"The German company Vincent began in 1995 with the goal of placing high end sound within reach of the common man. Uwe Bartel, its founder, made  high end affordable by using an innovative  business model, which is common today: Design products in the West & build them in China. This marriage of German engineering & Chinese manufacturing proved quite successful. Mr. Bartel, an electronics engineer, had no problem designing interesting audio gear & Vincent's attractive mix of good sound & value gained momentum & global market share. Even though their fit, finish & elegant aluminum chassis exude a distinct high end look, the price is quite affordable by high-end standards & well below the onset of sticker shock. Vincent's quality is more than skin deep; Russian rather than Chinese tubes are used exclusively." [Many other quality European parts are used. Some well-known  amps use Chinese tubes, notorious for a very short life expectancy & lots of unit-to-unit variability.]
ABSOLUTE SOUND's GUIDE TO PREAMPS & POWER AMPS 

VINCENT INTEGRATED AMPS GERMAN DESIGNED & PARTS
All integrated amps include Remote Controls

SV129, list $900, now $799, 50W/ch solid-state, "Delivers music's essence.  An immediate, communicative midrange leads to burnished tone colors, explosive dynamics, tight, forceful bass, fine ambience & depth retrieval."  ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

SV236 mk II, $1995, RATED in the SAME CLASS as $6100 AMPS. 150W/ch/8 ohm; 250W/ch/4 ohm; remote control; tube / solid state hybrid "Outstanding build quality & parts. It has 3
12AX7 tubes & 6 line level inputs, treble & bass
controls & a loudness button. It produced a full-bodied, self-assured sound with good bass & a nimble rhythmic presentation. It's the kind of component that gives me hope for this great hobby." STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 4/10

"This well-built amp combines the best of two worlds by using a vacuum-tube preamp to drive a solid-state power amp. Listener's will appreciate the combination of deep, powerful, authoritative solid-state bass & tube-fueled delicacy, shimmering detail & almost surround-like imaging." ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

V60, $4995, all tube, INTEGRATED AMP of the YEAR, 2009 "The V60 is as beautiful to listen to as it is serious to behold. From the heavy aluminum chassis & massive power supply to the silken midrange transparency & airy top-end, this conservatively rated 60 watter is pure high end. It's also thoroughly modern, sporting a hands-free bias-voltage & current control that's fully automated, compensating for the wear of each tube." ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

The midrange, from the tiniest interior detail to the most extroverted dynamics, is authoritative,
substantial & almost Technicolored in its saturation. It captures acoustic timbres, harmonics & textures in a way that is nothing less than breathtaking." ABSOLUTE SOUND 9/09 

VINCENT PREAMPS GERMAN PARTS & DESIGN
SA31, list $650, now $599, "A well-made entry-level vacuum-tube preamp with tone controls & a loudness contour switch. The preamp's sound is characterized by a rich, seductive midrange & hearty & solidly weighted bass. Terrific bang for the buck." ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

SAT8, $2500, "This tube preamp is about bass precision, spacious soundstaging, speedy transients, pure midrange textures & rhythmic drive. Microdynamic nuances are reproduced with commendable conviction. A rare musical blossom at this price & an absolute steal considering its twin virtues of crystalline clarity & ample boogie factor."
ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

"An absolute steal at its price; nothing else at this
price point comes close. It made a very positive first impression." ABSOLUTE SOUND 1/09 

VINCENT POWER AMPS GERMAN DESIGNED & PARTS 

SP331, list $1300, now $1199, 150W/ch/8 ohm; 250W/ch/4 ohm; POWER AMP of the YEAR, 2007 "One of the best-sounding sub-$2k   amps. A hybrid tube / solid-state amp combines the richness & subtlety of fine tube designs - especially through the midrange - with the sheer low frequency grunt, control & agility of a good solid-state amp. In the treble it sounds slightly softer but also more delicate than solid-state amps in its price range."  ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

"One of the sweetest deals in high end audio today. Midrange subtlety & richness in spades; a delightful holographic 3D presentation that reveals the finely contoured edges of notes."  ABSOLUTE SOUND 1/08

SPT800, $4799/pair, 200W/ch/8 ohm; 320W
/ch/4 ohm; POWER AMP of the YEAR, 2008 "A remarkable performer. Its tube signature shines through clearly in the midrange. Soundstage dimensionality is superior to conventional solid-state. It closely fullfills the promise of a hybrid design: Tube magic with plenty of bass crunch & drive in one nicely gift-wrapped chassis."
  ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10
"Delivers tube magic at an eminently reasonable price. The hybrid design results in a rock-solid bottom end that tube amps simply can't approach. Kudos to Vincent for shifting the economics of high-end audio within reach of the working man." 
ABSOLUTE SOUND 1/09 

VINCENT TUBE HEADPHONE AMP GERMAN DESIGNED & PARTS
KHV1, list $900, now $799, "Adept at conveying power, heft, nuance & grace. Impressed by its testicular fortitude; drove both sets of reference headphones with plenty of headroom. Excellent measured performance." STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 4/10