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Primaluna owners - speak up

Posted by jsm71 (A) on March 3, 2013 at 07:53:58

I hate it when I think my system is done and then the dreaded what-if creeps into my head. I recently switched from Maggie 1.7s to Janszen zA2.1 hybrid stats. During that transition I retained my Sanders Magtech amp which made my Maggies sing. The Magtech is also quite good with stats so I thought I would simply keep it.

Here's my "dilemma". The Janszen's are actually quite easy to drive and are rated at 8 ohms, pretty unique for stats. I am barely using the output from the Magtech. It sounds great but I can't help feeling like all that power is going to waste.

My local dealer sells Primaluna gear and suggested that I use their Prologue Seven monoblocks. These are driven by KT88 tubes and are conservatively rated at 70 watts each. I say conservatively because apparently they don't push the tubes to their full capacity for benign heat generation and longer life. The only model I saw first hand was an integrated model with less output but it had been on all day and indeed it was only warm.

I have a Cary SLP 98P tube preamp and love it, but I have always blocked out considering tube amps for the following reasons:

1. Heat
2. Good ones are high cost and generally have to sit on the floor
3. Tube life and that cost
4. Here's the big one for me - biasing. I simply wouldn't want to mess with it.
5. Blown tubes have known to hurt other things like speaker drivers or other parts of the amp.

That list may have some inaccuracies but that has always been my bias against tube amps. I can't ignore the loud collective voice of tube amp owners however who swear by better sound. That's what keeps me looking.

The current Primaluna amps seem to erase all of the concerns from my list. The Prologue Seven monoblocks are small enough to sit side by side on my lower rack. If the integrated model I saw was a good representative, heat generation is minor. They have an Adaptive AutoBias system that constantly keeps each tube independently biased to the proper operating range for better performance and lowered distortion. No biasing ever and you don't have to have matched tubes. Each ceramic tube socket also has a warning light on the chassis that indicates low life. The build quality (designed in the Netherlands and built in China) seems first rate. They also have a way to protect the amp if a tube fails. Lastly the Prologue Seven sells for only $2,589 for the pair. I could sell my Magtech and have money in my pocket if switching proved desirable.

I heard the integrated amp in the store with some Goldenear towers. I'm not familiar with them so I would need to try something with my setup. My dealer offered to let me try that amp at home. It wouldn't have as much power but I should be able to get a feel for the sound textures. I need to get my primary cartridge back from Soundsmith before I do this.

In the meantime what say you Primaluna owners, especially those who had powerful SS amps prior? What model do you have and are the various design claims true? A couple of the reviews I read suggested the 70 watts were even driving Maggies well. Hmmm, is an all tube system worth pursuing? Is it worth selling an amp that I feel has no sonic flaws? I know, I know. You have to try it. I hate when this happens. :-)

Scott

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