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Prima Luna Prologue 2 vs Rotel RB-1572

I have spent the first five years of my retired life building a collection of used vintage solid state gear and I am now ready to try and "move up" in the sound experience by buying new.

I am considering the PL Prologue 2 and the Rotel RB 1572 power amp/RC 1550 preamp.

Cost is a major consideration so I cannot go beyond the $2K
spending point.

My next consideration is carry-in service cuz' I will no longer ship items anywhere for repair. Both these brands meet this need.

My third consideration is quality of sound, simplicity of operation and reliability of use.

I have listened to both product lines in other environments and was impressed.

However I will not be able to upgrade my speakers in the near future, if ever, and I do not know how either of these brands will sound with what I have:

Klipsch RF-35, 8 ohm 98db 1w/1m
Polk Lsi9, 4 ohms, 88db 1w/1m
ADS L880/2, 8 ohms 89db 1w/1m

I am aware that there should be an ideal synergy between the electronics and the speakers, but I do not have a clue whether it exists with either of these amps any my existing speakers.

Can anyone please comment on the PL Prolougue 2 vs Rotel question and how each might perform with my existing speakers and,
...whether the phono card offered by PL for $199 is a worthwhile purchase.

Many thanks
treehugger
treehugger OP
4 posts
 
Thank you Grinnell, Crankshaft and Saki70.

Yes it is purely 2 channel music - phono, tuner and CD - that I will be playing.

If I understand correct, the PL Prologue 2 will do best through 8 ohm high efficiency speakers and do less well through less efficient or lower impedance speakers.

Speakers are presently a problem for me because I used no foresight as to what I would be driving each speaker purchase with. As a result, it is only the 8 Ohm 98 db Klipsch which sounds good with any of my amplifiers.

However, the Polks must be driven by the McIntosh 70 wpc
MA-6100 and the ADS's must be driven by the 140 wpc Accuphase E-202. Otherwise the sound like krap

I certainly am leaning toward the PL Prologue 2 now, but in the back of my mind I think I could eliminate the speaker matching problem with the Rotel.

On the other hand, I have to have a tube setup before I go on to the great beyond, so PL here I come.

Thank again gentlemen
synthfreek's avatar
synthfreek
627 posts
 
And the phono stage is well worth the $199. I lived with it for 2 years before I moved up. I have Cornwalls.
treehugger OP
4 posts
 
Well I tried. Checked back with the local Prima Luna distributor and found the price has gone up 20%. Just after I spent 4 months skimming my social security budget to reach the old price. Guess tubes just aren't in my future.
grinnell
1,095 posts
 
Buy used the dealer will or should do work on it the PL2 is a pretty sturdy beast even with shipping i'd do it and i had to ship mine out to LA from Colorado turned out no problem but had the caps upgraded to Hovlands

keep an eye out here for one i paid $1200 with the phono bd and a nice heavy power cord and that was 3 years ago prices have come down seen a few for around 900

tubes have just blown me away and my friends are all quite impressed :)
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