Vincent SV-237 Your Thoughts Plus A Couple Of Questions

Iceman32

New Member
I don't see too much about the Vincent SV-237 hybrid integrated on the web in general. What do you Vincent owners think of the SV-237?

I'm considering the SV-237 but I've read conflicting thoughts on Vincent. Some say it's made in China and re-badged. Some say it's made in Germany?

I've also read that at least one of the three tubes is soldered in? Can anyone shed some light on if the tubes are easily rolled and not soldered in on the SV-237? Soldering is a deal breaker for me, unfortunately.

Can anyone give me their thoughts, and any info on tube(s) being soldered in, and or re-badging, and also what they think of the SV-237? Thanks.
 
Maybe member slippers-on will chime in for you (I will PM him).....He is a Vincent amp user and knows the line. I have interest in Vincent once I decide to change amps, not sure when that will be.
A lot of gear now a days is assembled in China with all design and research being done in the original country, like Germany in your case.

It's not a problem IMO.
 
Had one with the matching tube hybrid cd player,liked both quite a lot actually. The Amp is better than just competent-the one I had didn't have soldered in tubes ...but the cover needs a rather small torx bit to remove. Sounded very nice with gold lion tubes.
 
I don't see too much about the Vincent SV-237 hybrid integrated on the web in general. What do you Vincent owners think of the SV-237?

I think they are a great product that many are sleeping on.

I'm considering the SV-237 but I've read conflicting thoughts on Vincent. Some say it's made in China and re-badged. Some say it's made in Germany?

Vincent is owned by a German company name Sintron Electonics. They manufacture at a very well respected company over in China under Vincent supervision. Many other well respected audio companies also build in China, so no biggie. The company that Vincent uses is Sheng-Ya Electronics. It's true they share in some of the same designs with slight modifications. But both have designs that arent shared. If you've ever heard any German gear, you'd know they have a certain characteristic in the way they voice the gear. Vincent is in that same tradition. I've listened to a few different brands of German Gear...Octave Audio, T + A as well as a few others, And Vincent is in keeping with that tradition of German voicing.

I've also read that at least one of the three tubes is soldered in? Can anyone shed some light on if the tubes are easily rolled and not soldered in on the SV-237? Soldering is a deal breaker for me, unfortunately.

It is true Vincent has some amps with Soldered in tubes. But the SV-237 isn't one of them...all the tubes can be rolled.

Can anyone give me their thoughts, and any info on tube(s) being soldered in, and or re-badging, and also what they think of the SV-237? Thanks.

I have Vincent gear now. In my power amp, I have a few tubes that are soldered in. That same amp has tubes also that can be rolled. I don't worry about the soldered in tubes. Why? Because before I purchased the amp I did my home work. The solderd In tubes are very rugged and tough miniature tubes. They are NOS tubes that the military used on missiles during WWll. The tubes are rated for like 15,000 hours of tube life, so you won't have to change them. And if you did need to change them...the miniature tubes are in plenty, and if one has the skills, they can do it or send it to a local shop...so no biggie. The sound of the soldere in tubes are warm. I rolled in German tubes..Valvo, which aren't as warm but very dynamic. If I where to go with Mullards, the amp would be to warm for my taste...but other love a classic warm sound.

My preamp has no solderd in tubes.

I borrowed the SV-237 from my dealer for a month? It's a fine amp. You would do great to get it. That amp isnt a mid fi sounding amp...it's really a top notch amp! It's way more than it $2400 retail price. Once again, it has no soldered in tubes.

Feel free to PM me with other questions if you'd like.
 
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Maybe member slippers-on will chime in for you (I will PM him).....He is a Vincent amp user and knows the line. I have interest in Vincent once I decide to change amps, not sure when that will be.
A lot of gear now a days is assembled in China with all design and research being done in the original country, like Germany in your case.

It's not a problem IMO.

Thanks, much appreciated.

Had one with the matching tube hybrid cd player,liked both quite a lot actually. The Amp is better than just competent-the one I had didn't have soldered in tubes ...but the cover needs a rather small torx bit to remove. Sounded very nice with gold lion tubes.

Thanks, I've read a few different people like the Gold Lions with Vincent.

I believe that Vincent gear is designed in Germany and built in China...

http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/vincent_tubeline_sv-236mk_integrated_amplifier/

Previous model.

Thanks Art, that was a good read. Seems like the 236 is very well liked in that review.

Thank you all for the info. Much appreciated.

I see slippers-on has left me a detailed response that I will address in a new post, thank you very much. Thanks Catcher10 for PMing him.
 
