PRIMALUNA
Newsletter Summer 2011/2012
GLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS
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alve (or tube) amplifiers still enchant many people with their very characteristic sound compared to your average solid-state design. Whether that translates into a more realistic ‘live’ sound or a more romantic ‘warm’ sound will depend on individual designers and the tubes used. But one thing is certain, valves still have the same mystique and attraction for people from top guitarists down to audio fans that the venerable LP has. It should, by now, come as no surprise that high-quality hi-fi components are being made in China. We have been selling the Plessis ‘Model A’ valve amplifier for several years now — it is beautifully made and sounds superb. Peachtree is another company who marry US-based design expertise with Asian production facilities, just as Musical Fidelity have quite a few of their UK designs manufactured in Taiwan to remain price competitive. Let’s face it, everyone’s doing it. As you’ll see below, quality control is not a problem. A name like PrimaLuna immediately suggests Italian origins, and this company is indeed European. Their chief designer Marcel Croese is formerly of Goldmund, and their chief executive Herman van den Dungen is a fastidious overseer of design
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and production quality. Reviewers are fulsome in citing the cabinet construction, lacquer finish and neat circuitry of PrimaLuna products. Even their entry-level models are extremely well made, right down to the neat individual point-topoint wiring solders, and the little dabof-red-lacquer seal on screws and bolts. Custom-made toroidal transformers are used, along with ALPS volume pots, Philips diodes and Nichicon & Solen capacitors — all good audiophile parts. When 6moons audio reviewed PrimaLuna they said: “The execution of the point-to-point wiring is text-book perfect. Ditto for the precision of the wire routing.” Sound+Image said “It’s not too many pieces of audio equipment that get so reluctantly returned to their boxes, but this PrimaLuna was one such amplifier that left a musical hole when removed from our resident system…” The relatively simple appearance also hides a lot of clever and advanced design, such as the automatic self-bias circuits for each tube. These make sure your amplifier continues to sound at its best over time, while also prolonging valve life by keeping them all within prescribed limits of heat and power. Thermal protection is provided
as a safeguard against any meltdowns that might occur, so damage will be limited to specific areas, such as one valve, while other parts are protected by the amplifier shutting down until the issues are resolved. The valves are also treated gently by a soft-startup circuit which warms them gradually whenever the amplifier is switched on. More innovative circuitry is employed in the company’s Prologue Classic CD player ($2999) in the shape of a SuperTubeClock for reduced jitter, backed up by proven digital circuitry from Burr Brown in the shape of their state-ofthe-art SRC4192 upsampling circuit and PCM1792 DACs. The Prologue Premium Preamplifier ($2299) uses 4 x 12AU7 valves and 2 x 5AR4 rectifiers, has 4 x line-level inputs, HT throughput, and two sets of pre-outs. The Prologue Premium Monoblocks (70w) use either 4 x EL34 for a pair price of $4599, or 4 x KT88 for a pair price of $5399. We earnestly encourage you to come in and audition these PrimaLuna products. They are among the most affordable of this type of hi-fi around, and you may find yourself falling for that special sound and ambience. Be warned, it is addictive! lenwallisaudio.com.au
30/11/2011 11:49:03 AM