Prima Luna evo300 owners

It would be a good idea for the OP to study the PL website. It has plenty of information about the amps. There is more detailed info on tube use.

Hopefully, the OP s recognizes he is being given subjective opinion i.e.-

"I guess the last weakness is that for the PL to sound its best, you should plan to spend upwards of $1000-1500 on tubes. The stock tubes are really, really mediocre."

Everyone's setup-from the room/speakers and gear will make the presentation different.

The stock tubes can be just fine to some ears. That statement is false.  

Besides the power tubes,the 2 innermost(L/R)gain tubes are really the only one's worth considering spending more cash on, for any noticeable sonic change-IMO.

Different brand/topology/possibly more money, is what you're looking at- if you're comparing feature/benefit and build quality against the PL.

@tablejockey - What you are saying does not negate my statement, and none of my statements are false. Yes, that one in particular is subjective. I don’t disagree when you say “the stock tubes can be just fine to some ears”, but I do think upgrading the tubes enable the amp to perform at its best. I don’t think many, if any, would disagree with that statement. Most would also agree that the stock tubes do sound mediocre compared to quality aftermarket ones. It does not mean that the amp sounds bad with the stock tubes, only that it sounds better with many others aside from the stock.

Thank you all for the information and advice!

My "false" statement should have read MISLEADING.

It is MISLEADING the OP to state the PL is an amp you buy, only if you spend another $1500 worth of tubes.

As mentioned, the OP should spend time at the PL site to get informed.

 

 

@tablejockey I have highly regarded and appreciated your posts and responses over the years, but you are misconstruing my statements above. I also did not say “it’s only an amp you buy if you spend on tubes.” I am very favorable towards the PL above, and all I say is “You should plan to spend”.

This investment is typically made, but it doesn’t mean that it is incurred up front. The fact of the matter is that most PL owners end up investing in NOS or aftermarket tubes for the unit. Perhaps they purchase it first and live with it for a few months or even years. But then, they do end up buying tubes for it that in total increase the total investment into the amplifier.

The $1,000-1,500 amount I believe is fairly on point because it covers a gamut:

• whether someone buys a 300 with four output tubes or a 400 with eight output tubes
• whether only two 12AU7 or all six are replaced
• whether an owner tries one tube type like KT88 and wants to try aftermarket EL34 after

… and so on.

The unit is a gateway to tube rolling, and I just wanted to inform the OP of that, that most succumb to rolling to get it to sound its best, and what it might cost overall. I had no other intent other than to prep the OP for this.