Since slippers answered most of your question, I'll chime in as an owner of the previous SV-236MK. I'll start by saying that it is my favorite piece of gear that I've owned - and to put it in perspective, I've owned some pieces 3 times its price! To my hears, I preferred the sound of the Vincent over the McIntosh MAC6700 that I had - the McIntosh did have it beat in features, though :) But at nearly 3 times its price, I suppose it should have.

The build quality is fantastic, it is very heavy, great heat sinks seem very effective as heat was never an issue for me, it has tone controls where are defeatable, and the first 10W are Class A. Low volume listening is fantastic and yet it has gobs of power/headroom. It never seemed to break a sweat even with some demanding speakers.

One of my local audio buddies now owns my Vincent SV-236MK and he absolutely LOVES it! He is powering a pair of Tannoy DC10T's with it. I also recently found one for another local budding audiophile who has it setup in the center of his system. I met up with him again today and he's in audio heaven.

I have not heard the SV-237, however I would imagine that it is pretty likely to sound as good or perhaps even better :) They also supposedly improved the remote control volume adjustment mechanics which would by my only tiny improvement recommendation from the SV-236MK.

OK - I'll stop gushing now. If you couldn't sense it, I wouldn't hesitate recommending it :D If you'd like any more info, feel free to PM me anytime.
 
I have the Vincent SV-236MK and love it, drives my 4 ohm Elacs really nicely at all volumes. Really well put together, great imaging and involving sound.
 
Since slippers answered most of your question, I'll chime in as an owner of the previous SV-236MK. I'll start by saying that it is my favorite piece of gear that I've owned - and to put it in perspective, I've owned some pieces 3 times its price! ...

One of my local audio buddies now owns my Vincent SV-236MK and he absolutely LOVES it! ....

Just out of academic curiosity, if it is your "favorite piece of gear that [you've] owned", why did you pass it along to someone else?
 
Just out of academic curiosity, if it is your "favorite piece of gear that [you've] owned", why did you pass it along to someone else?
That is a very fair question :) I'll try to keep my answer short, but no promises!

This hobby has taken me on an incredibly fun journey and unfortunately even when I'm completely happy with the sound I'm getting, I feel the "need" to hear something different in my system. In this case, much like young Anakin Skywalker, I was tempted by the Dark Side - I couldn't resist the temptation of the beautiful blue eyes of Emperor McIntosh. Ever since I could remember, I wanted to own one. It seemed to fit well with a direction of system simplification, too - the MAC6700 is pretty much the McIntosh Swiss Army knife. One unit for a preamp, amp, AM/FM Tuner, HD Tuner, DAC, MM phono pre, MC phono pre. That means 1 power cord and a lot less interconnects :) So I decided to GO FOR IT. It is no doubt an incredible piece and I had planned to keep it indefinitely. Then a sudden move came up that had me selling pretty much my entire rig to help fund the move. That same audio buddy ended up buying my speakers and turntable to pair with the Vincent :) Anyway - sometimes in this hobby you let go of things that you love as you play around with other things (and sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone). When I started putting a system together again after moving to the new place, my budget was significantly smaller - and I was perfectly OK with that since I at least got to experience owning some fantastic gear, but knew I could still achieve exceptional sound without going quite so NUTS. I no longer have a dedicated room for my 2 channel system so I'm playing in a shared space and at the moment just enjoying experimenting. I know that when I'm able to finish a space in the basement for 2 channel I will be able to find another SV-236MK or just spring for a new SV-237. Meanwhile, I'll continue playing around and who knows...maybe I'll find something that'll trip my trigger more than the Vincent. So far that hasn't happened, but you don't know until you try.

Sorry - this is off topic, but I wanted to answer the question because it was a good one. Back to move Vincent chat...
 
Just an update to my original post. I've spent a good amount of time listening to this amp the past few weeks and I really am enjoying it. I'm running the 237 with a pair of Usher BE-718 DMDs, and an Audiolab M-Dac and find they all work well together.

My tiny pet peeve is the volume control is not as precise as I'd like it to be. It's hard to get the exact volume I want, it's either a bit too loud or a bit too low. Other than that I like everything about the amp.

I'm very surprised there is not that much info out there on this amp seeing that most people seem to like it.
 
That Usher is some seriously nice speakers.

If I continued to have been into standmounts I wouldn't have wanted anything further in the realm.
 
Just an update to my original post. I've spent a good amount of time listening to this amp the past few weeks and I really am enjoying it. I'm running the 237 with a pair of Usher BE-718 DMDs, and an Audiolab M-Dac and find they all work well together.

