PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated tube amplifier

PrimaLuna products please the senses long before you plug them in. All models feature handmade construction, and the heavy-gauge, fully vented steel chassis has a five-coat finish, each coat hand-rubbed and polished. Inside, you will find point-to-point wiring with only the best Swiss silver wires--a level of detail that is usually only available (and not always!) in the most expensive tube equipment.

There are no cheap plastic remotes here. PrimaLuna uses heavy metal remotes that are substantial, yet still elegant and ergonomic.

Talking about heavy metal, try lifting a PrimaLuna to see just how much we put into them. All PrimaLuna models feature custom-designed toroidal and EI-frame transformers, made to the exacting spec of one of the most prestigious transformer designers in the US. Each transformer is fully encapsulated for the lowest hum and best isolation, and offers huge output bandwidth and speaker control. There is no cheap or lightweight way to do this, and this is why PrimaLuna is famous for combining the midrange magic of tubes with sparkling highs and deep, solid bass.

Other high-quality PrimaLuna parts are motorized ALPS volume controls, Nichicon and DuRoch polypropylene and tinfoil capacitors, and superfast Philips rectifier diodes. PrimaLuna uses only ceramic tube sockets, gold-plated heavy-duty WBT-style speaker terminals (all speaker connectors are solid shaft for better conductance, better sound, and higher reliability), and gold-plated panel-mounted RCA input jacks that guarantee the best possible mechanical and electrical contacts.

Each EVO vacuum-tube integrated amplifier is also a high-quality EVO vacuum-tube headphone amplifier as well! There is no separate chip amp for the headphone jack--every bit of the main circuit and every vacuum tube is used to drive your headphones.

One of the great new features of EVO is the 100% shielded phonostage box, connected to the bottom plate. This is the ideal solution for mounting PrimaLuna’s “internal” (optional) moving magnet PhonoLogue circuit, completely separated and shielded from the rest of the circuitry.

Active features include the PrimaLuna SoftStart smart circuit design for extended life of sensitive components, and reduced chance of tube failure from thermal shock. PrimaLuna is justly famous for its Adaptive Auto Bias™ circuit, a PrimaLuna exclusive. This circuit is out of the signal path, and monitors and smoothly adjusts tube bias continuously and instantly, reducing maintenance, and increasing performance due to a dramatic reduction in distortion. EVO comes with improved output-stage protection circuitry with a relay to protect output transformers, resistors, and the high-voltage power supply in case of catastrophic tube failure.

Want to power-tube roll? EVO integrated amplifiers come with a high/low bias switch, allowing users to easily pick the optimum bias setting for EL34 or KT88 tubes. This and the autobias circuit mean that you will never have to fuss with jewelers’ screwdrivers and multimeters the way so many other tube-amp manufacturers require of their customers. Just switch tubes, switch bias, and PrimaLuna does all the hard work for you!

All PrimaLuna power transformers include the PTP™ (Power Transformer Protection) circuit. When the power transformer overheats (whether due to environment, overload, or a problem within the unit), an internal thermal switch opens the primary circuit, allowing the transformer to cool down before harm occurs. After it has cooled off, contact is restored, and the amp re-powers and functions as normal.

As you use your PrimaLuna, you will find so many thoughtful little details that may not be earthshaking, but just make using and owning this unit a pleasure. We’ll let you discover these for yourself, but here’s one: an aluminum screw on the AC input that lets you easily identify the live side of the connector. Nothing spectacular, just easy.