$3,799: $2,999 : . As Fred Kaplan admits above, his primary reference for his auditioning of the ProLogue Eight was the very much more expensive Krell 505 SACD player. The answer, according to designer Marcel Croese, is that. The Benchmark is a superb-sounding DAC and a bargain at its price (and even more so at $975, which is what it costs without the USB input). In true PrimaLuna fashion, the stunning ProLogue Classic CD Player revolutionized the audio industry by introducing the world's first tube-based data clocking device: the SuperTubeClock. The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show: A Better Way? Compared directly with the Ayre, however, the ProLogue Eight didn't go quite as deep in the bass, nor was its upper bass quite as well defined. Turntables: Clearaudio Concept with Maestro V2 head; Technics SL-1210 with Denon-103 head. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 The Absolute Sound. ", Stereophile did a follow-up review of the ProLogue Eight where John Atkinson listened with the Super I/V board upgrades. (They're warranted for six months.) PrimaLuna USA, 2504 Spring . Custom-designed isolation transformers separate the analog and digital devices, to reduce noise. It's not all valve electronics, either the critical digital-to-analogue converter chip is a modern part and it is connected to an asynchronous sample rate converter, while the analogue filter stage uses op-amps. What a find! At its best, with the board upgrade and outfitted with vintage preamp tubes, the PrimaLuna Eight closes in on even the most expensive competition and seriously threatens to upset the high-end pecking order. And Im glad I did! At this point in the proceedings I decided to experiment with rolling-in vintage tubes. SUPER I/V BOARD The Super IV board incorporates a new type of op-amp that to our knowledge has never been used by any audio manufacturer before. Certainly very listenable, but I felt that it lacked detail and that its presentation was dynamically too polite. And, back to the Grecki, in the middle of the first movement, when the basses growl right before the crescendo, the PrimaLuna didn't let me hear the growl. To some extent I can understand why that might be, as the board upgrade opens Pandoras box. ProLogue Premium CD Player Reviews. Both of these chips require a system clock reference of 8.4672MHz for a sampling rate of 44.1kHz. So much for the power of suggestion! I voiced the opinion that PrimaLuna should put its best foot forward and make the best I/V board standard issue. Technically adept readers can choose no capacitor upgrade and then add an exotic brand to suit their tastes. The genius of the tube clock lies in the realization that a narrow-bandwidth triode produces less noise and hence less jitter near the crystals reference frequency. Get more for your gear! High quality resistors, mosfets and Solen capacitors yield superior transient response, detail, and channel separation. The PrimaLuna comes with a cage to cover the tubes, but I listened with the cage removed, mainly because it looked nicer. The digital technology is decidedly modern, however, with the proprietary . PrimaLuna offers a choice of two upgrade boards that replace the four '5534s with better-performing op-ampswhile the identity of this new chip is obscured, its slew rate is specified as 100V/s instead of the older chip's 13V/s. Also, once, when I lifted the front of the player a few inches to place beneath it a Black Diamond Racing Cone (without turning the player off), one of the 5AR4 rectifier tubes started to flare. These are the once-derided 5534, an audio veteran dating from the 1970s, which ten years ago was completely out of fashion in upmarket audio, but is now back on the shopping list for many designers. Coupling caps are Solen; high-quality resistors are used throughout. Inside, separate toroidal transformers power each channel. In the region of interest, 040kHz (a relatively narrow bandwidth because of the oscillator's very high Quality Factor, or Q), the tube actually has lower self-noise than a typical wide-bandwidth, low-noise transistor. Channel separation: 90dB at 1kHz. There's pretty good detail on offer and some very nice stereo imaging, too. But with either of the I/V upgrades installed, the PrimaLuna becomes a straight Class A recommendation. The genius of the tube clock lies in the realization that a narrow-bandwidth triode produces less noise and hence less jitter near the crystals reference frequency. Detail fanatics demanding razor-sharp leading edges on transients might be better served by a solid-state player. (In all instances, I found the application of two silicone-rubber tube-vibration dampers per tube from dampers@leveytubes.com smoothed harmonic textures, presumably through the reduction of microphonics. The power supply is said to be adapted from the ProLogue Three preamp and