Primaluna - Rolling pre tubes question...

My experience with Black Treasures versus standard Sino tubes is that the Black Treasures have more body to the sound - richer, more detailed

Thank you Kevin!
This thread has been very helpful for me.

And I have found exactly what you've described with the Cifte. I have them back in the center position, and they have settled in - Very happy overall.

I've lived with the Primaluna Premium integrated for about 2 years, heres where I have settled

1) tube dampers a must... subliminal screechiness for female chorus and strings otherwise that eventually becomes irritating.
2) Kt-150's work wonderfully all around for power tubes but give up some vs EL34 on the human voice. But the EL34 can't do cymbals right.
3) Telefunken 12AU7 hard to beat for all 4 small tubes
4) Amperex/Holland Bugle Boy 12AU7 in front sockets with Telefunken 12AU7 in back is also very good and a little more mellow

Hi Davide256 I've never used tube dampers in a PrimaLuna. I'll try some for fun. Tube dampers are never "always good" or "always bad" as it depends on that single tube in your hand. A little bit of microphony can be good. It's something you have to try.

I am so glad we went with as many 12AU7's as we have. It's great for tube rolling. There are some new PrimaLuna products coming out that will use 12AU7's and 12AX7's come January.

There will be a tube headphone amp that can be run two different ways. And incredible phono stage designed in a way I've not seen before. And a DAC that is all-tube, dual mono, tube rectified, and uses a tube to address jitter (only found in PrimaLuna)

They are in prototyping now. I won't say anything more. I was supposed to keep my mouth shut.

Not a fan of ceramic sockets for pre tubes like the PL Premium integrated has, much prefer Teflon or composite sockets for better damping at the junction of socket and glass bottom of the tube. Microphony is distortion, pure and simple, never good.