Experience PrimaLuna’s Amplifier for the Music Connoisseur

Like a great rib-eye is best savored in a wood-paneled steakhouse, great music is best enjoyed via a high-end audio system that delivers sweeter sound through superior components. When it comes to amplifiers, there’s no more satisfying sounds than the ones delivered by PrimaLuna Amps.

Anthony Chiarella, who totally sold us on the beauty of Brinkmann turntables in our last blog post, filled us in on what makes PrimaLuna the top pick for music connoisseurs, and what we can expect from the company at HiFi Buys’ Guys’ Night Out on April 28th.

PrimaLuna USA is driven by one of high-end audio’s most colorful and astute figures, Herman van den Dungen. Their products were created to bring experienced hi-fi enthusiasts back to the products they remembered, and to introduce classic amplifier construction and sound to newbies who had no experience with tube amps.

As Anthony says, “PrimaLuna makes amplifiers like all the best brands used to. In the old days, the tube amps were ‘point-to-point wired’ with a signal path crafted from small pieces of wire going from place to place. Then came print circuit boards, which made it easier to build an amp but the result was inferior.”

Tube amps can be simpler because tubes are the most linear and natural amplifiers available. Most amps now use transistors and must develop complex circuitry with lots of parts. Because of their inherently superior amplification abilities, tubes don’t need as many parts.

We asked Anthony why more companies are not doing tube amps, and he replied, “It’s expensive. You need true craftsmen and artisans who are passionate about hand-crafting an amp. PrimaLuna is completely point-to-point wired and handmade the way most amps were made before the 1960’s. However, they’re still less expensive than many other amps.”

Many buyers think that they need the highest wattage available in an amp, no matter what kind of music they listen to or what other components they may own. Many of these buyers are first-time amplifier owners. PrimaLuna amps are usually not a first-time hi-fi purchase. PrimaLuna customers, through education from their peers or audio specialists like those at HiFi Buys, have learned the wisdom of investing in tube amps.

There’s also a perception that tube amps are high maintenance. According to Anthony, this simply isn’t true. “PrimaLuna tubes have their own proprietary circuits, which keeps the tubes running perfectly. They run gently, and tubes last five to six years. Simply put, PrimaLuna amps are virtually trouble-free!”

With PrimaLuna amps having such a low failure rate, it’s hard to find them on the used market. “We rarely see PrimaLuna amps on Ebay because they’re well loved and cherished,” says Anthony. “It’s an attachment few people have to a solid state amp. It makes music sweeter and more three-dimensional.”

Anthony also shared an interesting aspect of the Prima Luna amp products. “PrimaLuna uses ‘adaptive auto-bias’ circuits that allow the amps to maintain the ideal characteristics of each output tube. The owner can change tubes varieties, which is like buying many amplifiers for the price of one. All tubes have different characteristics with their own distinctive qualities. You can use different tubes to enjoy different sounds out of the same amp, which is a powerful and attractive value for an audiophile.”

Let’s put this to the test! When you come to HiFi Buys for Guys’ Night Out, listen to the same music on a PrimaLuna tube amp and a solid-state amp. Bet you can tell the difference.

Get more details on PrimaLuna and the other great audio equipment you’ll see at on April 28th (and any other day) on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.