If you look at the new products from manufacturers of high-quality components for music reproduction that appeal to a wide range of customers, the trend is clear: maximum functional density. The result is either loudspeakers that can do everything wirelessly. Or we see the reinterpretation of a stereo receiver, only with a streaming section instead of FM radio. This comes along as small and attractive as possible and hardly resembles a classic amplifier. So far, so 2025.

But what about the customer who doesn't want a device according to the kebab doctrine (‘please with everything’)? Who just wants to replace their old amplifier with a comparable new, better model? Who still wants to play their physical media? Or the audiophile offspring, who, after their first contact with entry-level electronics, want to build an old-school system consisting of individual components? Preferably with a vintage flair, but also with modern technology. At affordable prices. Does that still exist? Yes, it does.

This is where the Vincent brand comes into play, which has been paying homage to the classic hi-fi concept for thirty years now. But it doesn't get stuck in the ‘good old days’. A typical example is the refreshed MK version of the SV-500 amplifier, which has been in the portfolio for ten years, presented here. The engineers from Iffezheim have not changed the basic concept. The SV-500MK is still built using hybrid technology. The pre-amplifier section, which is responsible for the sound character, uses three tubes in a double triode construction: a 12AX7 (also known as ECC83) from Psvane in China and two Russian 6N1s. The power amp section, on the other hand, is based on two power transistors and two driver transistors per channel from Toshiba, which, according to Vincent, results in a solid 2 x 50 watts RMS into 8 ohms. This division of labour is intended to achieve the best of both worlds: a well-balanced sound influenced by the glass tubes, coupled with the reliable power supply to the loudspeakers ensured by semiconductor technology. The stable power supply with a low-stray-field 250-watt toroidal transformer provides a healthy basis for this. Capacitors with 20,000 microfarads are available for smoothing the current signal and as buffers.