includes eleven voltage-regulator circuits and extensive filtering. The output stage is dual-mono with zero feedback. Herman van den Dungen, PrimaLunas progenitor, was already responsible in 1998 for launching the AH! The business model of European designs manufactured in China is not new. Given that it will produce close to Class A CD sound for not much more than a kilobuck when used with an inexpensive player such as the Oppo (footnote 2) or Pioneer, I feel that the Benchmark DAC 1 sets the bar for players that cost significantly more. The Benchmark would be the better choice in systems that are balanced a bit on the forward side; the PrimaLuna would be best in systems that tend to be laid-back. The bass is strong and clear with good extension. To learn more about our cookies, how we use them and their benefits, please read our Cookie Policy. If only CD playback could approximate good analog sound, but without the pops and surface noise, that for me would represent the ideal state of affairs. Raidho TD 3.8 Floorstanding Loudspeaker PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight CD player. The business model of European designs manufactured in China is not new per se, but PrimaLunas excellence of execution and product-reliability are definitely noteworthy. I did a long series of comparisons between the PrimaLuna and four digital sources that I know well: the Ayre C-5xe universal player ($5000), which has been my long-term reference since I bought a sample following Wes Phillips' review in July 2005; the now-discontinued Oppo DV-970HD universal player ($149 when available), which WP enthusiastically reviewed in May 2007; the Pioneer DV-578A universal player ($150), one of which I bought a few years back to use as a low-priced reference (no review, though the Pioneer chassis has been used as the basis for a number of high-end universal players, and WP used it as a reference in his Oppo review); and the Benchmark DAC 1 USB D/A converter/headphone amplifier ($1275), which I reviewed in January 2008. Neither were harmonic textures as pure, being a bit grainer and brighter through the upper octaves. The other part of the explanation is the use of valves. The claim is that a tube clock introduces less noise and jitter into the CD drive and the DAC chip, resulting in superior detail, dynamics, and musicality. Dynamic range was compressed a bit, but peaks weren't distorted or clipped; it was more like someone slightly easing up on the pedal. Teac UD-505 DAC + Cambridge Audio CXC transport + PrimaLuna Prologue Premium valve integrated amplifier. I will report on the effect of these upgrades in a Follow-Up.John Atkinson. Treble speed and detail are increased and may elicitat least in some systemsa brighter tonal balance. No one CD player will suit all tastes, but this one is likely to please many music lovers. Although educated as a nuclear engineer at the University of Florida, I spent most of my career, 30 years to be exact, employed as a radiation physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, from which I retired in 2008. Learn More, We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. It is different from the average in a subtly distinctive, but very communicative way and should be heard to be believed, A lively and above all involving player, which gets great musical value out of any decent recording, Fine detail is not the best we've ever come across, Case is highly resonant and could do with a little damping. Sounding a little soft, the upper harmonics were slightly emphasized, to the detriment of the fundamental and the second harmonicnot unpleasant, but not strictly accurate, either. PrimaLuna has gone one further, though, and included valve rectifiers, which are considerably larger bottles. The power supply is adapted from the award winning ProLogue Three preamp, as are its high quality resistors, mosfets, and Solen capacitors which yield superior transient response, detail, and channel separation. . In sum, the PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight is a very fine CD player for the money. After listening for a while to a different CD player, I put the PrimaLuna back in the system but forgot the cones. With the PrimaLuna, I couldn't hear the actual values of the lowest notes, but I could hear the attack of the bows and the harmonic overtones. 