ARC VSi60 vs PrimaLuna Integrated Amps

Hi Mabonn thanks for answering. I find it hard to believe that you sold Audio Research separates to get Primaluna. I saw another thread where a guy sold his ARC Referance 30 preamp and Referance 110 power amp to get a Dialogue premium hp integrated with KT150 tubes in it.

Now that sounds awesome. I'm thinking of doing something really cool as a reference system so I may look at pre/power combos.

What do you guys think about the build quality of Primaluna?

Nothing gets by Abrew19....

Therealist, I think plenty of them are sold new. The reason so few used ones are for sale, and at a high percentage of retail, is that owners are happy with them. I recently traded in ARC separates for a Dialog Premium Integrated, and I am totally happy and have "zero" regrets.

It looks good to me but I'm so gun shy after this Ayon thing I might buy one used to try out but I never see much Primaluna for sale and the couple pieces I saw were like 70 or 80% of the new price and I'm used to seeing 50 or 60% off for used.

Is the reason so few are for sale because they don't sell many in the first place?

I had a Primaluna Prologue II for nine years without so much
as a hiccup . I recently traded it in for a Primaluna Dialogue Premium . Kevin makes some great 'sales'. Extremely happy !

Six!! Yes 6, count em, 6 times the root word of "deal" appears in your post. That was planned, right? :)

I have a " factory upgraded" Jolida power amp that is extremely quiet and utterly reliable over the last 3 plus years...less cash than Deal's Primaluna deals, although I have dealt with Deal and got a fair deal of some tubes I'm dealing with.

If I were considering the Primaluna then I would give Kevin at Upscale a call. He can be a teeny bit of a "hard sell" sometimes but he really knows his stuff and he will treat you right. I bought a component from him once that got damaged in shipment and he took it back and replaced it for me to my satisfaction. You can call them up anytime and they will help you with any questions about your equipment purchased. No relation to Upscale other than a satisfied customer.

This thread is old and it compares the old Primaluna model. The new one I'm looking at now. I bought an Ayon from a dealer here on audiogon and he told me on the phone he sells Primaluna and they break. I thought "that's not what everybody else says" but he is very convincing. I took the bait and the Ayon is OK but now I'm learning a few things.

This "Dealer" never sold Primaluna and flat out lied to me when he said he sold it. I don't have a dealer near me but there is a guy that bought a new model, the Dialogue Premium. A guy has one near me and I saw it and heard it at his house. He had an VSI75 and before that had a big VAC that was expensive and he says the Primaluna is the best he's ever had. He pointed out how low the noise is from the amp during quiet passages. It's another world.

I might get the HP but don't know if I need that as the $3400 one had a ton of power. Does anybody know if the HP is that much better?

Anyone heard these with Focals? I have focal 1027Ss. I do not have the option of auditioning. From all the research I done it seems the VSI60 might be too "airy" and the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium might be a bit lacking in base? But, I can't find any reference to them with Focals. Any help with Focals or speakers similar sounding to Focals. Thanks!

Honestly there is no comparison I listened to 4 different tube amps with my speakers including Rouge, Conrad Johnson, Prima Luna, and ended up with the VSi60. The prima Luna dialogue is a fantastic amp and build quality is great as one would expect from any of these brands. The points made about tube rolling are valid and the auto bias circuitry is a phenomenal feature. In my system the VSi60 presented the most low level detail and the widest deepest soundstage with less coloration and more punch and precision on the bottom end. Some amps did some things better but overall nothing SS or Tube sounded quite like the ARC. These things are also system dependent. The best advice I can give you is make friends with your local dealers and listen to everything!

My brother just alerted me to the fact that I confused my old ARC integrated with the new vsi60 integrated. Sorry for this mix-up. I must be going dotty and feel foolish. My comments on the Primaluna stand, but I have not listened to the new ARC.

My Primaluna has been extremely reliable, never a problem. I also have several friends who own various models and also no problems. And, to disagree with poster above I like the sound of the Primaluna in my system as I have it configured much better than the Arc which without the Vandy's sounded dry with various other speakers. But the ARC was a great match with the Vandy. Like I said, system matching is always key.

A friend had a prima luna-- broke twice within a yr.
I wouldn't exactly call that in the same league. But if you're into crazy tube rolling and all that, they do sound nice. Love the vsi60. Several friends have it with various speakers. Always musical, and dependable.

In the past I owned the ARC vsi60e and paired it most often with the Vandersteen 2ce and that combo was a superlative match. Never any problems or issues. Currently I own a Primaluna Dialogue 1and use it in my office system. Today I would choose the Primaluna over the ARC because of several reasons: First, the audio bias is so much fun because it makes tube-rolling a snap. The Dialogue series allows you so many tube choices, to name just a few, EL34s, 6L6s, KT88, KT66s, KT77 and many more...I am currently running Russian NOS 6n3ce (6L6 family), going to switch over to some KT88s soon.

Second, the build quality is tank-like, great hassle-free tube cage, good looks, many other nice qualities like Home Theatre pass through. Great built-in circuit protections.

Third, and most important, the amp is musical, again, you can tailor the sound to your heart content. I get a huge soundstage, well-layered, great midrange, singers are life like in size, very good detail, imaging and coherence, warmth and richness without going too far that way.

Fourth, Kevin Deal at Upscale audio is the real deal, kevin is a tube Guru, and he and his cohorts are what all high-end dealers should be...their knowledge is vast and they ship the right way and fast.

To conclude, the Primaluna is a fun trouble free amp that you can easily tune to your liking. As always synergy is key.