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PrimaLuna EVO 300 Tube Integrated Amp Black / No Phonostage / Stock EL34 Only Reviews

4.9 Rating 54 Reviews
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Phone:

909.931.9686

Email:

joel.m@upscaleaudio.com

Location:

2058 Wright Avenue,
2058 Wright Avenue
California
91750

Ronald Lykins
Unverified Reviewer
I bought the EVO 300 integrated amp with a goal of improving the sound of my hi-fi. I had a very good sounding solid state stereo receiver but wanted to hear what a tube amp would do for the sound. My concerns were the low power of the tube amps and I had heard they can be a hassle. Kevin's videos convinced me that the build quality of PrimaLuna amps was outstanding and that the auto bias feature would solve most of the hassle concern. My solid state receiver is 110 WPC, so I initially thought I would get the EVO 400 but as I studied more I came to believe that the extra power of the 400 would be for the most part wasted as my speakers are 4 ohm and 92db efficient and the $1000 saved would buy a lot of new records. The only thing I have done to the EVO 300 is replace the power cord with a much better one. So did I accomplish my goal? I would say emphatically YES! The sound stage is wider and more layered. Dynamics are improved especially noticeable with percussion and bass. The bass is more textured and has improved tone, I hear base lines in the background of music where I had not in the past. The mids are detailed and voices sound more textured. The highs I noticed the least amount of change, they are clear, and detailed but not more so than with my solid state receiver. This may be my old ears and the fact that I have a high frequency hearing loss, different frequencies in each ear. Things I miss from my solid state world 1. A power button on the remote to turn the amp on and off 2. Tone controls, I had treble and bass tone controls that I could override, this was useful on less than perfect recordings 3. Bass equalization, my receiver had a 3 step bass equalization, boosting the bass at either 50, 65 or 80hz. This was great for low level listening One thing I wish the EVO 300 had was is a pair of balanced XLR inputs- my phono preamp has XLR out as dose my Auralic streamer, it would be great to have a fully balanced system. PremaLuna has XLR inputs on their separates, I guess that is part of what encourages people to buy separates over integrated. Overall I am very happy with the EVO 300. I look forward to experimenting this summer with some tube rolling to see what effect different tubes will have on my sound as I continue to get the best sound possible from my system
3 Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
John Laughton
Verified Reviewer
Does wonders with my Heresy IV's and is also surprisingly good with Senn HD800s and ZMF Aeolus headphones. The sub out and HT pass are a big plus.
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Deborah Paine
Verified Reviewer
Transformed my analog system. I’m very happy I made the decision to move to a tube amp!
2 Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Bobby Miller
Verified Reviewer
Produced intermittent extremely loud and sometimes just static but not as loud from either left of right speaker and not consistent. The Primaluna service was not really any help. The bursts of static were so loud at times I thought my speaker may have been damaged. I’ve owned a prologue premium that I purchased from upscale for over 8 years and it’s been great but I retired and wanted to reward myself with an integrated EVO 300 but it just wasn’t to be I guess. Service said it was probably a tube and when I figured out which one it was I could ship it back at my own expense and they would send a replacement tube. That was terrible customer service, I would have been down for at least a week on my 30 day demo. I was not pleased with my interaction with service so I returned the EVO 300.
3 Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Christopher Deady
Verified Reviewer
It is everything I hoped it would be! Now I have to save up to get some AWESOME speakers to go with it.
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Author didn't leave any comments.
Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
Absolutely enchanting soundstage, texture, deeper bass and has more grip on my speakers than my 220 watt per channel peach tree nova ever did! I’ve wanted a Primaluna for years and with addition of the headphone amp I finally made the move and called and talked to Kat. She was very knowledgeable and sweet and answered any questions I had. I’m 47 years old and have been a lover of music and stereos my entire life, starting with the family Sansui system we had when I was a kid in the 70’s. The EVO 300 is the best sounding stereo and most fun I’ve ever had listening to music without the musicians being in the room with me! Highly recommended!
1 Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago
James Langley
Verified Reviewer
OK...this integrated amp is really impressive! I wanted something to drive my Klipsch Heresy IV's I bought a couple months ago. Had a very good Denon AV receiver but wife & I decided to ditch the home theater set up and do stereo only. Did a lot of research and decided to go with PrimaLuna and UpscaleAudio. I am no audiophile but I love listening to music and I want it to sound good! After talking on phone with Al decided to go with the EVO300. Hooked up this bad boy one snow stormy night, powered it up and...WOW! This amp drives my speakers to produce sound so full and rich. The amount/volume of sound is so satisfying at any volume level. The ability to select between Ultra-linear and Triode mode for your listening pleasure is a fantastic feature. It is amazing how a nice little integrated tube amp (uh...it is 68 pounds) can have you listening to all your stuff you have not listened to in a long time. The Audio Masters Speaker Setup disc I got with my order is really a great selection of music to hear wonderful sound and to help with speaker placement. This amp continues to impress every time we listen no matter the source. I highly recommend this quality made piece of equipment. Love this amp!
2 Helpful Report
Posted 4 years ago