I have owned and used a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium power amp for about a year and a half now. I can't comment on ARC stuff, but the PrimaLuna replaced several vintage Luxman MB3045 monoblocks (designed by Tim de Paravicini), one pair converted to KT-88s, and one pair still using the NLA sweep tubes. I also had a pair of A3000 100V domestic-market equivalents, which I ran on a Variac. All of the Luxmans sounded absolutely glorious - when they were working. I threw so much good money after bad with those amps, and in the end, was thoroughly disgusted by their lack of reliability even when repaired by a competent tech who knew of their quirks.
I almost gave up on tubes, but while debating with myself I saw Art Dudley's review of the Dialogue Premium power amp, in which he explained the various features, including automatic biasing, failed tube protection, switchable ultralinear/triode, long tube life, etc. It sounded like exactly the kind of robustness that would make my Luxman experiences a distant memory. At the conclusion, he wrote:
"I tried to find fault with the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium. I failed. In particular, I tried to detect some mechanical or otherwise non-natural, non-organic quality to its sound, given the preponderance of switches and silicon inside its good-looking casework. I failed at that, too.
I've had the pleasure of reviewing some remarkable amplifiers in the past few years. In many respects, the DiaLogue Premium, though far from the most expensive, is among the four or five most enjoyable."
Since I trust Art's ears and value his opinion, I ordered mine in late October of 2015, and am delighted with it, both sonically, and with its reliability, flexibility, and ease of use.
The Dialogue Premium provides 48 combinations of sound to try if desired:
four tube types - EL-34, KT-88, KT-120, KT-150
two tube-type settings - EL, KT ("wrong" won't hurt)
three taps - 4, 8, 16 ohms
two modes - ultralinear or triode
You can even run a mix of different power tubes without hurting anything. Talk about robust! It has already lasted at least six times longer than I could keep any of the Luxman pairs going between failures.
I run mine with KT-120s, in triode, on the 16 ohm tap, powering my original Quad ESLs. They sound every bit as delicious as the Luxmans did. I am one super-satisfied customer, and would recommend the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium power amp to anyone, without any reservations.
I almost gave up on tubes, but while debating with myself I saw Art Dudley's review of the Dialogue Premium power amp, in which he explained the various features, including automatic biasing, failed tube protection, switchable ultralinear/triode, long tube life, etc. It sounded like exactly the kind of robustness that would make my Luxman experiences a distant memory. At the conclusion, he wrote:
"I tried to find fault with the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium. I failed. In particular, I tried to detect some mechanical or otherwise non-natural, non-organic quality to its sound, given the preponderance of switches and silicon inside its good-looking casework. I failed at that, too.
I've had the pleasure of reviewing some remarkable amplifiers in the past few years. In many respects, the DiaLogue Premium, though far from the most expensive, is among the four or five most enjoyable."
Since I trust Art's ears and value his opinion, I ordered mine in late October of 2015, and am delighted with it, both sonically, and with its reliability, flexibility, and ease of use.
The Dialogue Premium provides 48 combinations of sound to try if desired:
four tube types - EL-34, KT-88, KT-120, KT-150
two tube-type settings - EL, KT ("wrong" won't hurt)
three taps - 4, 8, 16 ohms
two modes - ultralinear or triode
You can even run a mix of different power tubes without hurting anything. Talk about robust! It has already lasted at least six times longer than I could keep any of the Luxman pairs going between failures.
I run mine with KT-120s, in triode, on the 16 ohm tap, powering my original Quad ESLs. They sound every bit as delicious as the Luxmans did. I am one super-satisfied customer, and would recommend the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium power amp to anyone, without any reservations.