Tube Integrated vs Tube Seperates

My Primaluna Evo 400 power amp is so reliable and well made that it is a little bit boring. I sometimes wish I had gotten something I could manually bias every now and then. I’m being totally serious. I made my decision based entirely on the first time fear of tubes and favorable user feedback.

If anything, the Primaluna’s preamp weak point is the Alps volume knob. It’s actually a good part but you want something better at that price point. A high quality stepped attenuator would have been better.

I feed my Evo 400 amp via a Don Sachs preamp. This is a good setup up for sure.

If you’re going all Primaluna then go separates.

What’s truly great about starting with this brand is that you can try just about any tube you want and that’s a huge advantage.

The Evo line is a level step higher than the Dialogue Premium line. I have demo’d both.

Knowing what I know now, I would have gotten a Line Magnetic or a Luxman class A integrated.

Primaluna is something I should have tried much earlier in my journey.

Also, I got Primaluna because I thought I would eventually trade up to a better amp as my knowledge and comfort level of tube gear grows and that the tube rolling would have helped expedite this process.

Unfortunately, in a way, the ownership experience has been so good that I’ve become torn about upgrading. The power tubes are now 7581As and this sounds great. More efficient Tannoy speakers were also a great match...so this isn’t helping either, lol. I’m staying a bit too long with the Primaluna and may paradoxically just end up not trading up. All good problems to have I suppose.

@sandthemall

My Primaluna Evo 400 power amp is so reliable and well made that it is a little bit boring. I sometimes wish I had gotten something I could manually bias every now and then. I’m being totally serious. I made my decision based entirely on the first time fear of tubes and favorable user feedback.

well you should go for a mid 90s to 2010 vintage audio research tube amp

you will experience the excitement of tube biasing with multi meters, probes and j clips in tight quarters 😂

.... and of course, wonderful wonderful sound too!

sandthemall

If an amp designer/tweaker messed around enough with the PL's auto bias setup, there likely is a work around to bump up the bias- like an auto tuner fiddling with a motor.

Otherwise, those of us who are content with PL gear  may know the rest of the puzzle-speaker/source and room are equally important.

Think I am going to pick up a Primaluna Dialogue preamp and power amp. The seller has a set of kt150s as well as el34s, and kt88s. I’m going to buy at least the el34s and kt150s. He is also local so he said I could bring my speakers and make sure the amp can drive them sufficiently. That I’m super grateful for. Pretty excited to hear my first full tube setup.  Hopefully it’s all that I’m hoping it will be.