Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterMusic
Thanks afridi and JBT--I've been on the edge of my seat for listening impressions
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I received my Prima Luna today. I feel silly posting this on the Mac forums, but its an honest appraisal and my views which certainly are subjective at best.
As posted earlier, the 252 sounded lovely. Compared to other integrateds I played with in my secondary system, it was good. It looked fantastic, would last a lifetime and tube rolling while making a difference was minimal at best.
A Yaqin, budget EL34 amp sounded better to my ears. It was smoother, less clinical and dry, and Robert Plants, album "Carry fire" was listenable and not tiring to listen to.
I sold the 252 and replaced it with the identically priced Prima luna integrated amp.
Boy was this this leagues better than the Yaqin. Full in the room images, with tonal balance, bass extension and effortless in presentation. There are details and nothing draws attention. You listen to the performance and our mind just flows with what's playing.
One could argue hey they are not comparable: Hybrid vs full tube amps. I have cobbled up Hybrid systems in the past (Cary SLP 05 plus Mcintosh MC252) they had the magic that the MA252 doesn't.
While the PrimaLuna is rated 45 watts or so compared to the Macs 252 100watts per channel, the PL sounds louder and easier to fill the room on my Focal book shelves plus Sumiko sub.
I can see why one would purchase a 252 vs the Chinese yaqin more so for longevity, reliability, but I do believe the PL will be a solid long term investment and sound way better to boot. its also tweek-able: Ultra linear or triode, plus can be voiced if one wants to tube roll or have more power by throwing in KT88s, KT120s or even KT150s and flicking a switch.
A final thought: If he 252 had the Mac transformers, that Mac are famous for, I do believe it would have made a big difference. Maybe if the power amp was class A, it may have helped. Its a great little amp, but not something that will go down in history like some of the famous pieces that were produced in the past. I miss my old MC 40 monoblocks that I owned for over a decade in the past.