Sorry for the late reply! But that answer I don’t know. I do know that my Don Sachs Preamp has a very nice stepped attenuator. I have no experience with PS Audio or Rogue. I did own a NAD preamp with an Alps Blue Velvet attenuator as in the Primaluna...they’re fine and completely analogue. But at this level, a nice stepped attenuator is what you want.

I had a PL Dialogue Premium HP integrated with Focal Aria 948’s for a while. The speakers didn’t do it for me (i rolled lots of different tubes, but eventually could not overcome persistent brightness)...
Hi @dpac996,
I am new to tubes and am considering pairing some new Focal 948s with a PL EVO 300. One of my concerns with the pairing is the brightness you mentioned. Unfortunately none of the shops near me have this set up, so I am really putting a lot of through/consideration into the potential purchase.

Anyway, I recall hearing that ultra high end wiring (i.e., platinum and silver) can sometime accentuate that bright characteristic in the Focals. Would you mind sharing what wiring you were using in your set up and if you think that could have been a factor? Sounds like you test a lot of different solutions.


Primaluna and Focal go great together. If you call Upscale Audio they will tell you their Focal Sopra 2s in the demo room are setup to an EVO 400 Integrated. The Primaluna's are detailed and airy, not bright.