Can a Prima Luna Prologue 5 drive early Maggies?


I have a Clearaudio Innovation Compact with 2 Vector 3 tonearms, a PS Audio GCPH pre-amp, Magneplanar MG-I speakers (the original 5-footers which have 87 dB sensitivity), and an old NAD 3155 amp. I’d like to replace the old amp with a new one.
On my local craigslist there is a one-year old Prima Luna Prologue 5 Tube Power Amplifier for sale for $1000. I’ve been warned here before against trying to run my speakers with weak tube amps, but I keep wondering. This primaluna is said to have an output of 36 wpc. Would that suffice for my maggies? How about New 2012 Dared VP-845 SET tube integrated amp? Would that work? Would you advise using the PS Audio pre-amp with it?
franz456
This topic has been beaten to death. The simple no BS answer is no you can't drive Maggies "the way they should be driven with weak tube amps", Some will argue that you can do it but the general concensus is no, so don't even try it.
BTW The price for the amp is fair if you are interested in getting into tubes using some other speakers , which I personally favor. Good Luck.
As Magnepan owner powerful solid state I recommend you, don't hesitate about it.
I have MG 1.7's with the prologue premium and have used both EL34's and KT-88's, no issues with playing loudly. In that 42 watt situation I am much happier than I was with the Musical concepts modified Hafler DH-200 which stock had 100 watts. It is a fact that maggies are inefficient and playing full orchestra pieces will tax the amp but tube amps clip much more gracefully than solid state amps.. about the only time I have ever heard clipping was in the low drum or pipe organ bass notes maggies don't reproduce well any way. Prima Luna has also just announced that their full line can handle the Kt-120 power tubes... while these may not deliver their full 60 watts of power in an amp not originally designed for them, in a KT-88 amp they are reputed to still have more bass slam and definition as a drop in replacement for KT-88... mine arrive this friday.

So go for it, it will be a quantum leap forward compared to the NAD
The Prologue 5 will not accept KT-120's, per Upscale Audio. I love mine with KT88's but into 96dB Tannoys.
the K2-120's arrived and are in play. The first 2 hours was troublesome, tube distortion and a bad tube fault. After that they started breaking in,opened up wide and roared. Bass slam and a palpable feeling of greater dynamic openness make these a winner. So far no temptation to put the KT-88's back in circuit.
Douger, sounds like you didn't get the memo :<)
Review the Prima Luna USA site main page announcement, section 4 on the rotating banner. As a product manager outside the audio industry, its no surprise to me that Prima Luna followed good conservative practice, said no to the KT-120's until they actually had time to test and then published a yes answer.