TAS 188: Vincent Audio SA-T8 Preamplifier & SP-T800 Monoblock Amplifier

A Marriage of German Design and Chinese Manufacturing

The German company Vincent was established in 1995 with the goal of placing high-end sound within reach of the common man. The question of how to make the high end affordable was answered by its founder, Uwe Bartel, using a business model, which while innovative for its time, has become common-place today: Design products in the West and have them built in China. This marriage of German engineering and Chinese manufacturing proved quite successful. Mr. Bartel, an electronics engineer, had no problem designing interesting audio gear, and Vincent’s attractive mix of good sound and value slowly gained momentum and global marketshare. The SA-T8 line preamp and SP-T800 monoblock power amp represent Vincent’s top-of the-line Premium line. Even though these products’ fit, finish, and elegant aluminum chassis exude a distinct high-end feel and look, the price is quite affordable by high-end standards and well below the onset level of sticker shock.

Vincent’s quality is more than skin deep, as a glimpse under the hood will reveal. In addition, there’s quite a technical story to tell. Let’s start with the line preamp. The SA-T8 is an all-tube balanced design, meaning that both the positive and negative legs of a balanced signal are amplified separately. What happens to a single-ended (RCA) input? Well, it’s converted to a balanced signal by being routed through a split-load (also known as a concertina) phase-splitter, using one section of a 12AU7 preamp tube per channel. This type of phase-splitter creates two balanced outputs of opposite phase from an unbalanced input. However, both balanced and single-ended preamp outputs are provided—just in case your power amp lacks balanced inputs. The gain stage consists of a cascade of two 12AX7 triode sections. The output stage features a cathode follower based on a single 12AU7 section. Note that Russian (rather than Chinese) tubes are used exclusively. The power supply uses two power transformers and is quite sophisticated. It features shunt-regulated high-voltage rails. The filament supplies are DC and are also fully regulated. A total of four RCA and two Neutrik XLR inputs are provided. A heavy-duty aluminum-cased remote control is included, which controls the input selector and a motorized volume control. My only quibble is with the motorized volume control. It takes some getting used to, as anything beyond a light tap on the “up” and “down” remote buttons results in too large a level change. As with many other modern line preamps, there is no balance control. Too bad, as this is a feature I find handy on occasion in adjusting for interchannel sensitivity differences.

The SP-T800 power amplifier is also a fully balanced design, and a hybrid in that it consists of a vacuum-tube front end and a solid-state output stage. The amp does accept either a single-ended or a balanced input, selectable on the rear panel. As with the SA-T8, a 12AU7-based split-load phase-splitter is used to convert the single-ended input to a balanced signal. The first voltage amplification stage uses a Russian 6922, which feeds a 6CG7 dual triode connected as a series-regulated push-pull driver stage. The output stage uses a total of eight high-power transistors to meet its power rating. Much of this amp’s bulk and weight are the result of an impressively large 500W-rated power transformer and a total capacitor reservoir of 80,000 microfarads, all of which are isolated in a separate compartment. The power supply is fully regulated, including the DC tube-filament supplies. Passive parts used in the signal path are audiophile-grade, and include Wima and Solen caps.

My strategy in evaluating these products was to audition each component separately in several contexts and then, for the grand finale, combine both units in the signal chain. The preamp sounded pretty good out of the box even after only an hour break-in period. The monoblocks, on the other hand, required a significantly longer break-in before reaching peak performance levels. Since the Vincent gear was evaluated in parallel with the TEAC Esoteric A-100 power amplifier, comparisons of the sound of the SP-T800 to that of the A-100 were inevitable. Keep in mind, however, that the A-100 is not only four times more expensive but is also an all-tube, KT88-based, power amplifier.