PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Phono Preamplifier

It’s here at last, a standalone PrimaLuna phonostage built to the same extreme level of engineering as every other PrimaLuna, and every bit as thoughtful and intuitive. The goal with the EVO 100 phonostage was to keep controls and features as simple as possible.

The EVO 100 Phonostage supports both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. The MM stage offers two capacitance settings, and the MC stage offers three gain, and five input impedance settings. The delicate signals in the MC stage are protected by mechanically decoupling the board.

ALL PRIMALUNA, INSIDE AND OUT

At 27.9 lb, you know the EVO 100 Phonostage is all PrimaLuna in its use of a massive custom power transformer, with full protection. The heavy gauge steel chassis sports PrimaLuna’s deep, glassy five-coat paint, with each coat hand-rubbed and polished.

Inside, all of the high-quality parts are joined using point-to-point wiring. The parts list is familiar to any PrimaLuna fan: ceramic tube sockets, Nichicon and DuRoch capacitors, and gold-plated connectors.

ALL-TUBE GLORY

As you’d expect from PrimaLuna, the EVO 100 Phonostage is tube rectified using two 5AR4 tubes. Two EL34 stabilize the power supply, and four 12AX7 form the gain stage for the MM setting. Gain for MC is from two 6922 tubes.

This makes the EVO 100 Phonostage the perfect match for PrimaLuna gear, bringing all-tube magic into every part of the signal. Or, pair this with a revealing solid-state system and enjoy huge levels of detail without a shred of harshness.

Specifications

• Max. Output Voltage: 26.3dBV/20.6Vrms
• RIAA-curve deviation: < 0.5dB (20Hz to 20kHz)
• Bandwidth: 0–20kHz (+0/-3 dB)
• Phase response error : 1°
• THD+N (A-Weighted) MM/MC: <0.40% @ 2V
• Output Impedance: 100Ω@1kHz
• Rumble filter: None

MM Stage

• Gain: 40dB
• Input Impedance: 47kΩ
• Input Capacitance (Selectable): 47pF/100pF
• Input Sensitivity: 2.5mV (200mVrms@1kHz)
• Maximum permissible input (@0,1%THD): 180mVrms
• Channel separation (@1Khz): >75dB
• S/N Ratio (A-Weighted)@ 23.8dBV: >90dB
• S/N Ratio (A-Weighted)@ 6.0dBV: >75dB

MC Stage

• Gain: 60dB/56dB/52dB (H/M/L)
• Input Impedance: 50/100/200/500/1000Ω (selectable)
• Input Capacitance (Selectable): n/a
• Input Sensitivity: 0.104mVrms (200mVrms@1kHz)
• Maximum permissible input (@0,1%THD): 14mVrms
• Channel separation (@1Khz): >60dB
• S/N Ratio (A-Weighted)@ 23.8dBV: >90dB
• S/N Ratio (A-Weighted)@ 6.0dBV: >75dB