Vincent 20th Anniversary SP-20 - Tube Hybrid Amplifier w/150W

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Only 125 of these were ever produced for the worldwide market to celebrate their 20th Anniversary.

Elegant and powerful hybrid tube and solid state amplifier made by Vincent in Germany.

20th anniversary edition based on their best selling SP-331 MK hybrid amp.

Hybrid amplifiers give you some of the warmth of tubes plus the power of a solid state amp, while at a lower price than comparable all-tube amps.

A great entry point if you're not sure about making the investment in an all-tube system just yet.

The selectable red, blue, green, or white front panel illumination is a nice touch. Not bright or flashy, just right.

More from Vincent:
20 years of Vincent!
For this jubilee, we offer you a special model, the SP-20. This is a stereo hybrid power amplifier which in its base is founded on one of our most successful models, the SP-331 MK.

We have thoroughly revised the unit and optimized the circuit. In addition, we made a facelift and gave it 2 VU meters.

The speciality: The colour of the background lighting of the control instruments is adjustable. You can choose between red, blue, green and white with a switch on the backside of the unit. The exquisite aluminium case with its impressive cooling fins hiding and indicating its great power remains unchanged.

Interior
Two 6N16 tubes working in differential push-pull mode form the input stage. The more powerful 6N10 tube transmits the signal to the transistor output stage. 12 FET transistors amplify the signal. The signal amplifying is supported by 8 electrolytic capacitors with respectively 10,000 yF. These dimensions deliver enough power if necessary, and it is possible to operate even critical loudspeakers adequately.

The power amplifier presents itself in the guaranteed Vincent style. The basses are precise and powerful whereas the mid and high signals sound direct and transparent. Thanks to the tube, it brings a warm and clean sound emerges from the unit.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer. 

Ascent Series Hero Analog Interconnects (PAIR) - RCA Ultraplate or WBT Connectors

8TC "Ascent Series" Speaker Cables (Pair)

Kimber Kable - Base Series PK14 Power Cord

Specifications
Frequency Response:
20 Hz – 20 kHz ±0.5 dB

Output Power:
2 x 150 W RMS/8 Ohm
2 x 250 W RMS/4 Ohm

Harmonic distortion:
<0.1% (1kHz, 1 Watt)

Input sensitivity:
1.35V

Signal-to-noise Ratio:
>91 dB

Input impedance:
47 kOhm

Inputs:
2 x RCA (stereo)

Outputs:
4 x 2 loudspeaker terminals (A & B Speaker choice)

Colour:
Black/silver

Weight:
60 lbs.
(27.5 kg)

Dimensions (W x H x D):
16.93" x 7.68" x 17.13"
(430 x 195 x 435 mm)

Tubes:
2 x 6N16
1 x 6N10

The SkyFi Testing Process for Tube Amplifiers:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. If tube arcing has occurred in the past we can usually spot discoloration on the output tube sockets. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

If the amplifier passes visual inspection, we move on to a full test of all of the tubes. We use an Amplitrex AT-1000 Tube Tester which is capable of testing both emission and Gm with a high degree of accuracy. We document the results of each tube and replace any weak or suspect tubes before proceeding. When we power on tube amplifiers for the first time we usually use a variac and current limited AC supply and slowly raise the voltage up to nominal mains level while monitoring plate, screen, filament, and negative bias supply voltages where applicable. If everything is in order we feed a low level test signal into the amplifier’s input and monitor its output on an oscilloscope across an 8 ohm dummy load. At this point we are just looking to verify basic function and confirm that the output transformers are not damaged. Once we have verified that the amplifier is safe to operate, we connected it to full mains power. For fixed bias amps we set the bias to manufacturer spec. For cathode biased amps we monitor the plate to cathode voltage to determine if the output tubes are operating in a safe range. Once the output section is verified we move onto bench evaluation.

We start by feeding the input of the amplifier with a low level 1KHz test signal, slowly increase its amplitude while monitoring the amplifier’s output on an oscilloscope for signs of noise, clipping, distortion, or improper channel balance. We continue increasing the signal level until the amplifier reaches clipping. At this point we take an output power measurement and compare it to the spec sheet of the amplifier to verify proper performance. We finish off the bench evaluation with a 1KHz square wave check and a 20Hz to 20KHz sine sweep to assess the amplifier’s frequency response characteristics. This battery of tests will usually reveal if the amplifier has any issues that need further attention.

Before the device leaves the bench, we perform a listening test with actual music using a variety of preferred test tracks. Our benches are outfitted with familiar monitor speakers which help us identify inconsistencies that will not always show up on our test gear. The main things that we are listening for are hum or noise with no signal present, proper center image, clicks, pops, or any other obvious undesirable audio characteristics.

If the unit passes all of these tests it is moved to our long term testing rig where we simulate real word operating conditions for 6-8 hours. For tube amps we like to run this test at least twice. This allows us to monitor the unit for signs of thermal runaway or intermittent issues that only crop up when it has fully come up to temperature. We find this step to be essential, especially for vintage units.