Vincent PHO-8 Review A Wonderful Phono Preamp For Under $400

I’ve been buying and selling audio gear for several years now and have always relied on using the built in phono stages for my vinyl playback. But recently I’ve been interested in using a stand alone phono preamp instead of the built in phono stage in order to improve the overall listening experience. Lately I’ve been buying phono preamps at different price points and reviewing them here for friends who are curious in improving their vinyl playback experience as well.

(Click here if you’ve never used a phono preamp and are curious why you should or how to hook up one up in your current system.)

I recently purchased an Emotiva BasX PT-100 preamplifier for just $250 during their Black Friday sale. I’m always interested in listening to affordable audio gear so I can make recommendations to friends who are looking to buy new stereo gear on a budget. I am currently working on a review of the PT-100, but in the meantime, I used the phono stage on the Emotiva to A/B test a Vincent PHO-8 phono preamp that I purchased second hand on Facebook market for $200.

Features

The first thing you will notice about the Vincent PHO-8 phono preamp is the dual chassis. Vincent’s goal to isolate noise from their power supply led them to separate the power supply in a separate chassis, allowing you to connect the preamp and the power supply via a 5 pin DIN cord. This is a feature not usually provided on a phono preamp that sells for less than $400.

Users of both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges can use the Vincent PHO-800 via the push selection button on the front. (Note for moving coil users, there is no gain adjustment feature.)

Setting up and installing the phono preamp is a breeze. Simply connect the two chassis with the provided DIN cord, plug your turntable’s RCA cord into the RCA In jacks on the rear and plug a separate RCA cord to the RCA Out jacks and connect to the Aux input on your receiver. The power switch is located on the rear of unit. I have left my unit powered on at all times without any issue.

Test Equipment

For my testing of the Vincent PHO-8, I used my vintage Pioneer PL 560 turntable with an Audio Technica AT-VMN95SH shibata stylus playing through an Emotiva BasX PT-100 preamplifier into an Emotiva BasX A-100 amplifier and Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ bookshelf speakers.

Please note, I do not have a moving coil cartridge so all of my testing is done for moving magnet operation only.

How does it sound?

My immediate impression of the PHO-8 was it played very quiet with no humming or hissing. I read a few Amazon reviews with complaints of humming but I’ve yet to hear any noise whatsoever from my PHO-8. I believe the separated power supply in the dual chassis helps provide this quiet playback.

I noticed the playback volume using the PHO-8 is slightly louder at the same volume as the Emotiva’s built in phono stage. I’m always tempted to increase the volume when using the Emotiva phono stage, but I didn’t find that necessary with the PHO-8.

I listened to three albums to A/B the PHO-8 with the built in phono stage in the Emotiva PT-100 preamplifier: John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, The Beatles’ Revolver and Larry Coryell’s At The Village Gate live album.

The new Acoustic Sounds reissue of A Love Supreme sounded more present playing through the PHO-8. McCoy Tyner’s piano solo during Part 2: Resolution made me feel like I was in the room listening. All of the instruments on the recording sounded more detailed.

I heard better separation of instruments and vocals when listening to Revolver through the PHO-8. George’s sitar playing on Love You To sounded smooth and lush. During She Said She Said, the cymbals are more noticeable than when I listened with the Emotiva’s phono stage.

I wanted to listen to a live LP and pulled Larry Coryell’s At The Village Gate from my collection. The Vincent PHO-8 made me feel more like I was actually at the show than the Emotiva. The kick drum was more pronounced and the bass was tighter with the PHO-8. Again, I noticed the improved channel separation with Larry’s guitar more prominent in the right channel.

Overall, while listening to each LP, the Vincent PHO-8 had a wider and deeper soundstage than the Emotiva.

I’d like to point out that the Emotiva’s phono stage sounds great in a preamp that retails for just $250 while the Vincent PHO-8 phono preamp alone was originally sold for $400. The Emotiva is a full preamp giving you the ability to add streaming, CD, aux and even FM radio all for the same price. Anyone looking to start building a new stereo system on a budget will love the way Emotiva’s phono stage sounds. Using the Vincent as a stand alone phono preamp simply took the sound to a better level.

If you are using an inexpensive phono preamp like Pyle or GoGroove, something cheap you found on Amazon, then upgrading to a preamp such as the Vincent PHO-8 will really bring the life out of your vinyl playback.

The Vincent PHO-8 is no longer in production, but if you can find one used for a reasonable price, consider picking it up. I paid $200 for mine and recently eBay solds are close to that price. I hope to upgrade further and listen to the PHO-701 which uses a hybrid tube/solid state design that retails for $800.

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