Don't Put Your Ear to the Tweeter! A Guide to Tube Phonostages with Kevin Deal

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  • Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
  • Kevin explains why worrying about the minuscule amount of noise through the speakers when there's no signal completely derails your quest for good sound. Using the PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Phonostage as an example, he breaks down the wonder of tube phonostages, and why PrimaLuna is such an exemplar, far beyond its pricepoint.
    Hi-Fi News & Record Review's PrimaLuna Phonostage Review: www.hifinews.c...
    PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Phonostage: upscaleaudio.c...
    Quick Start Guide: static1.square...

Комментарии • 38

  • @Leicaphile27
    @Leicaphile27 7 месяцев назад +2

    Long overdue and much appreciated...Thanks!

  • @motuknight5569
    @motuknight5569 6 месяцев назад +1

    Fantastic phonostage to listen to and to look at. It gets much better with more usage time on it. Burn in is real and you must be patient. Wouldn’t trade it for anything! Pure magic! Nice job Primaluna!

  • @spdking
    @spdking 7 месяцев назад +2

    my prima phono stage is absolutely silent and sounds amazing. it sounds better than my other solid state unit i got rid of. the prima is absolutely great sounding.

    • @greggb681
      @greggb681 7 месяцев назад +1

      What cartridge?

    • @spdking
      @spdking 7 месяцев назад +2

      @@greggb681 sumiko blue point no. 3 low output

    • @leee4697
      @leee4697 7 месяцев назад

      Maybe they are better with MC...it was very very average with MM

    • @leee4697
      @leee4697 7 месяцев назад

      FYI I was using an Ortofon Black LVB 250

    • @spdking
      @spdking 7 месяцев назад

      @@leee4697 did you roll the tubes?

  • @paulredding5347
    @paulredding5347 7 месяцев назад +1

    Great video, glad to hear you say,set it to your listening preference.

  • @Random-kq4pz
    @Random-kq4pz 6 месяцев назад

    The surface noise of a record is far greater that the noise of a tube phono stage. Use tube and enjoy their magic!

  • @bluebuddha74
    @bluebuddha74 7 месяцев назад +2

    Very helpful video Kev

  • @aldoantoniovicentesilva6996
    @aldoantoniovicentesilva6996 7 месяцев назад

    UPSCALE AUDIO Could you answer a question for me:
    If you have a speaker with an impedance of 6ohms,
    which post should it be connected to, the 4ohms or the 8ohms???

  • @mpi5850
    @mpi5850 7 месяцев назад +1

    Excellent video as always. Love PrimaLuna.

    • @arize84
      @arize84 7 месяцев назад

      Does it have enough gain?

  • @jeffreythurston1822
    @jeffreythurston1822 7 месяцев назад

    I have purchased many expensive products from Upscale with great advice guiding me. However, this phono stage was really a disappointment. I tried everything to get it to sound good even some tube rolling and could not get it to perform. I struggle to understand all the hype with this phono stage.

  • @ronniecramer1252
    @ronniecramer1252 7 месяцев назад

    I recently purchased a preowned 300B amp built by a retired RCA recording engineer. I was told upfront that it is designed using AC heated tubes which causes it to hum somewhat. In the beginning it did bother me, but now I just listen to the warm beautiful sound it makes, which is why I bought it, and don’t even notice that hum.

  • @Ricky-cl5bu
    @Ricky-cl5bu 7 месяцев назад +1

    Great review

  • @billa5289
    @billa5289 7 месяцев назад +1

    I would love to hear about how this compares to the Manley Chinook with killer tubes. I can't imagine that it out performs the Chinook at a similar price. The Chinook is an incredible all tube phono pre. It's built like a tank in the US with amazing parts and engineering right down the road from you. It has serious adjustability, and their service is top notch. Manley doesn't have Primaluna shipping fees so theoretically, more money goes into the build. I am all ears and willing to check out this EVO 100 if you guys think it outperforms the Chinook. Synergy is key so maybe it would in a Primaluna system? Astecially it would match better for sure.

    • @leee4697
      @leee4697 7 месяцев назад

      I am considering a Chinook after trying the EVO100. It didnt work for me at all in my all Primaluna system. Very underwhelming.

