophile7314
Very impressive
Vincent sell here a lot through one of our major HT retailers in Melbourne Australia. It’s an unusual brand…
Interesting 😉
Good day Tarun
How’s the chord mojo 2 Dac compared to the internal Dac
Thank you
The Mojo is better 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you Tarun
Hello . This Vincent amplifier for you is better than the Yamaha AS1200 ? Thanks
Two very different sounding amps 😊
I wanna change those knobs to stainless 'Safe Dials'.
Cool 😎
Hello, have you heard the sv737? Do you think its better than the sv237mk2?
I haven’t 😊
And the sv700?
I would much rather have one of these than a Hegel. You get a lot of electronics for your money.
Understood 😊
My Vincent 237 generates a wind like sound when no audio signal is sent to my Heresy 4s…need I change amplifier? I won’t change my speakers.
Klipsch are high sensitivity speakers, they will pick up any noise generated in the upstream system. That noise can come from many sources 😊
Needs a VU meter...and me..stroking it!
That would be nice 😊
Would you pic this over the Audiolab9000a
I haven’t demoed the 9000A 😊
How does it compare with Accuphase?
I reviewed the E280, you may want to check that out 😊
This or the A21SE for a more laid back sound?
The A21SE is a better amp 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Now I am torn between the Sugden and the A1. Tough choice with the price difference.
I would already have one if it had a HT Bypass and balance control. If only…
Cool 😎
I'm happy to see Vincent getting some attention from YT reviewers. I bought a Vincent SV-500 for $1000 US just before the pandemic hit and I've recently paired them up with KLH Model 3s. I live in a co-op so I'm not able to blast away at volumes I listened to back in the 70's, but the sound and look of the combo brings back the feeling I had listening to the stereo back in my mis-spent college years.
Happy memories, I am sure. Thank you for sharing 👍
I also have the SV-500, have not given it much use due to change of living situation but moving into my forever home in a few weeks.... Good choice I hope!
@@AdamPotaznik I was in the same situation where I wasn't using it much until I moved out of my old old house into a senior co-op building. It's a great choice for my new place and I hope you wind up liking it too. I've been selling off some extra equipment and a deep vintage fanatic came over and told me how well I'd chosen my modern components. He pointed specifically at the SV-500. It made me feel so good that he was impressed by my modest system.
@@AdamPotaznikI started with Vincent SV-500 went to Vincent 237 Mk ( which I sold it to my buddy ) and then currently listening to Vincent SP-20 Power Amp + Vincent SA-T7 Pre-amp comb with Bluesound Node 2i DAC. Love it
@@williamsparkman1874 They're warm, but I usually have the high end attenuated down one notch at the speaker.
I'm finding that they tend to not play well with overbaked 80s and 90s productions. If the CD sounds harsh, the speakers won't cover it up. I'm kind of tag-teaming the speaker's attenuators and the Vincent's treble control to try to find a nice balance for harsh CDs. The system still reminds me of my 70's set-ups with a really good CD or LP.
Tarun! It's such a pleasure to listen to your reviews unbiased and succinctly presented with excellent clarity and superb diction! Keep em coming Tarun!
Thank you kindly my friend 😊👍
I always appreciate that the comment section with Tarun's reviews is so civilized. It's like an intelligent letters to editor with a print audio magazine. This channel is print magazine quality. 🙂
Thank you Michael. That is very kind. It is a great community we have here 😊👍
It's really nice to see Vincent get some love. I hope you're able to review the SP-T700 and SA-T7MK matching preamp.
I appreciate the suggestion 😊
Prior to buying this amp I had a love/hate relationship with my Forte IV's. Now it's all love and as you mentioned, the Forte"s are lively like the JBL's and a match made in heaven. And I did try a Decware SET amp and Yamaha AS2200 both of which just made an already unforgiving speaker more so, but with the Vincent I get a more powerful/prominent yet somehow softer in character bass with silky smooth mids and highs!
