PrimaLuna Prologue Two

[Brio-r Fan]

After reading a few positive reviews, I'm considering the purchase of a PrimaLuna Prologue Two integrated amplifier [I really like the small footprint of this amplifier]. I've never owned a tube amplifier in the past so I have a few questions for fellow AKers.

Can I expect a "warmer" sound compared to my Rega Brio-r?

Will it pair well with my current system? My current minimalist system includes a Rega Apollo-r CD Player w/Shunyata Venom 3 PC > Audioquest King Cobra IC > Rega Brio-r w/Shunyata Venom 3 PC (current amplifier) > Dali Mentor Menuet Speakers.

Are there maintenance concerns that I should be aware of?

Sorry for all of the "new-b" questions. I live in Hawaii and don't know of any HiFi shop that would have one of these to demo so if I do buy one, I'll be purchasing it without hearing it in person.

Thanks in advance.

 

[for_p1]

Sensitivity of 86dB and 4 Ohm impedance make your speakers a poor match for almost any tube amps. If you do not like sound of your system, start with new set of speakers. If you still want to get into tubes, get suitable speakers first.

 

[awise1961]

Sensitivity of 86dB and 4 Ohm impedance make your speakers a poor match for almost any tube amps. If you do not like sound of your system, start with new set of speakers. If you still want to get into tubes, get suitable speakers first.

Not so fast.
The Prologue Two is a very capable integrated with taps for both 4ohm and 8ohm speakers.
Tube power of 40 watts per channel with KT88 tubes works quite well.
The auto bias will let you run KT120's if you like.
Although Chinese, the stock KT88's work well, but the smaller tubes leave a lot to be desired and should be changed out when you can afford to do so.
My new Prologue Five amp is on the Fed-X truck with delivery promised for tomorrow.

Al. Wise

 

[for_p1]

When tube amp is specified to have 40 Watts, it will likely only deliver 25-30W with acceptable (under 1%) THD. 30 watts using these speakers will get you 100 dB at 3 feet distance at peak, with about 80dB average. This is up to OP to decide if this is enough if you sit outside of near field. I didn't find impedance measurements for these speakers, but if specified to have 4 Ohm, they are likely have even lower REAL impedance at certain frequencies. Tube amps usually have very high output impedance, so they do not provide enough damping of the speaker. If you want tube amp, get highly sensitive speakers (>95 dB) with high impedance (in reviews they are usually called "EASY TO DRIVE").

As an example look at measurements of another PrimaLuna amplifier: http://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-dialogue-seven-power-amplifier-measurements

 

[awise1961]

Do you even have any tube equipment, or are you merely quoting text?
Sound is what matters in the end.

Al. Wise

When tube amp is specified to have 40 Watts, it will likely only deliver 25-30W with acceptable (under 1%) THD. 30 watts using these speakers will get you 100 dB at 3 feet distance at peak, with about 80dB average. This is up to OP to decide if this is enough if you sit outside of near field. I didn't find impedance measurements for these speakers, but if specified to have 4 Ohm, they are likely have even lower REAL impedance at certain frequencies. Tube amps usually have very high output impedance, so they do not provide enough damping of the speaker. If you want tube amp, get highly sensitive speakers (>95 dB) with high impedance (in reviews they are usually called "EASY TO DRIVE").

As an example look at measurements of another PrimaLuna amplifier: http://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-dialogue-seven-power-amplifier-measurements

 

[for_p1]

Do you even have any tube equipment, or are you merely quoting text?
Sound is what matters in the end.

Al. Wise

I do, and I measured it myself. Stereophile measurements are a good reference when you consider some piece of equipment. They use the same tools and methods for many years, so you can compare apples with apples. And if $5000 (price of reviewed amp) won't buy you something close to perfect, you better pass on it.