Primaluna or not Primaluna

@simna , You’re all set then! Another benefit of the PL’s is they’re auto bias, which is a big plus. Best affordable tube amps without a doubt!

I currently own a Line Magnetic 518 (845 tubes) and a Primaluna Evo300 amp. Front end is Holo May/Serene KTE. I’ve also owned a Primaluna Dialogue 1 integrated and a Line Magnetic 508 (805 tubes), along with other tube amps. my speakers are Cube Nenuphar Mini’s, which is a single driver crossoverless 92db speaker. Very easy for most any amp to drive. 
 

I am a fan of Primaluna and really like my Evo300 amp. After using a GanFET amp during the summer I actually just put it back in my system this past week. I thought I preferred the Line Magnetic as I was using it up until I put the GanFET in a few months ago. I had every intention to swap it in to compare it to the Primaluna. But I couldn’t take the Primaluna out, it was sounding so good. 
 

I also have a plethora of tubes: Sophia Electric EL34, gold Lion kt77 and kt88, shuguang we+ 6ca7 (el34), tungsol 5781 and mullard el34 and some others. I spent some time mostly listening to these tubes and think the kt88 and el34 and variants sound best. I’ve used kt120 and kt150 in the past but never loved them. Maybe if you have more difficult to drive speakers the extra umph is nice but I have plenty of headroom with the kt88 and EL34. I’m also running 6 Radiotechnique NOS 12au7’s. Amazing. 
 

In a few weeks I will put the 518 back in as I only remember that sounding amazing too. One thing to keep in mind is these amps get hot, especially the Line Magnetics being Class A and the huge tubes. The Primaluna runs cool enough I could use it all year but if you’re in a hot climate or small space it does get hot. 
 

I also prefer the Primaluna 300 to the 400. Tube rolling is also much less expensive. The amp also runs cooler and I think sounds more tube-like. I think the 400 would be better if you have speakers below 88db and/or a huge space to fill. I’ve never run out of headroom with the 300 or even the dialogue 1 which had about the same power, and that’s with speakers rated as low as 86db sensitive. 
 

I also owned the LM508 which is a beast. Very heavy and hot running but the sound was amazing. However I also had an issue with a capacitor. It was covered by warranty but took about 5 months and shipping that amp is not a simple task for one person. The Primaluna is manageable. 
 

I’m a fan of both brands, which is why I haven’t sold either amp. So don’t think you can go wrong. But the Primaluna is more flexible and maybe a touch easier to own. Just my thoughts. 

I have never owned Tannoy but did own Zu Audio with which I purchased, lived with and later sold Primaluna, Quicksilver, Kinki, Nuprime, Unison Research amplifiers. Though Tannoy and Zu are quite different there are common traits and with the Zu my favourite amplifiers were the Unison and Quicksilver. My least favourite was the Nuprime with the Primaluna following. Of course a subjective opinion driven by tube colourations and I suspect lower damping factor. It was an enjoyable listening experience that likely wouldn’t pass the Audiophile sniff test but did allow me to play everything from Sabbath to Ben Harper. Dollar for Dollar the Quicksilver amps ( Horn Monos) were the greatest bargain in my journey to that point. 

I think that its hard to judge different amps without knowing what the rest of the equipment is and even the room.  So many things go into "sound."  That being said, when I had Focal Diablo Utopia III's, I got a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP, which is about 75 watts.  It was fantastic with those speakers.  I am a low hassle kind of guy, and the PL had all sorts of bells and whistles to make having a tube amp simple, such as auto bias, and a bad tube indicator. It is a solidly made amp with point to point wiring, and accepts many types of tubes.  A really great amp for the price that hits way above its price point.  When I got a pair of Wilson Audio Sabrina X's, the PL drove them pretty well but they really needed more power, so I picked up a Pass Labs 250.8.  Definitely an improvement at 3x the price.  When I sent the Pass Labs back to the factory to fix the meter, I put the PL back in  and it sounded very nice but the same reaction . . . needed the power of the Pass for my speakers to sound their best.  That being said, I highly recommend the PL for its price/performance/quality.

Before I bought the Primaluna EVO 100 integrated I compared it at the showroom on $4,500 / pair Paradigm speakers with a Hegel H390. I picked the EVO 100 integrated Hands down. Then I took it home and compared it against a Shitt audio Freya, Vidar combo. My 45 year old crown pre / power amp combo also for fun was compared. The EVO 100 not only sounded better on my speakers, but had larger dynamic swings, clearer mids highs and the push was better and faster. Lows were comparable.  All compared systems sounded great, but in my side by sides you could clearly hear more string vibration from violins , no matter the instrument. Sax reeds were tighter, bass was more clear and precise.  The cheaper primaluna, in my comparisons surpassed systems costing twice the price.

I am sure there are better tube amps out there, but for the price point Primaluna both in quality of build and sound it is difficult to match or beat. I recently upgraded the sound with JJ KT77s it was remarkable!