[tomkay]

Hey: just joined today. Tom from greater Seattle area. I am allergic to harsh highs and thriving in warm tube sound.

I keep hearing a lot of hype about Primaluna EVO amps. Very convincing marketing videos by Upscale Audio. I am seeking independent opinions from folks who've heard it. Specifically I am looking at EVO 300 Integrated which fits $3k-$4k budget.

[Phil A]

Welcome!  Choices in that price range.  I believe Seattle hifi carries Hegel.

[FullRangeMan]

PrimaLuna have many advantages:
No PCBs
Point to point wiring
Hard wiring not stranded, according a photo I have see on the site.
Full adjustable Bias
Can use various output tubes
Unfortunately PL dont made SE amps they are all PP to get more power from popular Pentode tubes, if you dont make question on a SET with zero NFB its had to get better than PL.

For my personal taste I would order a SET amp with a suited tube as 6C33, KTxx, 572-10 or GM70/GK71 to get 10-15W on a reputable builder as Denis Had, Radu Tarta atc

Just stay away from boutique tubes as 300B, 845, 211, 805 they are expensive and commercial grade, prefer Russian Military tubes as 6C33 or GM70 since US Military tubes gone. I will move this topic to the Tubeophile Circle for member convenience.

[mick wolfe]

Hey: just joined today. Tom from greater Seattle area. I am allergic to harsh highs and thriving in warm tube sound.

I keep hearing a lot of hype about Primaluna EVO amps. Very convincing marketing videos by Upscale Audio. I am seeking independent opinions from folks who've heard it. Specifically I am looking at EVO 300 Integrated which fits $3k-$4k budget.

What speaker or speakers will you be using? Also, room size, musical tastes and listening levels. Most will need this info to make a helpful suggestion.

[abd1]

Hey: just joined today. Tom from greater Seattle area. I am allergic to harsh highs and thriving in warm tube sound.

I keep hearing a lot of hype about Primaluna EVO amps. Very convincing marketing videos by Upscale Audio. I am seeking independent opinions from folks who've heard it. Specifically I am looking at EVO 300 Integrated which fits $3k-$4k budget.

I'm in the Portland area and owned a Primaluna Dialogue One, which was one of the first generation models, but still similar to the EVO 300. I loved it and highly recommend PL. I now have a Line Magnetic LM508 which I also love, but I could live with a Primaluna happily ever after. I bought the PL after hearing a McIntosh tube setup at a local hifi store and my jaw hit the floor. I couldn't afford the MC275 setup but I came across PL and gave it a shot. Later I heard a different MC275 setup and preferred my Primaluna. I don't think you can go wrong with one of their products, as long as you aren't using really difficult speakers to drive at very high volumes.

[tomkay]

I am currently using Tekton Design Double Impacts in a medium size room with Mastersound Box amp. I was thinking about trying EVO 300 to see if I can hear an improvement.

[mick wolfe]

I'm just guessing, but I'm thinking your right on the cusp of having enough power to control a big multi-driver speaker like the DI. This despite the stated efficiency. On the other hand, if you can home audition the EVO 300 with the DI's before purchase, why not? Only your ear can determine if it gives you the synergy you're looking for. Bottom line, I wouldn't throw caution to the wind and buy without an in home audition.

[mhutama]

I’ve never heard PL Evo 300 but I had PL Dialogue so the sound should be similar.  When I heard Line Magnetic LM 518 I immediately bought that and sold the PL. To me it’s not even on the same level, the LM is much more musical and the mid and high are just wonderful. The downside is the amp gets hot because of the 845 tubes so I have to turn on the aircon during summer. If you can, have a listen to Line Magnetic before you buy the EVO.

[JLM]

Had PL dialogue premium integrated.  It was well design/built.  I rolled output tubes, liked the 6550's best, EL34 made everything "warm".  But other PL owners said that the Adaptive AutoBias took away a lot of the magic.  In the end it didn't sound any better to me than my Channel Island Audio D-100 (their original class D mono-blocks), so I sold it on.  But I'm not a tube guy. 

[jjss49]

i have a primaluna dialogue hp power amp

i think it is excellent overall and a great value for the money

the flexibility to run various output tubes, switch from triode to ultralinear, auto bias and also, the use of common 12au7 small signal tubes are all excellent features that really let you tailor the sound

is the amp as good as a $10,000 audio research reference amp (which i also have)?  no, but it is close enough and it is less than half the price

the sound is powerful and impactful, and with the correct tubes, very transparent and dimensional

[FullRangeMan]

I’ve never heard PL Evo 300 but I had PL Dialogue so the sound should be similar.  When I heard Line Magnetic LM 518 I immediately bought that and sold the PL. To me it’s not even on the same level, the LM is much more musical and the mid and high are just wonderful. The downside is the amp gets hot because of the 845 tubes so I have to turn on the aircon during summer. If you can, have a listen to Line Magnetic before you buy the EVO.

Compare a expensive big triode 845 SET as LM tô a PushPull as PL is not fair.