New Vincent Hybrid Integrated Amp

Been toying with the idea of that recently. Nothing too extravagant though. Maybe something like this ?

Isotek EVO3 Initium (1.5 Metre C13) - Power Cables

 

Hi guys. What do you think about this amp for my ATC SCM11s ?

 

Sorry....just saw this. I can't speak about that PC. Never used one.

 

I think that amp will be great for the SCM11's. They like power and the Vincent has plenty. The Vincent is a hybrid, just get the right tubes and a great PC and you should be loving what yuou hear.

 

Just sat down to start a listening session and started getting the dreaded scratchy rushing noise out of the right channel. Luckily I had a backup pair of 6N1P's. Popped them in and the random noises are gone. This pair of tubes sound much brighter so I hope they settle in. I am seriously considering a fully solid state amp as I am tired of tubes failing.

 

How often have you had to replace the tubes? Just preamp tubes, right? I’d probably stick with SS myself, just for this reason.

 

I've had the amp a little over 2 years and have had to replace the preamp tubes 4 times. Nothing worse then sitting down for a dedicated listening session and the amp has a problem. Took about 20 minutes to pull it out of the rack and swap the tubes.

 

UGH that's awful!! I'd be highly irked with that volume of tube failure. I've had the amp for a few yrs with no problems... Have you gotten ahold of anyone @ Vincent about it?

 

That seems excessive to me, unless maybe you’re leaving it on 24/7 like I do with my Musical Fidelity amp, and it doesn’t get slightly warm either.

 

I haven't reached out to Vincent regarding this. I chock it up to cheap Russian tubes which are the only option available.

 

It does get 60 to 80 hours of on time per week.

 

well that seems like a lot, so maybe given the hard to source tubes, it’s the price you pay, so to speak.

 

True...

 

I auditioned a power amp from Parasound the other day and I was quite impressed - A23+ and it retails for $1500. I ran ATC speakers with it and it handled the speakers with ease. Interestingly it is one of the cheapest amplifiers I know of that is stable to 1.5 ohms. It is also designed by John Curl. It may not be quite as warm as some tube amps but it also wasn't edgy or fatiguing so you might want to give it a whirl. You can always get a warm leaning tube preamp. Preamp tubes should last around 8000 hours. But they are glorified lightbulbs so you can never really count on this. Some people might get 20,000 hours from one. My DAC claims that the tube will last 100,000 hours which is over 11 years 24/7

The preamp largely controls the sound so if you can get a SS amp that doesn't have that lean overdamped sound which makes speakers sound too "tight" then you can alleviate some frustration.

I'm a huge tube guy and I was seriously considering buying the store's secondhand Parasound JC-1 monoblocks (and they reach 2200 watts into 2 ohms and 4,200 watts into 1 ohm). As a reviewer - I can drive anything. $4,700 for the pair. I am still thinking real hard on these lol.

Anywhoo - if a guy who is heavily in the SET world considers SS - you can too. It just requires more work because I find most SS sounds terrible. But as always there are some exceptions. Even Parasound has done nothing for me several times prior to this.

 

I think it's probably a defective amp. I've run Vincent almost exclusively for a decade and haven't had a single tube failure. My equipment is different from yours but uses the same tubes, which are said to have a 10,000-hour life and I've had no reason to doubt that. But maybe your integrated uses a different circuit than the SA31 pre and SP331 power that I have.

 

Up and running for just over a year now, no tube issues at all, really loving this amp. I replaced the original 6N1P-EV tubes with some Voskhods (Rocket logo) and rolled a couple of different new production 12AX7's just to see what they were like.

I find for my set-up the new production Mullard 12AX7 is the sweet spot, funnily enough I preferred it to the Gold Lion which seems to be the popular choice.

I just left the screws out of the top cover plate and just placed it back into position, no dramas and makes access easier if I ever need it.

 

I've opened mine so many times that I have had a couple of the screws get the heads stripped. Not a big deal though.

 

Yeah, when I first got it and saw they were torx screws I thought, this could go either way if I start taking this off regularly, so I just left the screws out.
Then I thought, by designing the amp with a "closed" top, maybe Vincent are giving you a subtle hint that they don't want you meddling around in there - unless of course you have a bad tube.
I'm not fiddling around in there every day anyway.

 

When I first got the Vincent I emailed the company directly to ask what their suggestions were for best tube alternatives. Their response was basically "Don't do that. Open it up & you void the warranty." So yeah they prefer people not to go meddling about in the thing...

 

They're crazy then. My preamp as well as amp came with cheap tubes. Had to get those things out of there as soon as possible.

 

I bought mine from Audio Advisor and when I had the problem the first time, they had no problem okaying me to open it up and swapping the tubes. They would rather me do that then having to pay shipping for me to return for warranty service.

 

I have Vincent SV-237MK in my system for almost 3 years. I see that writing about iso-pads ~ vibration control.
I have been using Deflex Audio Foculpods for 25+ years and I am very happy with them. It is not too expensive and gives great results. The only limitation is their carrying capacity (4pc's "big" ~ 20 kg). So if someone has a heavier component, they have to take 2 sets.
Personally, I use several sets of Deflex Audio Foculpods under all my components (Amp, cdp, DAC, DAT, PC Audio with active speakers etc.). My big recommendation for Deflex AF.

deflex & foculpods | eBay

 

When you have a hybrid amp like Vincent SV-237MK (tubes in preamp section), then the Vacuum tubes in it change according to the "I can" system, but not "I have to ..."
When a suitable set ~ set of lamps is found, which corresponds to the sound for the rest of the system (I'm talking exclusively about NOS lamps), then the owner is without worries for at least 3-4 years (maybe longer). I don't know about the newer lamps because I don't use them (I replaced them immediately after purchase).

 

We have a similar selection of lamps in 237MK.
The difference is - I have a NOS Mullard / Valvo ECC83. Try to get one and give it a try; an outstanding choice. It suits me even better than the excellent NOS Telefunken ECC83 or NOS Tungsram 12AX7 / ECC83.
I didn't screw the cover on 237MK anymore either. It is heavy enough that it can stand on its own without vibration. Especially since I have a small tweak above the transformer - 1 kg of ferrite core (due to the transformer eddy currents). And it contributes to the stability of the cover. 10 torx screws really don't need to be tightened anymore.

 

I have the 236 no MK it came with new Sovtek Tubes when I bought it used. I haven't had any problem yet and I love the way it sounds.