PrimaLuna Evo 200 underwhelming

Thanks and I am sure you are right, it’s hard to make the right decision sometimes and we always seem to be looking for something, whatever we have. That’s the nature of this hi fi disease. 

@sns +1!

I own a PrimaLuna power amplifier. The stock Chinese EL 34 tubes sound like crap. Very anemic. I don’t care what Deal says. Buy a quad set of Tung Sol KT 150’s. HUGE, TALKING NIGHT N DAY DIFFERENCE. You’ll hear bass you didn’t know your speakers were capable of producing. Also, you’ll have to remove the tube cage with the large and tall  “Christmas looking KT 150 bulbs”.  Instant horse power! You can thank me later….

You’re on to something with the Tannoy speakers. It’s no accident that Upscale Audio is the U.S. distributor for both Primaluna and Tannoy. I’ve heard the combination at Upscale and the higher end Primaluna amps 300/400 play really well with Tannoys. Can’t comment on the 200 - haven’t heard it. I nearly purchased a set of Tannoys before settling on Spatial Audio M3 Sapphire. I don’t think the Spatials are available yet in the UK.

The tube suggestions above are good as well. I swapped out the stock 12AU7 gain tubes for Brimar CV4003 and immediately noticed a more defined top end and slightly more soundstage depth. I recently rolled in a set of KT120 power tubes and noticed more detail from lows to highs and more power and weight in the bass. The KT150s are a step up in horsepower from the 120s. You have to remove the tube cage to use the 150s, so not the best choice if you have young kids around which is why I haven’t tried them.

if you’re new to tube amps you might be a little intimidated about the idea of swapping tubes. Don’t be - it doesn’t require any special skill set. Just gently but firmly pull the old tubes out and gently but firmly seat the new tubes in. Just don’t get in the habit of swapping tubes out every other week, which over time will start to degrade the sockets. Put them in and leave them in.

Thanks guys, that’s good advice. As advised by another responder, I tried the Evo through my Bose headphones and they do sound amazing. So clearly the info is there but not through the speakers. I can’t afford to change the Robsons, they were not cheap, and I know eventually I will tire of the Tannoys in my small listening room. So I have made the decision and arranged to send the Evo 200 back, while I still can. Amazingly, in comparison my Naim Uniti Atom sounds pretty good but having had a taste of the tube amplifiers sound, I know what I want. It’s been a good exercise though, and I have learned a lot from all you guys, that will put me in good stead for the future. So happy listening everyone and many thanks.