Ruben Rutten: PrimaLuna
ProLogue One ...? ...! It’s hard to speak when you’re speechless. It can be the same way
with writing… Still, having listened to the PrimaLuna ProLogue One tube
amplifier, I would like to try to put my experience into words. First, a little
piece of history to make clear how this beautiful amp came my way.
In recent times, I’ve been advised to switch to a tube amplifier more than
once, especially since my speakers (Klipsch La Scala with an efficiency of 104dB
...!) are extremely suitable for it. Besides, the tube sounds adds an emotion to
the music that, in my opinion, can never be attained by a solid state amplifier.
Personally, I view this emotion as beyond description, since man has more
feelings than words to express them. This, then, explains my speechlessness
after listening to the PrimaLuna ProLogue One.
To get back to my tubified past:
despite the added value in terms of sound, I was in doubt whether I actually
wanted tubes, for I did not want a high-maintenance amp that needed long warm-up
times to reach optimal performance. Despite this, I decided to set aside my
prejudices last summer, and I bought an Audio Innovations 500 with four EL34
power tubes. Unfortunately, the piece had quite a few problems, almost causing
me to lose my faith in tubes again.
It was early November when I decided to call DÉ Hifiwinkel
in Eindhoven to ask them whether they could check and retube my Audio
Innovations. During this conversation, I was told about a tube amplifier, also
with four EL34 power tubes, that could easily outperform the Audio Innovations.
Besides, the retail price of this new amplifier was only 950 Euros.
Yep …, so that was the PrimaLuna ProLogue One ... (the name takes a little
getting used to, but once you've heard it play, youll forget anything anyway).
Immediately after the phone call I checked the Internet, to find out more about
this potential miracle, in which I didn't fully believe yet. That very same
afternoon, I went to DÉ Hifiwinkel
in Beek to audition the amp myself …, still the only way to find out the truth.
The truth is that I bought the amp right there! What's more, they had it in
stock, so I could take it home and start listening straight away! And that's only
the beginning of my experience…
The first speakers on which I auditioned the PrimaLuna had an efficiency of
about 98 dB, and the amp had no trouble at all driving them. But, as I said
before, my La Scalas have an efficiency of 104 dB. Add to that the PrimaLuna's
output power of 2 times 42 Watts, which is apparently huge already for a tube
amp. What incredible oceans of power flow into my room, and with such ease!
Every detail sounds pure and perfectly placed. The lows are so deep, full-bodied
and perfectly balanced. The music sounds so loose and easy, as if its rendition
takes no effort at all. I am amazed at the powerful reproduction of a sudden
percussion solo and at the tenderness and purity with which the tiniest
trembling of every string is rendered. This tube amplifier proves that tubes are
indeed fit for reproducing any kind of music. Actually, this is not an amp to
talk about, but one simply to listen to! I bought 1 new amp and got over 500 new
CDs … At least, that's how it felt.
To me, sound is really good when you forget everything except the music itself.
Only when you forget your entire sound system during listening, are things
alright. As soon as you are constantly attentive to whether the music is being
rendered with enough perfection, it probably doesn't sound convincing enough, and
therefore it is not alright. In my listening experiences with the PrimaLuna
ProLogue One, I got caught up in the music so deeply, that I didn't just hear the
instruments, I could almost see them. I heard things I had not heard on previous
amps, sometimes up to a point where I had to skip the CD back to make sure that
a certain sound was actually on the CD and not coming from somewhere else.
Both the sound and the exterior of this amp give one reason to believe that this
device is much more expensive than it actually is. If you look closely, you will
see that its top is lacquered in night blue metallic, and the tubes radiate a
pleasant warmth (in more ways than one). Oh … and please do get rid of that
prison cage that covers the tubes out of the box … that thing really looks
awful!
It is incredible that this kind of quality is still available these days for
this kind of money, especially considering that the price tag of my previous amp
was much higher, while its sound quality was the exact opposite. The EL34 tubes
are very affordable and are expected to last at least 2 to 3 years. This goes to
show that you can save a lot of money, as long as you know WHAT to buy. I am
convinced that, at 950 Euros, no better sound quality is possible than that
offered by the PrimaLuna ProLogue One! Try it yourself!