11 x 7.5 x 15.5 (39.5cm x 28cm x 19cm). Similarly, at the start of "Mood Indigo," on Duke Ellington's Masterpieces by Ellington (CD, Columbia/Legacy CK 87043), I couldn't identify all the lowest notes that the bass player plucked, but I did hear the pluck. Signal/noise: >96dB. Dynamic range: 120dB. ProLogue Premium CD Player PrimaLuna USA Without such clarity, sung words are unintelligible. It is a rugged. Dominating the landscape, Godzilla-like in stature, is a pair of 5AR4 rectifier tubes. Rather than use an off-the-shelf crystal oscillator, PrimaLuna opted for a unique clock design, dubbed the SuperTubeClock, which uses a miniature triode as the oscillator element. But on closer inspection, it seems there's much more going on here. Nonmusical aspects of a recording, such as the analog tape compression and modulation noise on the 1962 recording of Delius's La Calinda, with George Weldon conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra (CD, EMI CDM 7 69534 2), floated a little bit more free of the music. "No, PrimaLuna's strategy isn't for everyone. On James Carter's tribute to Django Reinhardt, Chasin' the Gypsy (CD, Atlantic 83304-2), I could hear the guitarist's strummings, even if I couldn't quite hear the full body of the guitar. And that's certainly what is going on here. The power supply is adapted from the award winning ProLogue Three preamp. Earn 5% in Rewards. Although one might ask, just what can a single valve contribute in a digital circuit with its hundreds and thousands of switching elements? PrimaLuna is one of several manufacturers to have wholeheartedly adopted the principle of designing in Europe and manufacturing in China. long-life, Russian military tube specifically designed for oscillator applications. Much the same could be said of the treble, while the midrange has just a hint of lift in the lower presence region, which very slightly favours female voice over male and violins over cellos. TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. It is said to be idling very conservatively so that its life expectancy is roughly 5 to 10 years. Until recently, valve rectification was strictly the stuff of deep, retro, kit-built electronics, but renewed production of the relevant valves has brought it back in to the real world. The ProLogue CD player is a true dual-mono design, right down to the dual vacuum tube rectification another first in a CD player. Power consumption: 50W.Dimensions: 15.5" (395mm) D by 11" (280mm) W by 7.5" (190mm) H. Weight: 25.4 lbs (11.5kg).Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 07051211.Price: $2495. Its designers seem keenly aware of the machine's strengths and weaknesses, and they know how to maximize the former and finesse the latter.Fred Kaplan, Footnote 3: PrimaLuna offers two upgrades for the ProLogue Eight, each comprising a plug-in printed circuit board with the standard NE5534 op-amp chips replaced with unidentified chips offering lower noise and a much higher slew rate. This CD player has a full complement of tubes and looks more like an amplifier than a digital front end. I think this is where that triode clock comes inor, at least, some design feature that yields the same alleged effect. Heres how it works. Here, the importance of each player's contribution becomes clear and the overall result has a great feeling of presence. Denon DCD-2500NE CD player + Denon PMA-2500NE amplifier. PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight CD player | Stereophile.com The digital technology is decidedly modern, however, with the proprietary SuperTubeClock offering gains in clarity, resolution and detail.. EUR Consistent differences were easier to hear. Only when I rolled in a Mullard box-anode CV4003/12AU7 to complement the Sylvania gold-pin 5751 was I completely satisfied. Watch this gear and we'll notify you if it becomes available again. These instances may have been flukes; tubes are sometimes troublesome. Just two, both trivial, and neither concerning the player's sound. It's a bit of a tight fit; I found it helped to unplug the jumper cable that connects the left-channel output jacks to the main board, which allowed me to see that I had correctly engaged the rather fragile pins with the sockets before pushing down on the board (not the caps) to secure it in place. The power supply incorporates 11 separate regulation circuits. Upgrading the ProLogue Eight with one of the new boards is a relatively straightforward matter requiring no special tools or soldering skills. Unfortunately, this shows up the minutest ripple in the underlying material. It was against the Benchmark DAC 1 that the match became more equal. PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium CD Player - TONEAudio MAGAZINE Rather than use an off-the-shelf crystal oscillator, PrimaLuna opted for a unique clock design, dubbed the SuperTubeClock, which uses a miniature triode as the oscillator element. On the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra's Sky Blue (CD, ArtistShare AS0065), I didn't hear the cymbal's full shimmer, but I did hear the percussive edge of the drumstick hitting it. Apart from the listening, of course, the proof of this should be in the jitter, which PrimaLuna claims is particularly good by current CD player standards: again, we can't entirely concur, but only because many CD players in current production have such good jitter as to be practically unmeasurable. Functional Notes:Operational condition of this item is excellent, fully tested and no issues found. 