Thank you for sharing 😊
Honesty is what sets your reviews apart from the vast majority. You don’t cut any ice when it comes to letting us know it’s strengths and weaknesses. That is what I call fair. The Burr Brown chips are what sets them apart from others. I prefer the Burr Brown phono chip over the one that ordinarily comes on my AGI 511 preamp. It completely changes it into the highest class in resolution and detail. This chip DAC is not bad, but it won’t lick any external DAC like a Venus or a Spring 3 KTE even. Can’t expect that from a simple chip DAC. I prefer the tube rear end rather than the front end as this yields more detail in my experience and more resolution. It is heavily influenced by partnering equipment as well. Speaker choices are very limited with my choice using tubes but having subs made that easier. My EBTs loved the RM9. It was a glorious sound. Best tube amp I have ever heard. Thing is now I would rather not have to fiddle with tubes even though I like their sound, EL34s in particular. They have a sound very easy to love, fluid and transparent with just a touch of sweetness. I prefer a more open and transparent sound now. Resolution which doesn’t hide any flaws, in other words, brutally honest. It separates the real performers from the wannabes. It is harder to make the cut both in individual component choices as well as content as it doesn’t forgive flaws in components or media choices. This can limit what is pleasurable, but I also have a less resolving system in my bedroom just for those media choices that don’t cut the primary system grade. You must find what suits your own ears. They are the ones that matter. Press on Tarun. People notice your way and you are winning over more people everyday. Don’t go changing.
I just ordered one of these amps ($3000 in the US) based partially on this review and other glowing reviews on TH-cam.
Going to pair it with Emotiva T2+ speakers I just bought and a subwoofer (if necessary).
Cool 😎
Very informative review. However, this amplifier has high-quality tone controls. Why didn't you mention this? It would seem the tone controls could have changed your sonic impressions of this amplifier. High-quality tone controls can do wonders and take the music to that special place. I know that from experience. Thank you for the review.
Unbelievable..first, was wondering where you had got to recently, and secondly, your first review back is of my no. 1 amp in my system. I have the MK version, which is virtually identical except it doesn’t have the DAC/Bluetooth, which I already have in another amplifier, and scored the MK for more than 50% off the retail as they were introducing the MK2. Great review Tarun, and so pleased to see someone like yourself(one of the very best audiophile reviewers on TH-cam) giving kudos to this fabulous brand that deserves to be more widely known. Vincent gear is absolutely top notch quality. Kia ora from New Zealand.
Thank you Paul. Much appreciated. You picked up quite the bargain 😊👍
I have the Vincent PHO 701 phono stage, which is also excellent for the money. Interestingly it uses a very similar 12 AU7 tube to the 12 AX7 used in this amp. The 701 certainly benefitted from tube rolling, so I'd expect this unit to do likewise...
Happy owner of the sv-237 mk.
One thing that stands out for me with this integrerad amp is the PRAT. Natural rhythmic and lovely grip. Again and again I find myself unconsciously head bobbing. Unintrusive engagement.
I agree with Tarun on the internal DAC. I never thought it would better my external DAC but it did. Synergie done right by Vincent, hat's off.
One thing I hate with this kit, the eye piercing bleu LED. 😡
@@xcvbxcvb2179 thank you for sharing 😊
Hi Tarun, Always enjoy the review and the look at what is inside. The Vincent has been on my radar but being in the USA they are even more niche. I have been looking to pair something with Magnepans and the big transformer is a delight to see. I also like the DAC explanation. Many reviewer do not give this level of detail into the synergy and parts.
What a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen this attention to old school build quality in many moons. I had hopes that the unit would blow your socks off, but no. No raves, just an appreciation for the effort put forth to introduce such a good sounding, attractive unit.. Thanks for the great review, once again. Anxiously awaiting the complete absence of your socks.
