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PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium

Hi,

First and foremost let me say I’m not trying to start any war of words, bash any manufacturers products or any HiFi dealers. I’m just stating my humble opinion. In the words of Denzel Washington in the movie Malcom X we’ve been hoodwinked and led astray when it comes to the whole audiophile phenomenom. I recently owned a ARC REF 5SE, REF 110 and ARC solid state DS450M mono-block amps. They were driving my Magnepan 20.7’s and my Meridian music streamer. I just switched all of it out for a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP amplifier with KT150 tubes and a PL Dialogue Premium preamplifier and two these ears my Maggie’s have never sounded so good. I’m going to add another PL Dialogue Premium HP next week and then I can honestly say I am done with my search for high fidelity sound. People please don’t let other dealers and manufacturers tell you, you need to spend $$$$ to achieve musical nirvana it’s all hype. I fell for that crap and I’m really embarrassed to say it. PrimaLuna is a superior musical instrument that honestly should cost 4 to 5 times more for their Dialogue Premium line. The build and features are second to none. Please please don’t let these dealers tell you other wise. It’s all about the benjamins and they want you to invest your hard earned money in there over priced crap. I invite anyone to listen to my system and tell me this isn’t as good as it gets and that this is not how music should sound. I live in Seattle and I  reached out to Upscale Audio’s Kevin Deal after 1 1/2 weeks of watching his videos and banging my head against the wall over my inferior lifeless musical experience. I took a leap of faith after reading several reviews and seriously doing some home work and made decision. Wow PL and KD thank you for not making me look like and absolute fool. I honestly feel like I stole from PL and Upscale Audio. Can’t stop tapping my feet and shaking my head. Bye for now and if one person listens to PRimaLuna after reading this thread my mission is complete. Peace,  Miles and Dizzy are on stage with Stevie Ray riding shotgun!
bluesy41
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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
1graber save money for the KT150s. Much better than 120s. The GL 88s are a great tube so enjoy. I loved them. 
bluesy41 OP
211 posts
 
Question I was thinking about changing out the 6 12AU7 tubes in my Dialogue Premium Preamp with the Brimar tubes and replacing the rectifier tube with the Phillips. Should I also replace the set of 12AU7’s in the Dialogue HP amps? 


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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
I would start with the Preamp and proceed one step at a time.   The front 2 slots or middle are the 2 tubes to replace 1st. Don't worry with the amp right now.  
1graber2's avatar
1graber2
303 posts
 
Bluesy, 
hope you read my post above. Tubes matter.

i know there tends to be hyperbole on forums, but I’m telling you, replacing the stock PL tubes, whether for preAmp or Amp, creates a much better sound in terms of timbres/tones, soundstage, ambiance, and just sounding more fleshed out, real, and natural. 

So yes, try the Brimars or any of the similarly priced 12AU7s from Upscale will up your game significantly.

Or maybe look at it this way: How many thousands of dollars have you already spent on your Audio electronics and KT150s? So trying out a couple Brimars for $160 is a low risk compared the audio benefit that you will receive. 

As as you probably know, call Jarrod at Upscale, and he can recommend types of 12AU7s, and the number of 12au7s that you will need. E.g.  for me, I have the integrated HP with 6 12AU7s, but only the middle two 12au7s (input tubes) need to be replaced to impact the sound. The other 4 are driver tubes, and replacing them would be higher cost at diminished returns.  I can replace all six tubes if I want, but that is expensive and unnecessary per Jared. And in my experience that is true. 

Your dedicated PL preAmp may have more than 2 input tubes to replace, I’m not sure. But I can also say that I greatly prefer tube rectification, and that is one reason I would exchange my PL Integrated for separates. So again, “tubes matter” lol. Buy a quality rectifier tube. 

Last, and sorry for the essay, but I love this stuff: you have the Maggie’s driven by KT150s. The Brimars would be good for your mix of gear,  but consider the NOS MULLARDS. The KT150s give you the top to bottom dynamics, as it spreads more energy to driving the high and low end frequencies, but at the cost of less energy for mid frequencies. The NOS MULLARDS will help fill that gap in the mids, at a small cost to the hi/low dynamics you have. 

But out whatever you decide, know that adding the Brimars or MULLARDS will be a game-changer. Especially in the soundstage, compared to the stock PL tubes..
good luck, let us know what you decide ....

johnss
569 posts
 
agree with 1graber2, replace those stock tubes with NOS US or Euro tubes for a nice sonic jump. The other big improvement is replacing the stock coupling caps with Jensen or V-Cap Copper foil caps. tremendous hold your rear in the listening chair power....
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