2. Springy. Kevin Deal mentioned that some clients preferred the sound of the stock unit in an aggressive system while others would prefer the board with the factory capacitor upgrade. And rather than the usual crystal-controlled solid-state clock circuit, the ProLogue Eight uses a crystal working with an oscillator based on a mini-triode tube. The other three pillars of the analog experience that almost all CD players struggle with are stable 3-D imaging, microdynamic conviction, and believable harmonic colors and textures. Or, to the extent they were there, they were handled or offset in ways that made them less audible, certainly less objectionable. Obviously, the degree of inaccuracy must be small and its type harmless, for the sound to be in any way acceptable to more than a handful of listeners. PrimaLuna has taken this design to the next level, with a significant number of upgrades. There has been a host of small-tube power amplifiers designed over the years with a single 5AR4 rectifier. For all other locations including Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Alaska, please request a quote prior to purchase. Compare us to anyone. because valve rectifiers typically produce less switching noise than solid-state types, reducing internal interference. The Basic board does have the pads and holes to allow the user to solder in his or her own choice of capacitors, though the limited real estate will eliminate the bulkier polypropylenes and polystyrenes. Well done." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Its portrayal of the soundstage is wonderfully transparent, allowing easy exploration of its inner recesses. Well done.". My first impression of the stock player was a bit disappointing. ProLogue Premium CD Player - PrimaLuna Tube Amplifiers PrimaLuna is adding a new CD player/DAC to the Prologue Premium line available sometime in May at $3,999. The tubes are said to last 10,000 hours. We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure youre buying the best. PrimaLuna represents the best value in the industry. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. It is claimed to be worth the extra trouble (and it's a lot of trouble, necessitating extra transformer windings for a start, never mind the extra space, valve sockets, etc.) T . Points awarded for all orders. Oops, looks like you forgot something. LEARN MORE. The business model of European designs manufactured in China is not new per se, but PrimaLuna's excellence of execution and product-reliability are definitely noteworthy. There is no question that an ultra-wide-bandwidth transistor is very quiet at high frequencies, since such devices are optimised for high-frequency amplification. PrimaLuna DiaLogue Six Monoblock Power Amplifiers. Web: www.primaluna-usa.com. Cool. Pros + A lively and above all involving player, which gets great musical value out of any decent recording Cons - Fine detail is not the best we've ever come across - Case is highly resonant and. Equipment Reviews And Articles - Enjoy the Music.com View similar gear from other sellers on Reverb. That said, PrimaLuna doesn't claim that the 5534 is the ultimate in anything and has taken another unique step in making available an op-amp upgrade board. Relative to the Vadi, and in the context of the Esoteric MG-20 loudspeaker, it became clear that the Eights layering of soundstage depth was not as defined and that image outlines were not as palpable. Thanks. I noticed this in what was as close to a double-blind experiment as a person can conduct by himself. Installation Services. These chips can be removed with needle-nose pliers. Even with one of the new I/V boards, the ProLogue Eight didn't dig quite as deep in the bass as the Benchmark DAC 1, let alone the Mark Levinson No.30.6. Before I auditioned the upgrade boards with the ProLogue Eight, I performed a full set of measurements with each board. Our sample of the ProLogue Eight was the base model, which uses the venerable NE5534 op-amp chip in the current-to-voltage conversion circuit that follows the DAC chip's output. Tube complement: two 5AR4 rectifiers, two 12AX7, two 12AU7, subminiature triode in SuperTubeClock circuit. In his words"with either of the I/V upgrades installed, the PrimaLuna becomes a straight Class A recommendation." Trying to decide on a fair rating for the standard player was an exercise in frustration: while it excelled in soundstage reproduction, it was more pedestrian in other areas, such as its softened upper bass. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. jitter in digital audio is only of concern if it is manifested within a narrow bandwidth of about plus or minus 40kHz surrounding the clock frequency.
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