Terrific, I love when you review tube gear, there’s always a new thing to learn. And I’ve always been curious to hear about Vincent products. Thanks!
I've a a full Vincent set of pre+power+cd player for around 12 years. Still impressed by the sound of it. Speakers are monitor Amphion's.
note: Vincent is a german "brand" but not a "manufacturer". Its product is made by Zhongshan ShengYa (China). Vincent is part of the Sintron Distribution company, same as Dynabox (made in Taiwan). Would not know what was first, the chicken or the egg... But good products at a good price.
Looks like those Shenya pre amps on Ali with 2 grand Mark up.. My Mineva 600GBP 300B amps sounds fine.. I f icon Audio sold it it wud b 2 grand +
That's why I don't trust Vincent , simply because they are claiming they made their own design and it's not true...
I believe that this particular amp (SV-237MK/MKII) is indeed a german design, a work of Mr. Frank Blohbaum.
Thanks for the review! This may be a dumb question, why didn't they include XLR inputs (and ideally pre-outs) in this integrated amp given its price? Also the digital inputs appear to be "bare bones" coax/toslink.
Welcome back Tarun ! Very nice review. Tubes and Class A "The Holy Grail" but unlike with separates a more affordable grail. This unit sounds like it would do well with non-audiophile (real world recordings) that could use some smoothness without giving up too much in return. No matter what your format(s) are, we all have recordings with great performances and recording quality that could use some help. Early CDs come to mind as well as the original version of Metallica's 'Death Magnetic'.
Thank you. I agree. There is some great music that hasn’t been recorded well 😊
Surprised that Tarun finds this particular Vincent amp dark & lacks high frequency extension. I heard a pair of Sigma orchestra 2.2 speakers driven by a Vincent amp (cannot recall which model) and the sound was superb. Very open, transparent, airy extended shimmering highs, huge soundstage & superb bass wallop. Heard the same speaker driven by an Audio Research amp & the sound was absolutely terrible. No highs, loose bass, shouty midrange & small soundstage. Overall very murky & slow as well. Over the yrs i have also heard other Sigma speakers driven by other amps but i have to yet to hear one as good as the Vincent.
This would be my experience too. Just heads and tails better in every respect over the tube SET amp I tried and SS Yamaha, or Denon AVR (as expected and the only I'd characterize as dark). The other integrateds caused my Forte IVs to accentuate the horns (mids and highs) to the point of fatigue but somehow the Vincent strikes the perfect balance and gives an incredibly powerful sound you would expect looking at these speakers. Also has that character that makes me enjoy turning it up but that's not necessary as it sounds amazing (probably best) at low volumes when it runs pure class A. To the contrary of what some have said I find it extremely versatile as well due the loudness button and excellent tone controls. Reminiscent of the very best of vintage amps with powerful and warm but airy, open and detailed sound. Silky smooth and lovely round bass! This amp sounded great with the KEF R300 and Wharefedale lintons I tries as well, but of course the Fote's are in another league and it the Vincent that allowed me to truly appreciate them. It also allowed me to better appreciate my expensive tube dac. Right now though I'm really enjoying the analog out directly from my iFi NEO stream. Everything sounds better with the Vincent!
I own the smaller brother Vincent SV 227MK, puts 100W into 8 Ohms, paired with a pair Graham Audio Chartwell LS6. Very happy with the combo for a small room. Versatile, beautiful sounding and lovely botton end.
Your better off listening or buying any of the Unison Research hybrid amps. Much better sounding and not made in China. Did the comparisons and it's a no brainer. Cheers
Aaah… the rabbit hole of hybrids! Thanks for the outstanding review! I love your matter of fact approach. I myself started with transistor amps, then got introduced to the tube sound and was sold. But the power combined with the tube sound is just heaven for me. I purchased the unison research unico nuovo and I’ve never looked back. Perhaps an idea to compare or review these hybrid amps? Unison research has a whole line of them!
And a question to top it of, would tube rolling maybe help with the sound?
