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Review 1 of 2
Price Paid:
$2625.00
from Upscale Audio Summary:
Part 1: Comparison: Primaluna Dialogue One to Primaluna Prologue Two
My previous experience with Primaluna is the Prologue Two. I have been very happy with it after swapping the Primaluna KT88’s for Siemens EL34’s. Since my preference was the EL34 tube sound (mostly for jazz, with vibes, keyboard, vocals), I purchased the Dialogue One, an EL34 based amp. Current speakers: Energy RC-10 w/Polk Audio PSW-111 subwoofer and Energy RC-30 speakers.
Prologue Two: Whether using the EL34 or KT88 tubes the presentation is very open, airy and intimate. Like being at a live performance with the performers 10 feet away. You’re drawn into the music. Less detail captured. Bass is not as defined, with the midrange and highs emphasized. Good soundstage.
Dialogue One: A more accurate interpretation of the recorded music. Able to capture more detail within a recording. Better bass control with more impact. Performers are easy to identify their location within the soundstage. The presentation is more laid back with either EL34 or KT88 tubes, like the performers are 20 feet from you.
Strengths:
KT88 Tube Sound Listeners: The KT88 tubes present a more transparent sound than the EL34 tubes. I actually felt the KT88 tubes were terrific match with the Dialogue One. This would be a great for those people who love the KT88 sound. And for those who already have the KT88 tubes available I would skip the Dialogue Two and purchase the Dialogue One, then replace the EL34 tubes with KT88 tubes.
Weaknesses:
Yet with either type of tube I found the sound was less open and airy, the midrange not as forward, compared to the Prologue Two. And with the EL34 tubes the Dialogue One sounded slightly veiled and missing the clarity compared to my Prologue Two with EL34 tubes installed.
Since I love the EL34 tube sound with the Prologue Two I started testing with different configurations to isolate the problem with the Dialogue One. One the first things I noticed was too much bass, so I changed the taps for the Energy RC-30 speakers from 4 ohm to 8 ohm, which worked out very well. I swapped the Primaluna EL34 tubes to Siemens EL34 tubes. But I noticed no difference in the sound (good sign for the Primaluna EL34 tube design characteristics). Tried the Triode/Ultralinear switch. It does modify the sound and at times one setting or the other sounds better with a particular cd. But I was getting inconsistent results compared with Prologue Two, which sounds excellent with a number of cd’s. Swapped speakers from Energy RC-30 to RC-10/subwoofer without success.
After unsuccessfully isolating the problem I checked specs for both models:
The Prologue Two has the upgraded solen capacitors and fast recovery diodes.
The Dialogue One does not.
I started to suspect the clarity of the EL34 sound I enjoyed with the Prologue Two was dependent on the upgraded solen capacitors and fast recovery diodes. I concluded I needed to exchange the Dialogue One for the Dialogue Two, which has the upgraded solen capacitors and fast recovery diodes.
EL34 Tube Sound Listeners: I highly recommend you audition the EL34 Dialogue One and KT88 Dialogue Two with EL34 tubes installed before making a purchase. Similar Products Used:
I currently have the Dialogue Two and will post a review at audioreview.com soon.
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