PrimaLuna ProLogue Classic / ProLogue Eight CD Player Silver Reviews

5 Rating 3 Reviews

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Phone:

909.931.9686

Email:

joel.m@upscaleaudio.com

Location:

2058 Wright Avenue,
2058 Wright Avenue
California
91750

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David Kilbourne

Verified Reviewer

“Sounds great, classic good looks.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 years ago

“(This is an edited version of the review posted on the PL Facebook page--edited mostly to remove many typos in the former, which was written in great haste). Looking for a great mid-priced analogue end to add to your rig? Look no further than the PrimaLuna Classic CD player. After several months with this player, the best way I can describe it is "analogue" without the hassles. Like many audiophiles, I am a committed lover of vinyl and have a pretty good (if, like me, no longer state of the art) analogue end on which to spin my LPs--Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok-III arm, Benz LH2 wood-body cartridge and an Audio Research PH3 phono stage. My digital end, slapped together years ago, was (or so I thought at the time and still do) also pretty good: PS Audio Lambda Pro2 SE transport, Muse Model 2+ DAC and Camelot Pro2 digital filter. As good as it then seemed (at a cost of nearly $6K when you add the extra interconnects and after-market power cords) it never held a candle to my even older analogue end. The difference, to me, was always like between skim and full fat milk. To the ears, vinyl just tasted better. When I finally (and reluctantly) decided to acknowledge the advent of the 21st Century (about six months ago), I began by replacing my three-piece digital end with a PrimaLuna Classic 8 CD player. Lucky is the audiophile who can make a decision such as this without being gnawed by self-doubt or haunted by fears of buyer remorse. Unless we live in major metropolitan areas, the demise of brick-and-mortar audio stores has left us little alternative but to anxiously read the reviews and take a leap of faith into swirling waters of the Internet by purchasing a piece of gear--sound unheard--on the Web. Enter Upscale Audio and Kevin Deal, audio guru extraordinaire and psychologist to audiophiliacs from the West coast (where he is) to the East coast (where I am). Kevin's advice was to try the CD8, which at $3K, is the most analogue-sounding player I have ever heard. I expect there must be better playersâ€”maybe much better. But I have not heard one, in the under $5k category, that matches the luscious and analogue-like sound of the PrimaLuna... Think of it as a good turntable--with a remote control and without all the hassles of cleaning fluids, brushes, etc. The soundstage wide and richly layered. The bass is deep and tight; the highs detailed and fast; the mid-range fluid and mellifluous. Spacious is the word that comes to mind. I expect that more money--much more--can buy you more in each of these categories. But this is, across the board, the best player I've heard in its price range. A couple of caveats: While the wide sound stage is apparent right out of the box, to me the Prima Luna sounded a bit lean and austere in the upper mids even after the recommended break in period of 100 hours. This eased off--mostly but not entirely--after about 200 hours of playing time. I also found that several tweaks helped to ameliorate this one, to my tastes, significant shortcoming. In the order in which I think they helped (at least in my system): Upgraded NOS tubes (particularly the two Phillips 5R4GYS... also available from Upscale); after-market footers (I'm using BDR cones); and a Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. My tastes do err on the warm and the fluid, however, so this may not be as much of issue for you. A final note on fit and finish: I haven't ripped off the cover to prowl around the innards but, judging from the exterior, this is a well made machine; ceramic tube sockets, gold-plated outputs, and a heavy steel chassis beautifully finished. Should bad guys break into your house in the middle of the night, the remote is also heavy and solid enough to double as a personal defense device... Highly recommended!”

Helpful Report

Posted 13 years ago

“Purchased from Kevin about 3 months ago and with stock tubes just blew me away. Installed NOS rectifiers, 12AX7''s and 12AU7''s and my other high dollar cd player is in a box never to come back out. Clean, detailed, organic and 3d sound that will rock your world. Tons of Resolution but oh so musical as well. Beg, borrow or steal the money to get your hands on one of these before Prima Luna wakes up and starts to charge 5K for it. Even at 5K it would be worth every penny.”

Helpful Report

Posted 14 years ago