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PrimaLuna Preamp Upgrade Question

I have owned a PL Evo400 Integrated for the past few months. I love the amp, but am considering diving deeper into separates. I've been eyeing a Primaluna Evo Preamp to hopefully unlock more separation and presence.

I'm curious if anyone has any experience with owning a Primaluna Integrated and then adding a Primaluna Pre Amp using the HT bypass. I understand this is a possibility, but I'm curious of the added benefits and or drawbacks. Is there is a general consensus it would be greatly beneficial, I would eventually sell off the Evo 400 integrated and go full separates. 

If you don't have specific experience with PrimaLuna but have been in a similar situation using a bypass in an integrated I'd also love to hear some feedback. 


j-wall
moofoo
295 posts
 
Getting to the sound you want takes years in this hobby. It requires time to evaluate synergy between components. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb or try something out of your comfort zone. Reviews and sales folks are helpful but only you can decide. And a component can sometimes cost less, be based on older designs, and sound better than what you currently have. But the main thing is enjoy what you have because it’s about the music. The equipment is just the means to the end. The emotional music experience and artist’s statement through their art is what you are after (me anyway). 
johnss
616 posts
 
+1 for @tablejockey  comments.

only additional comment is you have not heard what the PL Dialogue P can do until you replace the coupling caps with copper foil caps. then you jaw will hit the floor....
j-wall's avatar
j-wall OP
386 posts
 
Pulled the trigger on 6 12au7's, which ill start with the driver tubes and then the flanking tubes. I also skipped over the KT88's and went with Tung Sol KT120's. Should have them early next week and excited to experiment and compare. 
jabar102
26 posts
 
Add me to the list of "tubes before separates". I own the EVO300 and swapped all tubes: power is GL KT88s and preamp tubes are a combo of NOS Radiotechnique and NOS Telefunken. The upgrades to the tubes made a sizable difference, enough to satisfy my ears and not think about any other changes. 

There is a good thread here about integrated vs. separates and although many agree separates have benefits (less cross talk, interference, etc.), PL does build their integrated quite well, and my philosophy has been to look for improvements elsewhere. To my surprise, one of the biggest benefits to date has been a good linear PS for my DAC!

Happy trails!
j-wall's avatar
j-wall OP
386 posts
 
@moofoo those Audio Mirror amps are beautiful!
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