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Forty years ago, as I was starting out on my audio journey, I railed against the flashy mainstream audio gear of the day. To me less was more, and I tried to convince my friends that my small, austere British-made audio rig, including what my friends jokingly called my Lynn Swanndek turntable (after the Steelers wide receiver), really did sound much better than their big silvery Japanese stacks loaded up with shiny knobs, switches, and meters. Audio was all about the sound after all, and I wasn't interested in some dazzling visual display that had nothing to do with what I was hearing. I…
SME’s Kathryn "Kat" Ourlian deejays a turntable shootout. Photo by Michael Trei.
One August night in 1965, I parked in the driveway of my best friend Derf Marko's house and let myself in the back door. As I entered, I could see to the bottom of the basement stairs, where I observed a loud pulsing darkness with plumes of agreeably acrid smoke floating up through the stairwell. Back in the darkness, I heard Derf/Fred and another person making declarative statements in loud unintelligible bursts. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Marko's basement rec room looked like a trashed-out…
The first cable in front of a source—particularly a 0.3mV output source like the XX2—is unavoidably a factor in overall system sound. It is easy to observe this first-cable effect with digital converters and phono stages, both of which can be picky about wires and tend to favor one brand of interconnect over others. I figured tonearm cables could be even more picky.
I know that small-signal audio junctions, like the one at the output of a phono cartridge, are fraught with electromagnetic challenges that (I presume) different cables will handle differently. The prime challenge…
"Hybrid" technology—specifically, mixing tubed and solid state in the same amplification device—stirs a deep desire for many enthusiasts. It has the potential to embody a perfect blend: the tonal liquidity, presence, and spaciousness of tubes coupled with the power and dependability of solid state. It's potentially an end-game technology.
Still, I have long remained skeptical. I am, I confess, a certain kind of audiophile, a blend of purist and traditionalist. I favor older technologies and simpler circuits. Amplifiers—including integrated amplifiers—should be tubed, input to output.…
Listening
With the indicator light green, I positioned the Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge, mounted on the VPI FatBoy tonearm, over the lead-in section of a 1960s stereo pressing of The Beatles' Rubber Soul (Odeon 1C 072-04 115). The angular electric guitars of "Drive My Car" flared. I was immediately taken by the EVO 300's energy.
The PrimaLuna conjured a panoramic stereo stage for the Beatles; this was the most balanced, cohesive reproduction of this album's music I've heard. Familiar elements remained but seemed subtly rearranged due to the increased clarity, presence, power…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Hybrid tube input/solid state output, dual-mono integrated amplifier with headphone jack and remote, outputting 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW), 150Wpc into 4 ohms (18.75dBW) at 0.2% THD. Tube complement: 6 12AU7 (2 input, 4 driver). Inputs: 5 pairs single-ended (RCA), one pair single-ended home theater bypass (RCA). Outputs: Two pairs loudspeaker output terminals, tape (RCA), stereo/mono sub (RCA), headphone (6.35mm). Frequency response: 10Hz–80kHz ±3dB. THD+N <0.2% (measured at 1kHz, 100W into 8 ohms). Signal/noise ratio: 105dB, A-weighted. Damping…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI Avenger Direct turntable/VPI 12" FatBoy tonearm/Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge.
Preamplification: PrimaLuna EVO 100 phono stage, Aurorasound Vida phono stage.
Integrated amplifiers: PrimaLuna EVO 400, Riviera Labs Levante.
Loudspeakers: Devore Fidelity O/baby, Quad Revela 1, Volti Audio Razz.
Cables: Interconnects: Agent Pur, AudioQuest Pegasus, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA). Speaker: AudioQuest William Tell. AC: AudioQuest NRG Z, Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU RCM, HumminGuru…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a complete set of measurements on the PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I preconditioned the amplifier by following the CEA's recommendation of operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes before I started the testing. At the end of that time, the amplifier's side-mounted heatsinks were almost too hot to touch, at 135.1°F (57.3°C). The temperature of the top panel was 101.8°F (38.8°C). This amplifier needs plenty of ventilation.
The review sample wasn't fitted with the optional moving…
For several months, my wife and I had been living in a cozy studio apartment in New York's Financial District while our apartment underwent substantial renovations (footnote 1). All the old furniture was sold or donated, and decades of accumulated stuff was subjected to triage (sell, donate, or store). All my audio equipment, parts, and tools suffered the same fate. Downtown, my listening was via pretty decent headphones (B&W Px8, Audeze LCD-XC) connected to a Mytek Brooklyn+ DAC and my PC. Meanwhile, we were very busy shopping to equip the "new" apartment.
I have never really enjoyed…
At this point, Roon had digested all 35TB of my main music cache, so there was room to roam. I had just heard Mahler's Symphony No.6 at Carnegie Hall performed by Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, so I scanned my library and Qobuz for it. I found a 2024 recording (24/96 FLAC, Qobuz) by the same conductor and orchestra I heard live. No one would expect any system or recording to recreate what was experienced from a fifth row center seat at Carnegie Hall; I was hoping that if the playback is even marginally credible, my memory and imagination (and a good bourbon)…