Been auditioning a set of Primare Audio components. The preamp is the Primare Pre32. I'll cover that shortly.
The power amp(s) are A34.2, which sports 150 watts in stereo, and can be bridged to 550 watts in mono. Their Class D technology employs Ultra Fast Power Device (UFPD), which is a different approach to design output.
The following link provides some background.
http://www.primare.net/default.asp?ContentID=33Initially tried one amp in stereo connected directly to a Oppo BDP 105, driving a pair of ATC SCM-19's, along with with a C1 subwoofer. Although I generally have not cared for most Class D amps, I have heard some I liked. This is one of those amps. The octave to octave playback is clear, detailed, and natural sounding. The dynamics are excellent, and the music holds together when the volume is turned up. That is often not the case with a 150 watt amp with these speakers. I was pleasantly surprised that the Oppo performs a creditable job of acting as a preamp. The upper treble registers are smooth, and non fatiguing.
I then hooked up the Pre32, and a second A34.2, configured in mono. Needless to say, the ATC's LOVED the extra wattage. Between the added depth provided by the preamp, and the extra power, the sound was improved across the board. The sound stage became wider and deeper. Dynamics improved with all music types, but classical music really takes on a whole new level of realism with the extra power. The bass is very tight and tuneful. The treble is very clean and non fatiguing.
In summary, listening to this setup is extremely enjoyable. It allows one to forget about the technology, and just concentrate on enjoying the music. For many systems, a single stereo A34.2 would be just fine. If one has speakers like the ATC's, the extra power provided by using them in mono makes a signifigant difference in overall performance.
