# Vincent SP-331



## Oleson M.D. (Feb 3, 2010)

Anyone own one of these, or spent any time auditioning amps from Vincent Audio? 

Any comments on the sound?


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Oleson said:


> Anyone own one of these, or spent any time auditioning amps from Vincent Audio?
> 
> Any comments on the sound?


Amps shouldn't make sound if they do you need to find new ones.

An Amp has 2 jobs. 1. to power the speaker 2. to last forever. 

the idea an amp colors sound isn't supported by any sound science. Numerous studies have been done on this subject and there is even a million dollar challenge on the subject that no one has met. 

The most powerful amp you can buy is a professional amp. The best brand on the market is the Yamaha P series. They are quiet, powerful and reliable. As a man they bring they adrenaline out when placed in the rack. Still some folks prefer a friendlier amp. For that I suggest Rotel. They've got amps 20 years old that still work great. Emotiva is a new company that you can also check out. McIntosh also has a great reputation. Quad is yet another great amp maker. Their amps are capable of driving electrostatics even. 


So here's a list for you to check out

Yamaha P series
Rotel
Emotiva
McIntosh 
Quad. 

Don't be fooled by the babble about warm, fuzzy, bright. Go for proven quality or ultimate power. Don't overpay either. The speakers and sub are far more important than the receiver or amp. They should make up 80 percent of the budget for an audio system.


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## Oleson M.D. (Feb 3, 2010)

I was simply looking for an amp with a good deal of current capability, which the Vincent has. Emotiva has this in spades!

In my own system, much A/B testing has been done. Products from Onkyo, Luxman, NAD, B&K, Harmon Kardon, Dynaco and Yamaha have been auditioned. All of them sounded good, with very little or no differences in sonic character. 

I have had pure valve systems (pre & power amp) and could tell no difference from an all Solid State system.

The speakers in my system run into the thousands (for the stereo pair).

You are correct.........in an ideal world, the amplification should have no influence on the sound. The largest single variable would be power / current capability.

Thank you for your input.


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

I auditioned a Vincent CD-S1.1, SA-31 and SP-331 combo through some Focal Chorus 826 V loudspeakers and liked what I heard. But for $5600, you know I just couldn't come up with it and haul it all back from North Dakota.


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## smiledon (Feb 2, 2009)

Hi
I own a Vincent integrated SV 236. I like it a lot...very well built and its sounds really good. The interior is as good as the outside...well shielded and constructed. Protection circuitry has saved my bacon once too!
Vincent is a branch of Thorens, Germany and is built in China to control costs. Vincent comes out of the front door, Sheng Ya come out the back! You can buy both from asia and cut down on usa showroom and wholesale costs. eg search cattylink 
Vincent is Highly commended.
My belief is that amps do sound different and are worth auditioning. Having said that, I would never buy speakers without hearing them but have bought amps unheard [2nd hand] when the reviews and specs are impressive.
% of cost division??? mmm. I have 2 systems.
A...Klipsch la scalas [2nd hand] with a Tripath 2050 4 channel class D chip amp. The speaker/amp ratio cost is 95/5.
B...AAD Q40s with the Vincent.[both 2nd hand] The speaker/amp ratio cost is 40/60.
Hope this helps
Phil


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## mjcmt (Aug 30, 2010)

smiledon said:


> Hi
> I own a Vincent integrated SV 236. I like it a lot...very well built and its sounds really good. The interior is as good as the outside...well shielded and constructed. Protection circuitry has saved my bacon once too!
> Vincent is a branch of Thorens, Germany and is built in China to control costs. Vincent comes out of the front door, Sheng Ya come out the back! You can buy both from asia and cut down on usa showroom and wholesale costs. eg search cattylink
> Vincent is Highly commended.
> ...



Thanks for you comments on Vincent vs. Sheng Ya. Good to know and it does seem to have the Asian design philosophy. I've had my eye on this brand for a while as it seems to offer good performance for the price, though I've never heard it in my system.

Have you ever had the pleasure the hear JungSon class A integrated amps? These amps have gotten good reviews and are at the top of my Chinese SS integrated amps for an amp to have.

Also thank you for your comments on amps sounding different. I for one agree that electronics and cabling do make a difference too, though there are many on this site with 'tin' ears that would differ with you.


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