Vincent - PHO-700 - Phono MM/MC - with Outboard Power Supply (Silver)

I feel compelled to take the time to review this outstanding product. It has made as much or more improvement to my system than the speakers I chose. And those made a huge improvement. They are the Polk LSiM-703's. If you don't have these speakers, buy them. At any price. They blow away all the towers I've ever owned and I've had many. As for this little preamp, it is nothing less than spectacular. I always thought the preamp in my Yamaha A-S1000 was darn good. How wrong I was... The amplifier itself is stellar, I would buy it again in a heartbeat, but the preamp is boring. It doesn't hold a candle to the Vincent PHO-700. I chose these words carefully... It sounds beautiful. Reverb and echo take on a whole new meaning. The clarity of cymbals is spellbinding. Real. Not harsh. Begging for more volume. My Counting Crows August and Everything 45rpm LP was hardly playable before it was so brash, I now find it one of my favorites. How can a Preamp make so much difference? It has to be the Love Bottle, there is no other explanation! ;-) The bass? It's tight, very tight, and meaty. Never flabby. I find myself questioning whether or not to run my sub. (Definitive Technology Pro Sub 800, another stellar performer, very tight and musical, no port to chuff, only a driver and a passive radiator) With this preamp, I'm now blowing away CD's. Before I had a few songs on LP that would better the CD. Now it's no contest. I don't even feel the need to A/B test them anymore. It would be a waste of time.It really is true as others have mentioned, this little amp will breathe new life into your record collection. I can't believe how forgiving it is with records that were brash and brittle before. And the great sounding ones (Sade, Diamond Life Audio Fidelity Gatefold) are truly magical! I'm hearing a coherence to the music that was never there before. If there are 3 or 4 backup singers, they don't just sound like a group, you hear each and every voice independently. Instruments all have a distinct place in the soundstage. It really does bring a smile to your face. I'm not kidding. This addition to my system has made a real and quantifiable difference. I'm truly sitting here as we speak, listening to John Mellencamp's Nothing Matters, and it sounds rich, warm and clear. Before, all his LP's were a little dry, a little hot at the top end and mid's in your face. I LOVE his older music but had to keep the volume down to tolorate it. Now, BRING ON THE VOLUME! I don't want to turn them off, as there is now no ear fatigue. Very low noise as well! The Vincent PHO-700. Get one, the build quality will impress you and you won't be sorry. Be sure to order a Tug-Sol 12AU7 tube to break it in with, no reason to waste your time with the stock Cheena bottle...Yamaha A-S1000 AmplifierMusic Hall MMF-7.1 Turntable mounted to granite slab on four 2" Sorbothane pucksDenon DL-110 Cartridge (giant killer to be sure, but an upgrade coming soon)Vincent PHO-700 Preamp with aftermarket Tung-Sol 12AU7 bottleCambridge Azur 651C Compact DiscPanamax MR4300 Power ConditionerMonoprice 12ga Speaker Wire (money better spent on this preamp!!)KabelDirekt Pro Series Interconnects

I also ordered the Psvane 12AU7-T Mark Ⅱ Vacuum Tube matched pair at the time I ordered the PHO-700. The first thing I did was to swap the stock tube for the Psvane tube.I previously was using a Cambridge Audio preamp (solid state) and I have to say, the difference is amazing. I had some ideas on what to expect and it blew away every one. Everything seems fuller and warmer. It has truly brought by record collection to life. My old records (that date back to the 70's and were played on an all Garrard turntable) now have more pop. And the newer vinyl, including some MoFi special presses, are just flat out fantastic.This preamp surpassed my every expectation.If I had one complaint, it would be that the stock tube is so-so. One would think that at this price point, Vincent could manage to go with an upgraded tube. I had done some research beforehand so I just bought the Psvane tubes ahead of time and never even powered up with the stock tube.

Ultimately, one has to hear audio gear for oneself. I took a punt on this and was disappointed. There is definitely a tube coloration, which was in itself not bad; the net output sounded warmer. However, there is an ever-present hum that I could not eliminate despite attempting all the usual tricks. I switched back to my old Parasound ZPhono, and the hum was totally gone. So how does one explain my utter negativity when compared with the other reviews? There could two explanations. Firstly, tubes are finicky things. However, this does not fly in my case because my rig eliminates all forms of electric interference. I have put a lot of effort into isolation. So, the second explanation is more plausible. I suspect that the problem with the Vincents is poor quality control. These are Chinese made critters, and when the tube well is lit up, you get hit with "China." I would imagine that the production facility for these units compromised qc for price. In any case, I can not recommend this thing at all. The Parasounds are much better, and I am hearing wonderful things about the even cheaper Schiit Mani.

Recently did a major upgrade in my phono components. A brand new Thorens TD-309 turntable, Ortofon 2M Black, and Morrow cables. This Vincent piece was the final piece of the system that has totally blown me away. Vinyl from 20-30 years ago has never sounded so good. This phono preamp not only looks great, but sounds awesome. Love it! Shipped promptly and well-packed. Immediately switched-out the stock tube for the Premium Grade Psvane 12AU7-T Mark Ⅱ Vacuum tube and very pleased. Two thumbs up.

It's a hum fest. The picture is of an audio spectrogram with nothing running through the phono channel except the Vincent amplifier, by itself, with the turntable turned OFF and peaks from my Pink Noise test in yellow. The only sound being produced is the HUM from the Vincent. You are basically looking at a snap shot of Vincent's version of "quiet".Truly pathetic. I just sold an all tube amp that was quieter than this excuse for a preamp. If you want that kind of noise in your signal chain, by all means buy this thing.

Awesome! Beautiful and the sound is as good as it can be. How much more would you have to spend for improvement? But I like this sound. It is very quiet. All the details, great soundstage, mind-blowing headroom and tube warmth. MM and MC. Bigger in size than the Vincent PHO-8.

Sounds like the Rolling Stones are playing right here in the living room!

Loved this phono-stage but after a short period it completely died. I haven't been able to use it since, I reached out to customer support and sent in a video of how is sounds now and never heard back. Now its basically a good looking brick.