  • @garysmith8455
    @garysmith8455 7 месяцев назад

  • @mjot2360
    @mjot2360 7 месяцев назад +2

    Don't put your ear to the tweeter because the noise will get much worse as tubes age. Ignorance is bliss!

    • @mpi5850
      @mpi5850 7 месяцев назад +1

      Or in your case, ignorance is apparently a regular state of being.

    • @mjot2360
      @mjot2360 7 месяцев назад +1

      @mpi5850 you clearly know nothing about tubes and how they generate even more noise as they age. They're also microphonic. Terrible choice for a phonostage.

    • @tonydeniro284
      @tonydeniro284 7 месяцев назад +2

      Tubes sound lovely....the tiny tubes used in most phono stages can last 5000 hours...that's a lot of freaking listening before more noise sets in. How about not worrying about it.

    • @mjot2360
      @mjot2360 7 месяцев назад

      @@tonydeniro284 I like a nice Audio Research tube line stage.

  • @garyedwards9617
    @garyedwards9617 7 месяцев назад +1

    How come you dropped your closing line? I miss it

  • @sc0or
    @sc0or 7 месяцев назад +1

    Ahhh That’s and advertising…

  • @ptg01
    @ptg01 7 месяцев назад +1

    Lovely ! Makes total sense ! We miss Kat !!!

  • @leee4697
    @leee4697 7 месяцев назад +1

    I own a pair of EVO400 amps running as monoblocks and an EVE400 Pre. I purchased the EVO100 Phonostage and unfortunately it didn't work for me. I would suggest trying this before you buy, preferably in your system with your existing components. I wasn't able to do that and purchased one without hearing it first, based off my great experience with the Primaluna Amps and Preamp. I was extremely disappointed and didn't keep it.

    • @upscaleaudio
      @upscaleaudio  7 месяцев назад

      Hey Lee I saw your comments. I'm sure you tried the two settings on the side for capacitance? Try the Chinook. It's fantastic and for MM it may be just a smidge brighter.

    • @leee4697
      @leee4697 7 месяцев назад +1

      @@upscaleaudio Yes I did try switching between the two capacitance settings. I will make sure to try the Chinook next. The Primaluna rolled off the high end so much..

  • @Gez492
    @Gez492 7 месяцев назад

    A Tube and transformer based Phonostage doesn't have to be noisy.
    My Ear Yoshino 912 isn't the first EAR preamp to use internal step-up transformers for moving-coil cartridge gain, but it is the first in which those trannies are addressed by two different pairs of phono inputs.
    There's a selector knob on the front panel for choosing which input pair is active, as well as another for selecting the desired transformer primary-3, 6, 12, and 40 ohms are the nominal impedances, corresponding with respective additional gains of 30, 26, 23, and 20dB-or for bypassing the step-up transformer altogether.
    As with a moving-magnet cartridge. The EAR 912's phono section remains iron-rich even so: Its RIAA equalization circuit uses a pair of custom-wound inductors, which de Paravicini selected for being less prone to overloading and ringing than capacitors, and the transition from phono stage to line stage is accomplished with a pair of similarly bespoke coupling transformers.
    The transformer approach was chosen not only for electrical efficiency and purity of sound, but for flexibility in use: A three-position attenuation knob on the front panel allows the user to choose between multiple secondary windings on the interstage coupling transformers-for full gain, -6dB, or -12dB. That control, used in tandem with the one for selecting the appropriate step-up transformer primary windings and the step-up transformer bypass knob, provided the highest level of flexibility. Result a completely quiet tube MC/MM phono stage within a preamp that by the clever design and implimentation using great components, more than holds its own with the esoterica stand alone phonostages.
    I'm blown away with this preamp and how it sounds with vinyl depends on the vinyl content. What I mean us its true to the recording If its meant to be romantic and delicate it is, if its meant to sound huge and powerful it is.
    It has a fleet footed controlled approach to massive swings in dynamics.
    Don't get me started on the line stages wow and unlike those hideous swing meters on the Big Apple produced "luxury" audio product, the 912 has properly accurate VU metres give away its pro studio origins.
    A timeless Tim de Pavaracini masterpiece❤

  • @joenovak6393
    @joenovak6393 7 месяцев назад

    First!!!