Curious about the PrimaLuna

Have you seen the review in the latest Dec. 2004 TAS? There is little meat, like most articles in TAS, but it is something at the very least. Arthur

I'm in the process of breaking in a PrimaLuna - so far I'm quite impressed. I've had it up and running for about 2 weeks. I'm using 4 ohm taps to drive 4 ohm speakers with a 92dba effiency. It has plenty of power for these speakers. There is no shortage of power in the bass, in fact I was startled by the bass performance in the Reference Recordings CD of Coplands Fanfare for the Common man. I happen to also be breaking in the speakers, Tyler Linbrook Signature Systems which are flat in my room to 20hz. This little amp did not wimp out at all - in fact I'm amazed at the fullness of the presentation of this music! The mid range is smooth and liquid and the highs a not overdone. But much has to do with the tubes you use and your expectations. Contrary to the implication of the comments in the TAS review, this unit is very responsive to tube rolling (which I'm presently in the process of doing) and all of the tubes have an effect on the sound so you can pretty much tailor the sound to your desires. You really can't go wrong at the price. As I said, I'm impressed.

Which PrimaLuna do you have?

Prologue One?
Prologue Two?

And what tubes are working best for you?

Prologue One. I'm still playing with tubes - I'm using current production. I haven't settled on which I prefer yet. Today, I'm listening to Svet EL34's, EH 12AX7A's, and Tesla 12AU7's. The sound is very warm and rich, almost too warm and rich. The Tesla's 12AU7's are responsible for most of this. With EI's its much cooler. I tried NOS Tesla E34L's & the EH/Tesla small tubes. It reduced the richness a tad, increased the upper mid and high detail quite a bit, and I think it is a combo many would prefer. As I said this is a work in progress. Of one thing you can be sure, if you have a revealing speaker system you will easily hear any change you make and you get to take your pick. Your choice will probably depend on your speakers and room/set up.