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Submitted by
dealaddict
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: April 19, 2011
Bottom Line: I recently upgrade to this preamp. I am specifically looking for a tube preamp with tubes exposed. There are not too many choices out there, and I decided to give this a try based on relatively good reviews from 6moons and Stereophile. And I am blown away. I use a reputable tube hybrid preamp before, but this one blow that one away in every aspect. Vocal is warmer and sweeter, bass is tighter, sound stage is both wider and deeper. I never listen to longer than 3 hours before. After I upgrade to this unit, I almost listen 3-4 hours every night without fatigue. It is absolutely quiet, no buzz and hum. The volume control is silky smooth. The stock PrimaLuna tube is quite good already, and the sound improve further after I change a pair of Tungsram 1967 12AX7 and CBS 12AU7.
This is the most expensive preamp I used so far, so, I can't say this is the best preamp out there. But the value is definitely is extremely good. This unit is $300 more than my previous one, and I am extremely happy with what I get, worth every extra penny.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
roboss38
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: January 15, 2008
Strengths: Beautiful midrange
Tight, focused, and controlled bass response
Parts and build quality of equipment costing 4 times as muchWeaknesses: No remote, but I doesn't bother me.
Bottom Line: I had been in the market for a new Pre-amp for a couple of years. I had bought tubes from Kevin at Upscale Audio before, so he told me to audition the Prologue 3 and see what I thought. The PrimaLuna Prologue 3 will be the last pre-amp I ever have to buy.
First, the build quality is second to none. The point to point wiring is first rate, and parts quality is that of pre-amps that cost 3 times as much. The dark blue powder coat on the outside is beautiful. The build quality is something you would expect from a $6,000 pre-amp.
Second, the sound is simply great. The soundstage is big, wide, and 3 dimensional. The high's are crisp, and clear, but not rolled off like with some tube pre-amps. The midrange is just beautiful. Female vocals through the Prologue 3 are just spellbinding. The bass is tight, and focused; without any sense of flab. I've had Rotel, Adcom, and McIntosh pre-amps throughout my time in this hobby, and the Prologue 3 has bested all my previous pre-amps. For $1,499 that I paid, this thing is a complete steal. I will happily enjoy the Prologue 3 for many years to come.
Price Paid:
$1499.00
Purchased At: Upscale Audio
Similar Products Used: McIntosh C20
Rotel Pre-amps
NAD
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
FLEMKE
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: May 15, 2007
Strengths: Has a very nice open sound without rolling off at the highs.
Built like a tank.
Sounds fantastic.
Low cost for high quality.Weaknesses: No remote!!!
Had to say something.Bottom Line: First off,I am a music lover much more than an audiophile.
When I plug something in it is the sound that I care about.
Yes,this pre amp. is very well built and has point to point wiring.
This in itself does not necessarily mean it's going to sound great.
Much time and energy was put into the sound and that is what I care about.
My system :
Ortofon Kontrapunkt B Cartridge
VPI Scout Turntable
Ear 834p Tube phono stage
Prima Luna Prologue 3 Line stage
BAT VK-75 Tube amp
Audioquest Cheetah Interconnects
Homegrown Audio X-32 Speaker cables
Dynaudio Contour 3.0 Speakers
I have had many amps and pre amp in my house over the years.
My preference is analogue with all tubes and silver cables.
In the six months of listening to the pre amp I can say that it is well worth the $1395 it sells for.
I like it better than the Musical Fidelity A3.2cr that I had and it is much better than my Ead theatermaster 8800 as a line stage.
This is not 1950's tube amp. technology. It does auto biasing when turned on and is very easy to tube roll.
A better pre amp can be bought,but at what price? 3 or 4k?
Price Paid:
$1395.00
Purchased At: Upscale Audio
Similar Products Used: Ead,B&K,Musical Fidelities,Meridian...............
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Carl Johnson
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: March 24, 2007
Strengths: Unbelievable sound remarkable soundstage. Its design and build quality is hands down the best I've seen. Dollar value--I don't know how they do it.Weaknesses: None! None! None!Bottom Line: Prior to purchasing the Prologue 3 I was using a solid state Rotel pre-amp. The Rotel was and is a wonderful pre-amp but I longed for "tube sound". Enter the Primaluna Prologue 3. What a great find. It uses the best capacitors available and a Alps pot as the volume control. The build quality is absolutely fantastic; with five coats of paint hand rubbed between coats and point to point wiring which is not only beautiful to see; but sonically superior to printed wiring boards.
The Prologue 3 arrives triple boxed with a pair of cotton gloves included to prevent smudges to the finish. Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio has produced a truly beautiful unit not only visually, but in its sound quality.
The sound quality,unbelievable at this price is truly a joy to listen to. I am impressed with the detail, the highs and midrange is breathtaking.
Price Paid:
$1395.00
Purchased At: upscale audio
Similar Products Used: Rotel
McIntosh
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
junglists_unite
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: March 22, 2007
Strengths: Superb build quality. Masters of packaging. Finish is very impressive. Very thick front faceplate. Plenty of inputs. Silky smooth volume control. Ease of switching tubes. Well written owner's manual. Authoritative bass. Three dimensional performance. Inner detail through layered music. Dynamics will get your attentionWeaknesses: For those of you who are thinking of not buying it because it doesnt have a remote, get used to the idea of not having a remote now. You cant afford to buy a unit that touches the performance of this unit that has a remote. Dont overly judge this unit in the audition, it sounded way better at home. NO WEAKNESSES AT ALL!Bottom Line: Amazing product. I come from those who believe that solid state was the best for the type of musoc that I listen to becuase tubes couldnt get the bass right. I was willing to make sacrifices in other areas to get the bass right. This is not the case with this unit. Bass is truly shocking even right out of the box and this is with the stock tubes! I listen to electronic music that has very authoritative bass and often times has layers of music at once when a dj is mixing two tracks together. This mixing sequence is also very hard to get right, as often times it just sounds like a blur of everything together and you cant tell that a dj is mixing because you cant hear it. I have this amp paired with a B&K 200.2 amplifier and I love the sound of tubes so much now, I am thinking about switching over to Primaluna's monoblock amps. Other than rock solid bass with plenty of depth and punch, I love the srystal clear extended highs. Zero fatigue even after long periods at high volumes. Try that with solid state equipment that you can afford. The sound of these tubes are so close to solid state that it makes me think that I am listening to solid state until I realize that all of my complaints about the solid state gear are gone. Dynamics and superb with this preamp. It has the ability to go from whisper quite to full blast perfectly. This preamp is truly very quite, even more so than most solid state gear that I have had. Build quality is first rate and honestly this was one of the main qualities that attracted me to the unit. Do not judge it because it is made in China, at this price point, it is a necessity for the parts that have gone into it. Have you ever had a volume control that you hated? Not with this unit. Silky smooth, fine tune adjustments to the volume are no problem at all for this unit. I love the tube cage. It is genious. Using bananna clips to put it on. Who would have thought of that. The three dimensional performance of this unit 100% lets you know that you are listening to tubes. I will not go back to solid state in a preamp. I could not afford the units that would even begin to compete with this preamp. If you are skeptical and considering buying this unit, or are in the market for a preamp and think thjat tubes are not your thing, go audition this unit. The guys at Upscale know how to take care of customers
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Purchased At: Upscale Audio
Similar Products Used: B&K Reference 5 S2 preamp. Rotel preamps.
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