Blessed are the Nuovo owners, for they know what evil lurks in headphone circuitry.
What a beautiful unit! You keep bringing us these future classics. Thanks for sharing. My favorite tube device is my 1936 Silvertone 4485 radio. 3 watts of class A power and it has a visible tube at the top of the tuning dial.
Glad you got away for a break and are back safe and sound with us all. Great equipment and review. I am also mesmerized by glowing tubes and flashing lights. Add in a spectrum analyzer and EQ, and I'm sold. Thank you for your time and efforts sharing this with us all. Take care, Sir.
This or the heaven 11 billie amp mkii.... ????!
2.1 listening mainly music with some movies..
anyone heard both?!
Tone controls AND a loudness button; now THAT'S not something you see on many higher-end amps.
True 😊
This is a very interesting looking amp!
I'm wondering how this compares to what Advance Paris are doing with hybrid amps?
Also, in terms of packing a lot of features in, I'm very very curious about the Advance Paris myconnect 150 as an all in one solution, also using a solid state/tube combo.
Thanks for yet another great review Tarun.
@@guulyian thank you 😊
The 237 is a superb amplifier!!! A delicious honey!!!!! Loviiuuu!!!
Thanks Tarun, cool review. Recently changed from Rega Elex-r amp and Exposure 2010s2 cd player to Uninson Research Unico Primo amp and cd player. Couldn't resist them as they were on sale in a local electrical store, ex display and going for a song, £500 each. There's have one tube in each unit and after a bit of cable swapping, I'm loving the sound coming out of my Epos K2 speakers. Running the cd player through a Pathos Converto mk1 dac for an experiment. Subtle differences. Will keep the Pathos hooked up for now. Will be looking into tube rolling soon.
Great channel young man.
This integrated is very choked up by the stock tubes! Rolling in some NOS Sylvania 5751 (12ax7) and Siemens and Halske E88CC (6n1p) opened it up and let it breathe like i couldnt believe. Since then, i havent felt a lack of detail, and im definitely experiencing a holgraphic stage, all while retaining and improving upon its wonderfuly rich tonality :) And thank you from the excellent review as always!
Just make sure you're doing a blind test on the tubes, for your own sake. I got caught on this myself when my very good friend had a go at me for being over-excited about tube-rolling. Let me just say, I ate humble pie for dinner that evening, haha.
In my opinion, tubes in general have a sound. Tube rolling makes differences, but they're quite narrow (unless you get very bad tubes as a stock configuration).
@WSS_the_OG I haven't gone for totally blind, but I have consistently experienced the same sonic differences going between tube to tube, and back again. And I have absolutely experienced myself being prone psychoacoustics, so there's that too 😅 I believe there are fairly small differences between most tubes, but sometimes there are very synergistic matches that really get the unit singing, and just the opposite and it's unlistenable!
Any testing of the headphone section? I’m looking for something that is 2 channel with decent headphone capability.Any info would be appreciated.
I have the Vincent 237 MK for the last few years and it still surprises me with its sound quality. It brings life to the sound in a way that other amps can’t achieve in my opinion. (at least in this price range) I paired it with the Wharfadale Evo 4.1s and Rega Dac. I finally settled in a system that still gives me pure joy every time I listen to it.
Great 👍
Umm...erm... trying to add a comment without annoying anyone.
Okay, there are two types of audiophiles (I don't class myself as a true audiophile), ones who gravitate to typical SS amps and those who prefer a tube/Class A amp. There's no right and wrong. I fall into the former. Having heard a Graaf and Icon valve or tube amps, they really don't make me smile. Of course they have qualities a typical SS amp can't achieve: Big bass, smooth midrange and more realism with vocals, whereas a SS amp has tauter bass, better detail retrieval and a more open presentation. And they don't cost a fortune with upgrades -- valves only have a certain lifespan. The upside is during the winter you don't need central heating😂