How You Build a "Forever" System: PrimaLuna EVO 200 Power Amp Review w/ Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- upscaleaudio.com/products/pri...
How you build your "Forever" system. Do what this guy did.
One of the finest power amps in the world regardless of price. Learn all about the PrimaLuna EVO 200 Power Amplifier, a 50-lb beast with custom potted toroidal transformers, point-to-point wiring, and only the very finest components. In addition, with their stereo to mono switching, PrimaLunas power amps offer a logical and affordable upgrade path, making these a purchase of a lifetime.
Get a real amp, get a PrimaLuna. - Розваги
I've got a PrimaLuna Evo 100 integrated, best decision I ever made. Had a bad tube short, just blew the protection circuit fuse and they ship with spares so took me 20 minutes to get back up and running. These are amazing amps for the money.
Just got my second hand Evo 400 power amp and wow......Miles, Ella, Basie, Herbie, Annie Lennox and others.....simply enhancing experience, sound, details (love it!) and sonics (my kit mostly DIY/DIY kits). Many hours of joy ahead :)
Again, love the passion Kevin (O: May I add? As an amateur radio operator, I LOVE the tubes in my gear. I just replaced the three 811 tubes in the RF amp with a matched trio of 572-B's. Needless to say, the difference in the construction of the plates in them is of a much heavier metal material. Plate voltage of 1.8KV - anode at the top.
These came from Penta Labs which is in your 'neck' of the woods. Thanks again for a fine review and a big nod to us tube lovers ! (PS. I wasn't sure if you sold in RF output tubes)
I can listen to this guy for hours.😄
We used to call transformers that looked like that “potted”. I was inputting this comment just as you mentioned the term potted. Not a copycat.
These guy could sell the Brooklyn Bridge. Great merchandiser and explainer.
I've got all PrimaLuna: Two DiaLogue Premium power amps as mono blocks; Prologue Three preamp; ProLogue Premium CD player. Been around the block a time or two (sold audio back in '76-'82) and PrimaLuna blows away a lot of gear 2-3X more expensive. Listening to Maggie MG 12/QRs I bought over 10 years ago, and a DENON DP-60L (Ortofon Blue pickup) I bought brand new in '79 (80?).
Recently I've rolled the tubes in the power amps and preamp, upgraded speaker cables and interconnects, and the whole thing is better than sex (I'm 72...). Well, almost.
Nice! Interesting speakers, nice set up. Enjoy!
Preach brother Kevin, preach! Tell us the good news.
yes, and the Primaluna EVO 200 comes from the book of Revelations! lol
"...it's a torroid and it's badass!..." dude, you made me chuckle.
He seems to always mention every high power tube except my favorite, the KT 90. Some people don’t like the KT 90s because they’re not very swapable. So after they swap them in they conclude the valve is inferior. Probably then not a good tube for a Prima Luna. KT90s tend to have their own requirements for power and current and so don’t often sound great in amps not made specifically for them. However, when done well they sound much like the “perfect tube” they were designed to be in that they have great power and specs/transparency while retaining much of the beauty of the oversized el34s they basically are.
Wow, this is such a great informative video. I have been searching for answers and I guess I am almost close after watching this video. Hello Kevin, l need your help. Please suggest what amplifier can I pair with the speakers that I made a blind buy on. I got Linn klimax 350 passive speakers with no onboard amps. I believe they are almost 1200 watts each. Much thanks.
I love my EVO 400 integrated. You didn’t mention the headphone capability. Do you have a recommendation for a headphone pairing?
Could the ISO-Acoustics Gaia under the Prima Luna amps bring some vibration control?
Synthesis Roma 510 AC.....a Beast with KT88
I have evo 400 what tube can I replace the el34 with.
Wondering. I have a PL 100 evo running a pair of klipsch heresy 4s
I don’t need the power,high eff. Speakers, but I would love to get more out of that bottom end. Would moving to a PL 300evo do the trick despite the addition cost???
Heresy's are always going to be a little light in the bass department, even the IVs (which are better than previous models) no matter what amp you use. Upgrading from the 100 to the 300 would be a very expensive way to get a little more low end. Get a REL t5i sub, and set the level very low and adjust crossover to taste. for around 500-600 bucks you'll get a huge improvement in low end. Otherwise maybe move up to the Forte, or KLH model 5, that will make a much more dramatic change to the bass than going up the PL line.
A good way to test if it's the speakers or the amp that should be changed is to try swapping your PL for a solid state amp that has good control over the low end just to see if it makes the difference you are looking for. If you still aren't getting the low end you want from a high current solid state amp then you probably want to add a sub or get different speakers. If the SS amp DOES get you the bass you are looking for then maybe a PL300 would do the trick. Also try using the 4ohm taps. I had evo100 integrated with heresy II and yeah the bass was not great but with a rel sub it was a great sounding system. Using the evo100 with my JBL l112s I got really good, fast, controlled bass. Eventually I got rid of the PL and switched to a line magnetic amp with kt88 tubes and that really did fill out the low end even with the Heresy. Overall it felt like a much better pairing at least to my ears and in my room.
Question. I own an EV400 integrated.
Why would I buy the 2 EVO 200’s operating as a pair. I am a bit confused as a Customer.
What speakers?
Would a pair of EVO 200 power amps setup as mono blocks sound better than a single EVO 300 power amp in stereo?
Depends on your speakers
Would you take a prima luna over mcintosh
bill, i know i'm speaking up for him but, without question, kevin would take a PL over a mac any day!
class A ? or class AB ?
Typically when you bridge an amp, you do it to get more power, not sound quality. The amp has to work harder because the resistance is cut in half. Wouldn't 2 of these sound better if you do a vertical biamp instead?
I own a pair of the EVO-400's set up in a Horizontal Bi-Amp config. It drives my large towers very well . Their mid range is fuller and the bass response has more impact than when I ran just a single PrimaLuna. I am a bass-head, I like EDM, Taiko drumming, and Organ music. So having something that is capable of high current, and enough power in reserve to handle the peaks is a must. As far as a Vertical Bi-Amplification is concerned? I would say it depends on the speakers and the type of music you are listening to. If you have something where the load is consistent between the Mid-Range and Tweeters and the Woofers I do not see that as problematic. However, owning speakers that have that two 12 inch woofers each, the majority of the load would go to the amp that is running the low-end so in my system, the load balance would be off so it would not be an advantage. For Vertical I would hook up a 250 watt plus SS beast and own a single PrimaLuna to run the mids and upper end. As far as strain on the amps I am not hearing it. All that changes is matching the taps to the correct impedance. These amps have a very robust power supply that give a lot of headroom. MY speakers really like the amount of current they deliver. I used to mate them with a pair of $28k SS mono-blocs. At over twice the cost of a pair of PrimaLunas, these pair of arc welders, did not mate as well as the evo400's. The mid-range was more recessed and the bass tubby. The tonality of the PrimaLuna's mid-range was far more accurate and as already mentioned I found their bass, to be cleaner, faster, and a lot tighter than the SS amps I was using.
Not in a tube amp. In a PrimaLuna the output impedance drops in half, and the increase in sound quality is shocking. . There is a special circuit designed to allow you to do this. That's why other companies don't do it.
@@upscaleaudio why wouldn't other companies want you to buy another one of their amplifiers?
The T Rex of salesmen.