REVIEW

sonically of our Music First preamp…and that is very high praise, indeed.

Niggles

One input may not be enough for some BUT Vinius do offer units with three RCA or three XLR inputs. However, these units do not offer the ultra-minimalism and purity of signal path that this unit uses. The other units are not mix and match with regards inputs and outputs as our Music First is and with the other Vinius pres you must choose RCA or XLR on both inouts and outputs.

The packaging is not in-keeping with the lovely finish on the unit itself and is a little disappointing, though I know full well that such friperie is superfluous and little more than window dressing and pandering to the luxury element, but, given the finish and beautiful build of this product, I do think better packaging would be in order.

No remote, but then this continues the whole path of least resistance and I fully understand the reasons for not including one. This is a product by its very nature is about purity of signal and with no superfluous additions.

Conclusion

Like the advert I mentioned that talks about Product X being better with nowt taken out, the Vinius adds little to nothing of its own sonic character to the music you are playing. In true high-fidelity terms I would say that this is getting close to the holy grail of what the purist audiophile is searching for. Yes, other preamplifiers that use similar technology achieve somewhat similar results and the final decision on which you would choose will be down to your personal preferences and to the miniscule tonal differences that you may or may not perceive. However, and as mentioned, some people and some power amplifiers will prefer to have a boosted signal before them and thereafter we are getting into the whole personal taste arena.

Can I recommend the Vinius? Yes, I can and I do so wholeheartedly!!! I absolutely loved it in our system.

It is a very good-looking product (thought I actually prefer the look of our Music First…YMMV) that, taking into account that it’s not endured any ins and outs to our system to really test its robustness, looks very nicely constructed and has the air of a product that people will buy and stick with forever. Like myself with our Music First preamplifier, I have (up to now) seen no need to contemplate any kind of upgrade or change since the day it got put in the system…I think the same would be true with the Vinius.

I am giving this product the Editors Choice award, but that comes with caveats and the main one is that this is a very specialised bit of kit with its one input and one output. Essentially, what you have is an expensive volume knob…if it were only that simple!

The main takeaways for me with the Vinius in this review system have been that wonderfully engaging and realistic soundstaging and a seemingly untarnished movement of the signal from the DAC to the amplifier.

If you are looking for a no-frills but truly immaculate-sounding preamplifier, then I would suggest that this should be on your radar! I am surprised that these haven’t been picked up by distribution in the States, the UK, and particularly in Asia where I think they would be very much appreciated.

At A Glance

Build Quality:

A simple-looking unit that is very well finished and very nice to look at

A very limited set of features that boil down to a single set of inputs and outputs and a volume knob, though other versions are available with more inputs and remote

Sound Quality:

This is a very good sounding unit. Or should that be “this unit doesn’t really have a sound”?

Crap recordings still sound crap but that is only because there is no gilding of the lily with this preamp

Soundstaging was an interesting thing for me to have picked up, I thought. The preamp should not really have an influence on this and I don’t know if it’s because the pre is absolutely silent that I perceived this aspect of its “performance” but there is something very interesting and positive happening with the soundstaging with the Vinius in our system

I found the sound of instruments and sounds in the mix seemed (to me) to be true to life and very textured in their presentation using the Vinius

Value For Money:

If you look at this as a one input volume pot then it is expensive. But it’s not quite so easy to put a pot in a box and get this level of realism

We Loved:

The perceived soundstage

Being able to hear very clearly the tonal and timbral

Characteristics Of Instruments

We Didn’t Love So Much:

There’s not much to dislike at all with this preamplifier. It is what it is and what it is is pretty limited given its one input. People that buy this will be well aware of its feature limitations and will be happy to listen to their one source how it was meant to sound

Elevator Pitch Review: The Polish Vinius preamplifier is a single input and output device that eschews features for a purity of reproduction that is uncommon. It neither add nor takes away from the signal that it is fed and your music remains truthful to the file you are playing and the effects the DAC, the power amplifier and the speakers have upon it. If you can live with its limitations then this is an excellent product.

Price: Around €7500