PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium

"06-28-15: Mechans
I don't think any of you are wrong. The OP may not have had any other experience with a better Hi Fi amp. He wants to know if it really a giant killer sounding as good as amps much more costly he himself is not familiar with."

I fully understand what you're saying, but its a question that only the OP can answer because of its subjective nature. What I think is a good preamp, he may hate. There's so many factors to account for when making a selection like this, you really can't rely on other peoples opinions. And this is especially true for a preamp. Its usually the most important, and difficult component to get right. Nothing sounds worse than a preamp that doesn't work well with the other components.

Given the situation, the only recommendation that I would make, is to take your time. You're happy with the preamp you already have, so don't get rid of it until you have a definite replacement that you know you like better. Once you are able to do some comparisons, you'll find that in some cases, you won't like preamps that cost far more than the PL. That's why you need to be really careful.

Agree 100% with Zd's last paragraph in his last post. I have heard a few PrimaLuna pieces and thought they sounded terrific. Are there better? Perhaps, but you'll need to hear them to know them, and the differences will generally be subtle. I'd suggest you not worry about how the preamp stacks up to others and instead enjoy it, you have a fine unit and it works well in your system. You could spend a lot more money and not necessarily do better.

I guess that this board should cease to exist and all of the audiophile magazines should fold because everything discussed is too "subjective".

I simply wanted some feedback from people who used the gear.

FWIW, your PrimaLuna pre amp is an excellent pre-amp, as are many others. Whether it works for you depends on three things, 1) Your other equipment with which it must synergize: 2) Your physical set up including the room itself: and, 3) most importantly, your expectations, that is its tonality. It is neither a POS or SOTA. It is just another piece of equipment (tool) used to obtain a predetermined sound.

I would be happy to use your pre-amp as a key piece in my system but I would most probably have to use other equipment in my room with my speakers to achieve my sonic expectation.

Perhaps if you would take a moment to describe specifically what you are trying to improve or change in your present situation you would find folks willing to help you achieve that.

Without more information you really can't expect anyone to make intelligent comments.