A Different Kind of Fun
$7,195 each
Rocking out on a long Rush playlist, the pair of PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifiers are switched into mono mode and doing a fantastic job keeping things in order through the Clarisys Auditorium Plus ribbon speakers. While not as tough to drive as the Apogees they pay homage to, they still do better with more power than less. Yeah, I played “Tom Sawyer” really loud, and listened to both sides of Hemispheres after that. Few things give a system a workout like Neal Peart’s drumming.
It’s a close call between these amplifiers and the EVO 400 tube mono power amplifiers (w/KT150 tubes) I’m currently using. The family sound is definitely intact here, but the hybrid amplifiers with a power MOSFET output stage sound more like the Pass Labs XS300 amplifiers than the all-tube PrimaLunas.
If you’re already a PrimaLuna fan, the sound you know and love is here, just a little different.
So why hybrid?
It comes down to system synergy and speaker interface. The PrimaLuna amplifiers all have a slightly warm, saturated overall sound. Not old-school warm, rolled off, or slow, but you know there are tubes under the hood. It’s one of my favorite sounds, but that’s up to you.
PrimaLuna has been manufacturing tube amplifiers for almost 25 years, and they have a tremendous reputation for sound quality, as well as reliability. I’ve been depending on PrimaLuna as a tube reference since the day they hit the shelves, and I’ve never been disappointed.
Why do they have a hybrid amplifier now? Different strokes. About two years ago, we reviewed their 300 EVO hybrid integrated amplifier with excellent results. Knowing how audiophiles love to mix and match, it only made sense that a standalone power amplifier would follow. In typical PrimaLuna tradition, the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier can be used as a mono amplifier, increasing power. Should you change speakers or decide more power is in order, you only need to add a second amplifier and move the switch on the rear panel from Stereo to Mono. The EVO300 Hybrid power amplifier can produce 100 Watts per channel in stereo mode into an 8-ohm load and 150 Watts per channel into a 4-ohm load. In mono mode, you’re looking at 220 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 watts per channel into 4 ohms. That should be enough to drive anything.
Everything I said about the sound of the EVO 300 Hybrid integrated amplifier, back in 2022 (https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-prima-luna-evo-300floyd-design-integrated/) applies here. The overall sonics are nearly identical; however, the EVO300 Hybrid power amplifiers now offer an XLR input, providing even greater system flexibility.
Consider the EVO300 hybrid amplifiers as an extension of the PrimaLuna sonic library. Whether that is better or worse for you and your system is the question to answer. Certainly, with only six 12AU7 tubes in the input stage (like the EVO400 tube power amplifier), this part of ownership will not be expensive when it’s time to re-tube. Considering the longevity I’ve experienced with PrimaLuna all-tube amplifiers, you can expect at least 7-10,000 hours out of a set of tubes. Who knows maybe the tariffs will be over by the time you need to replace the tubes? We can only hope. Even at today’s prices, a set of six OEM PrimaLuna 12AU7s will set you back about $360, and the most expensive cool-guy NOS versions 2- 3x that much.
I did not spend any time tube rolling with the Hybrids, because A: it’s up to you to find that secret sauce (if it in fact exists), and B: we like to evaluate things based on what you can unbox, not send you on a wild Easter egg hunt for unobtainium tubes so that said product will sound good. Please rest assured that the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier sounds great out of the box, with stock tubes.
Overall sound
Ultimately, the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier reminds me somewhat of the Pass XS class-A series amplifiers in terms of its slightly warmer-than-neutral presentation. (This is a personal favorite/bias, just so you know) Although the output stage is class AB, the input tubes add extra warmth, body, and character without the massive power requirements of an all-class-A design. On one level, this hybrid design is the best of both worlds if you love that sonic signature.
Thanks to its solid-state output stage, the Hybrid amplifier digs slightly deeper with more control than the EVO 400 all-tube power amplifier. And it sacrifices precious little of that tube sparkle that tube lovers crave.
I noticed this effect more with digital music, which can go deeper than some of my analog favorites. Ripping through track after track of both techno and heavy rock, there was better control of the bass panels in the Auditoriums, as well as the woofers on the YG Carmel 3s and Summits, which we are also reviewing. It’s worth noting that the Hybrid amplifier is an incredible match for the Harbeth Monitor 40.5s, which have also been here for review. This is an interesting speaker that can go completely woolly if a lot of bass control isn’t available.
The EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier is also a great match for Magnepans, and does a great job with our Quad 57s and 63s. Every speaker used with the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier worked well without issue. While these amplifiers were here, at least 20 different speakers were brought into the reference system – all fantastic.
An excellent example to try is Jaco Pastorius’ self-titled album. There is so much rapid-fire bass going on here that it’s tough for any amp to keep up. Yet the EVO300 Hybrid power amplifiers sail through brilliantly. Ditto for Stanley Clarke’s If This Bass Could Talk, or Meshelle N’dgecello’s Plantation Lullabies. I know you have your own killer bass tracks, and if your musical taste leans this way, you will not be disappointed with the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier.
Mids and highs are silky smooth, resolved, and lovely. Cymbals sound realistic, along with the piano and violin, having the necessary tonal and textural complexity to reward the critical music lover. Female vocal lovers will be in sonic bliss, awash in the wide and deep soundstage the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier provides, so if that’s your bag, turn the lights down and settle in for a thoroughly steamy experience.
Extension and resolution aren’t everything. The EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier also creates a vivid four-dimensional sonic picture. (dynamics are the 4th dimension…) Regardless of the speakers it was matched with, this is an amplifier that delivers a broad, deep, and highly realistic soundstage with pinpoint imaging when the music presents it.
Final tech bits
You can drop by the PrimaLuna USA site to see more internal shots of this amplifier, and a more thorough explanation of what parts were chosen and why here:
https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-300-hybrid-power-amp
As you can see, this nearly 70-pound amplifier is robustly built and finished like all the PrimaLunas that came before it. My personal experience, spanning almost 24 years of PrimaLuna ownership, is that their products do not break. A cursory look at how little PrimaLuna gear is available on the secondary market tells you the whole story.
Will you need one or two?
I absolutely love to spend other people’s money. So get two. But seriously, because of the awesome little stereo/mono switch on the rear panel, start with one unless you have hatefully inefficient speakers. Extra power always corrupts, and even at low levels, the monos have more inner detail and resolution. Of course, when you’re rocking the house down, they have more grunt and grip as well, but this amplifier, because of the high-quality MOSFET output stage, has tons of that. It’s the $7,200 question.
But it’s super cool that PrimaLuna lets you scale. Evil Jeff says Just get both. Practical Jeff says, ‘Buy one now and see where it goes.’
The final word(s) on tubes vs. transistors
After living with both the EVO 400 tube power amplifiers and the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifiers, it would be tough to choose, only because both are excellent. As mentioned earlier, the quality of bass response you prefer is probably the main deciding factor, and the second is how much you love to deal with tubes. The EVO 400 power amplifier has 8 power tubes, so that can get pretty spendy if you listen a lot.
The other question is, will you be using your EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier with a tube or solid-state preamplifier? Again, thanks to the RCA and XLR inputs, nothing is off limits. Various examples from Pass Labs, ARC, C-J, and even PrimaLuna all proved great matches, but different. The same questions about ultimate system synergy and how you prefer to voice your system preferences apply, but rest assured, nothing should be an issue.
The EVO 400 tube power amplifier also allows more fine-tuning (or madness) because it can be voiced with a wide range of output tubes, so there’s that.
However, for a music lover seeking an inviting sonic signature, ample power on tap, and the flexibility in speaker choices that a solid-state amplifier excels at, the EVO 300 Hybrid power amplifier is one of the best deals available, even amid today’s economic uncertainties. The combination of musical ability, build quality, and practicality make this one an easy choice for one of our Exceptional Value Awards, just as the integrated was in 2022.
Very highly recommended.
Peripherals
Digital Source dCS Vivaldi ONE
Analog Source SME 20 w/Hana Umami Red
Phono Preamp PASS LABS XP-27
Speakers Clarisys Auditorium Plus w/six-pack of REL Carbon Special Black Label, Songer S1, Quad 63, Magnepan 1.7
Cables Cardas Clear and Clear Beyond
