PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Tube Power Amplifier: Your New Dream Amp!

[@nirodha35]

Kevin, is there any reason to go for a hybrid if you own a Avantgarde horn loudspeaker? Appreciate your answer and never let go of that enthusiasm 😊🎶🙏

[@upscaleaudio]

Such a great question. I owned Unos for many years, and ran them with PrimaLuna tube amps. It was GLORIOUS. There are two keys to success with high-efficiency speakers like Avantgard. And one of them is NOT power. The amp must be quiet, and that means a good power supply. Very little compares to a PrimaLuna from elegant PI circuits to big Nichicon caps to potted toroidal transformers, and of course the AC Offset Killer. Second, it must have bandwidth. In tube amps, the key is output transformers, and PrimaLuna is well-known to be one of the few that designs and winds them in-house and places them in a non-microphonic resin with a can design to protect them from noise coming in or out. So a PrimaLuna tube amp is fantastic. The Hybrid is AMAZING with horns. The design has a little bit of gain coming from the 12AU7s and has that "thing" that people want. The gentleness without losing detail, and amazing bass slam I'm not blowing smoke here. Read the reviews of the integrated amp. Before you leave to read, the EVO 300 Hybrid has a low gain and high gain setting. That can really save the day when you have 105dB speakers. Go rock on! Thanks! www.primaluna-usa.com/reviews-evo-300-hybrid

[@nirodha35]

@@upscaleaudio thank you😊!

[@5Antvin]

totally respect the fact that you crack this stuff open and give a breakdown on the goods !

[@user-ex9zm7bg3x]

Yes, very few companies seem to be proud of their build quality.

[@CarlosPerez-eb5er]

I love my Evo 200. Hybrid is definitely on my bucket list.

[@thomasdix8453]

Great stuff; thanks for sharing, Kevin.

[@upscaleaudio]

You are most welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@danielwilliams1921]

I’m running two PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium power amps as monoblocks, a ProLogue Three preamp and a ProLogue Premium CD player. I’ve been in the hobby since 1970, and this is the finest gear I’ve ever owned. And every interaction with the good folks on Kevin’s team has been a great experience. Kudos all around!

[@GOHoNZ]

I’d love to try these alongside my existing PrimaLuna stack to see how these compare. I have an EVO 400 pre and 2x EVO 300 power in mono paired with Klipsch La Scala and Rel 212/SX on each channel. This system has always given me goosebumps with the right music!

[@user-ex9zm7bg3x]

I am running my LS's with one 300 and one 212, and loving it. I find I avoid higher powered amps; I feel like they won't know anything's attached to them!

[@thomaspouskas210]

Kevin is always the best

[@richardgrant418]

A lot of amps have combined warmth - ie simply high 2nd order harmonic distortion with solid state power - for three decades. They don’t have to use tubes. Everything from very well designed diy like AKSA - good value German Vincent amps, to Nelson Pass’s Aleph amplifiers. Yet Kevin is so excited. Ease up on the caffeine, bro!

[@upscaleaudio]

Yes..true. But it's not common. I know the sound of Vincents, and they are great, but this amp is at a different level. Alephs are way in the past but are great with high-efficiency speakers. This amp will work incredibly well with K-horns or Avantgardes. That's why they built in adjustable gain that you can drop by 6dB. But if you change to a Dynaudio or any other speaker that is hard to get to breathe, no worries. And if you go really crazy, you can monobloc them. They really want to make this the last amp you buy. PrimaLuna has many customers who have owned their gear for over 20 years, and they are proud of that.

[@richardgrant418]

@@upscaleaudio You have become very persuasive!

[@skipgordon5382]

Being an audiophile always brings with it the “what if” curiosity. I have EVO 400 pre and 2 EVO 400’s in mono running KT120 tubes. Sopra 3 speakers so efficient. I’ve read many times that tubes are ideal for the pre-amp but SS shines due to added current for the power amp. I’m curious if this amp in mono has any advantages or disadvantages over the EVO 400 in mono. I expect I’ll only know by living with them.

[@jacobpaternostro9109]

Is there a high vs low gain setting? You mention it in the video. Thanks.

[@upscaleaudio]

Yes! So sorry! It's 6dB lower at low gain.

[@techsamurai11]

Is that a Sansui 9090?

[@capwkidd]

Kevin how do these sound compared to PS Audio BHK300’s?

[@jonfoss3437]

Out of reach for common man