The Vincent SP-332 Stereo Hybrid Power Amplifier has been designed to closely match the new Vincent SA-32 Hybrid Stereo Preamplifier. As a result of the company’s engineers reviewing the Vincent SP-331 power amplifier, the new Vincent SP-332 amplifier was born. The first thing that catches your eye when looking at the new product and makes the amplifier recognizable are the VU meters on the front panel. The color illumination and status LEDs can be switched between 4 color modes – red, blue, green and white – using a switch on the rear panel.
Inside the amplifier, two 6N16 tubes – one per channel – form the input stage, giving the audio signal a certain warmth and naturalness. The output stage uses 8 large FET transistors. They deliver 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms. This is more than enough to easily control even complex speaker systems.
The required power is provided by a 500 W toroidal transformer. 80,000uF Epcos capacitors buffer it, creating a powerful and deep bass base. Voltage stabilization is carried out using a 6N15 lamp. The preamplifier can be connected using either a conventional or symmetrical circuit.
This is the beauty of hybrid circuitry: the voltage signal is amplified in a vacuum, and the current signal is amplified by silicon structures. Lamps have another inconvenient property – the so-called. microphone effect, i.e. the ability to transmit to the output signal vibrations acting on the cylinder from the outside (for example, from a power transformer) or occurring inside it. In the Vincent SA-32, this effect is minimized due to the use of miniature double triodes 6N16 with a very rigid design and, accordingly, a low amplitude of vibration noise. There are four such light bulbs on the printed circuit board, which gives eight amplification stages: two before the tone block and the same number after it in each channel. The tone controls, by the way, are switchable.
The choice of inputs is relay, designed for switching five stereo RCA pairs and a balanced XLR pair. There are also several line outputs: two RCA Pre Out, RCA Rec Out and a main balanced one on XLR. The preamplifier is equipped with an aluminum remote control, with which you can select a source, set the desired volume level or reset it to zero with the MUTE button.
The Vincent SP-332 power amplifier also uses miniature 6N16s – they implement a differential input stage. Their anode voltage is stabilized by a more powerful double triode 6N15 (6N15P), which makes it possible to firmly fix the operating point of the most critical part of the circuit. The current signal is amplified by powerful MOSFETs – field-effect transistors, four in each channel. The output power of the end is 2 x 150 W at eight ohms and 2 x 250 W at four, so the amplifier is capable of driving even very complex acoustics in terms of impedance and sensitivity. Increased dynamics are provided by a 500-watt toroidal transformer and a bank of EPCOS capacitors with a total capacity of 80,000 uF.
To control the output power and stereo balance, the front panel has dial indicators with a scale graduated in watts and decibels. The color of their illumination can be selected using a slide switch on the rear wall – red, blue, green or white. Inputs – balanced and regular, switchable with a toggle switch. There are two pairs of screw-type speaker terminals in each channel, which makes it easy to implement bi-wiring or use two pairs of speakers activated by the A/B buttons on the front panel.
In the system assembled for listening, all switching was organized with Purist Audio Design Musaeus series cables. The CD player and preamp were mounted on top of each other via Audio Physic VCF V Magnetic Sound Optimizer decoupling supports, and the 2.5-way Audio Physic Classic 8s were isolated from the floor by VCF II M8 supports.
The preamplifier has delicate tone controls: even with maximum lifts, there is no discomfort at the edges. The correction is quite deep, but the bass does not boom and the highs do not hurt the ear. The phase characteristic is also not disturbed – I turn the BASS and TREBLE knobs, and the imaginary sources in the scene remain in their places. The sound space is built in detail and on a grand scale; it is felt that the terminal, if necessary, is capable of sounding even a small hall without distortion.
The overall dynamics of the system are also beautiful – it is capable of conveying both aggression and a powerful energy charge, but the sound is neither rude nor excessively harsh. And all for the same reason – high spectral resolution, intelligibility even at peak levels somehow softens the perception without reducing the emotional intensity. Therefore, you can listen to any music with pleasure, from classical to White Zombie. This is the division of responsibilities between the pair from Vincent: the Vincent SA-32 provides a wealth of timbres, and the Vincent SP-332 powerfully and without simplification delivers all this beauty into acoustics.
Characteristics Vincent SP-332
Power 8 Ohm, W 2 x 150
Power 4 Ohm, W 2 x 250
Frequency range, Hz-kHz 20 – 20
S/N ratio, dB 91
Harmonic coefficient, % 0.1
Input impedance 47 kOhm
Sensitivity, dB 1.35 V
Tube package 2 x 6N16, 1 x 6N15
Inputs: Analog audio 1 x RCA, 1 x XLR Others 1 x 3.5 mm trigger
Outputs: Acoustic 4 pairs
Dimensions, mm 426 x 165 x 430
Weight, kg 21 ,
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