Vincent KHV-111 Headphone amplifier

Headphone amplifiers Vincent are designed for a serious audience, for which it is important first how the amplifier sounds, and only then - how it looks. The end stages of the amplifier are made on transistors, only the input are on the tube. This is a Chinese 12AX7B, which is much-loved by the creators of guitar amplifiers and which has a high gain and low noise.

Additional outputs are not provided, the power supply is built-in. Judging by the fuse of 0,2A, its power is solid. Volume controls, as seen in the picture, are separate - this is not very convenient. But this has a certain meaning, because the user can easily level the balance. By the way, different sensitivities of the right and left ear are met quite often.

The Vincent KHV-111 amplifier plays smoothly, with scale and clearly, percussion is very well heard. No sharpness. There is high degree of realism and involvement. Sibilants are slightly emphasized in the voice in the 24-bit/96 kHz recording. Brushes seem to be annoying. But the bass, on the contrary, is delicate and at the same time surprisingly expressive. The same at 16 bit/44.1 kHz is reproduced noticeably simpler, poorer, and even a little quieter. The voice has lost the overtones and part of the charm. Basses faded and became poorer. Such a noticeable difference is an indicator of a high resolution amplifier.

Def Leppard rolls out powerfully, energetically and punchy. At the same time, there is no sharpness or the slightest excess of metal. Perhaps, Vincent KHV-111 amplifier is prone to some embellishment of reality, but it is quite possible that it only shows the true nature of the Sennheiser HD650 headphones.

With headphones with an impedance of 55 ohms the character of sound becomes different: tops stay in place, but everything else sinks. Although the bass notes are audible, the sound loses density and stiffness appears. I could write it off on AKG K271, but with some other amplifiers they are not so severe.