Count the Ways in Which the PrimaLuna EVO 300 Tube Preamplifier Excels: Dual-Mono Design Features SmartGain and PerfectMatch, Helps Reproduce Music with Insightful Depth, Presence, and Imaging

The first thing you’ll probably notice about the PrimaLuna EVO 300 tube preamplifier are the six 12AU7 and 5AR4 tubes that take center stage atop the chassis. Once you’re done admiring those and the stout build quality of this 52.8-pound unit, you’ll plug it in and get it up and running. At that point, you’ll doubtlessly be taken by levels of soundstaging, imaging, dynamics, warmth, and presence that will have you hearing music you know backwards with new ears and appreciation. Such is the fun, excitement, and insight of a component that excels in every regard.

Equipped with dual toroidal transformers and tube rectification, EVO 300 features dual mono topology — meaning it has two of practically everything that matters since it houses two discrete preamplifiers in one chassis. SmartGain and PerfectMatch — the former involving gain set to just 10dB for exceptionally silent operation, the latter a circuit that presents an ideal 100K ohm impedance to your source components for seamless coherency — further contribute to EVO 300’s sonic advantages. Ditto the AC Offset Killer, which lowers transformer noise to a level you need to experience to believe — and you will, especially when you hear the resulting spaciousness, black backgrounds, and natural decay.

Measuring 8.1 x 15.9 x 15.2 inches (HWD), EVO 300 incorporates point-to-point wiring throughout  — with Swiss-made, silver-plated, OCC copper with a Teflon dialect in the signal path for superb speed and transparency. Japanese-made Takman resistors, renowned for their linearity and naturalism, add to an audiophile wish list that encompasses DuRoch tinfoil capacitors, ultra-quiet sealed relay inputs, and an ALPS blue velvet potentiometer. Five pairs of RCA inputs, a stereo HT bypass, two pairs of RCA outputs, and a tape output give you ample connectivity. 

Sold with a full-size remote control and a three-year manufacturer warranty, EVO 300 epitomizes the promise of high-end audio at a cost that leaves you with more money to buy records. To learn more about it or the PrimaLuna line, contact a Music Direct consultant at 312-433-0200.