My tiny pet peeve is the volume control is not as precise as I'd like it to be. It's hard to get the exact volume I want, it's either a bit too loud or a bit too low. Other than that I like everything about the amp.

I'm very surprised there is not that much info out there on this amp seeing that most people seem to like it.
g

Unbelievable! The guy is expressing how much he enjoys the Vincent amp and wondering why not a lot out there and you guys praise the Ushers?

Iceman...me and Livestrong have been wondering the same thing. Cats are spending more money and getting a lesser sound than what the This amp is able to do. Lots of cats are merely sleeping on this amp.

Yeah...I did read some place they took care of the remote problem with the SV-237 but seems like they didn't. I've gotten use to it and learned to tap it with quick little taps. That way it doesn't over shoot or under shoot. You can also try a learner remote.The quality of hi fidelity the amp is able to put out which I believe is more than what you normally get with such a price, made the remote not an issue...and besides, I've learned to control it with small taps.

Congrats on the new amp!
 
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I have always wanted to hear a pair of Usher speakers.

That Usher is some seriously nice speakers.

If I continued to have been into standmounts I wouldn't have wanted anything further in the realm.

I do like the Usher BE-718s. I like them so much that I went from some Focal floorstanders to the Usher BE-718 standmounts and haven't looked back. I still like my Focal's but they are on a second system, and I use the Usher's on my main system now with the Vincent 237.

Unbelievable! The guy is expressing how much he enjoys the Vincent amp and wondering why not a lot out there and you guys praise the Ushers?

Iceman...me and Livestrong have been wondering the same thing. Cats are spending more money and getting a lesser sound than what the This amp is able to do. Lots of cats are merely sleeping on this amp.

Yeah...I did read some place they took care of the remote problem with the SV-237 but seems like they didn't. I've gotten use to it and learned to tap it with quick little taps. That way it doesn't over shoot or under shoot. You can also try a learner remote.The quality of hi fidelity the amp is able to put out which I believe is more than what you normally get with such a price, made the remote not an issue...and besides, I've learned to control it with small taps.

Congrats on the new amp!

Iceman...have you seen this review?

http://www.i-fidelity.net/en/test-reports/high-end/vincent-sv-237/vincent-sv-237.html

Thanks!

I haven't seen that review I don't believe. I will give it a read, although I'm already sold on the Vincent. Between the info I got from you and everyone here, and also auditioning the amp the past couple of weeks, the Vincent is a done deal, and I'm really enjoying it.
 
I do like the Usher BE-718s. I like them so much that I went from some Focal floorstanders to the Usher BE-718 standmounts and haven't looked back. I still like my Focal's but they are on a second system, and I use the Usher's on my main system now with the Vincent 237.

Interesting. Which specific Focal are they?
 
Interesting. Which specific Focal are they?

They are the Chorus 716V. So it's not like they are the Utopia's or Electra's, but a nice speaker nonetheless. :D

When I picked up the Usher's about 3 years ago I did listen to some of the newer Focal's at that time to replace my 716Vs, I think it was a pair in the 800 series but I might be mistaken, hard to keep track. I also listened to a pair of Dynaudio's which were very nice, but I couldn't get past how much I liked the Usher's. In my head back then ideally I was going to go with floorstanders most likely Focal or Dynaudio, but then I heard the BE-718 DMDs. I never thought I would go from floorstanders back to standmounts, but I did.

I actually still have an older pair of JMLab Chorus 715s that I got back around 2000 or 2001 I believe (man time flies) which I still enjoy once in a while.
 
Iceman - congrats on the SV-237!! I was really happy to see that you came back and updated this thread. I'm even happier hearing how much you seem to be loving it :D After all, that is what is it really about! If I ever owned an audio store, I would carry Vincent Audio without question. Not only did I love it, but everyone that I had into my listening room seemed to love it as well. Two of my audio buddies now own the SV-236MK - if the SV237 is even better, you've found yourself a keeper for a very long time.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I thought Vincent had addressed the remote volume control - reading your post it seems that may not be the case. I also considered it a minor issue, but would have loved to see it improved.

One of these days I'm going to get around to giving Usher a listen - if you ever see a pair in the pearl white finish, let me know! Such an elegant/unique look.

Congrats again on the new Vincent and enjoy!! I would LOVE to see a picture of your setup - if you get a moment, post a few - here is some inspiration for you...
449A8754-4ED6-4C1E-AD48-3AB96AFADF20_zpshobgv2ih.jpg
 
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