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PRIMA LUNA AMPLIFIERS

Hi 

I,m thinking of buying a Prima Luna amplifier but worried re reliability, and what you do in the UK if you have problems.

Would like to hear what owners think about reliability, tube changes , tube upgrades, potential problems,
And what happened if you had problems re after sales repair and support.



i,m going to use them with Proac D20 r floorstanders .

 Thanks in advance for your help 
goldfish2a
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
ksubrama:

The 150 draws considerably more heater current than the EL34. Can the amp supply it?
The operating point will change which will change the distortion considerably.
Do you have the tools / know how to adjust the amplifier to optimize for 150's?

Just WHAT do you expect to achieve other than a thinner wallet?
ksubrama's avatar
ksubrama
8 posts
 
Thank you @shahram. I don’t think it will fit with the cage on the evo 400 as well.

@ieales  - appreciate the challenge. Being a Tube Newb, I absolutely do not have the tools or knowledge. However, I purchased the PL evo 400 for its auto bias design and the marketing slogan on it being so easy to use that even a tube newb would be able to roll tubes easily. My only intent is to get more power to my speakers and get increased dynamics/bass response from them.
shahram
115 posts
 
There is a switch on the side for low and high output tubes. EL34 being low output, and KT120, KT150 etc. are considered high output. Put the new tubes in, flip the switch and you've got like 30 more watts to play with. But really the watts don't matter much. It's the tighter control on woofers that you will likely notice first. And 
mozartfan
2,143 posts
 
I can't speak to the Cayin, which I have heard is made at the same plant, but the unconfirmed rumors are that Cayin uses differently sourced parts  and is not just a PrimaLuna with a different name slapped on it.

Correct, Both are made by Spark Labs,, both look simliar in design,, but  that does not at all mean they will present music as  equals. 
I am going with the Cayin SC6 pre vs the PL Evo 100. 
I have a  cayin cd17 Mark 1  past 15 years and had no issues, built like a  tank, with nice resolution,,although i did spend $$$ on new Mundorf Caps and Sparksolab Descrete opamps,,I plan to add a  new PL cd player next year. 

ksubrama's avatar
ksubrama
8 posts
 
@ shahram - missed answering your question:

“Slightly off topic, but how does the EVO 400 work as a daily driver? How fine are the volume adjustments via remote?”

It is working great so far. Much more heat compared to SS, but I leave it on about 4-5 hours at a stretch, give at least 30 minutes between power cycles, and avoid rapid power cycles. Takes a minute to warm up and tubes are fully charged in 5 mins or so. I will admit that I feel nervous when the PL is on with no music playing, almost feel a compelling urge to turn it off.

As far as the remote goes, it is superb. No power on/off obviously but the analog volume control is very responsive. No steps as such but a single press on the remote gets you 1-2 degree turn on the volume dial. Very slick and responsive.


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