Primare i32

[DocG]

Primare is built in a region of Sweden famous for its industrial entreprenourship, Småland. Would believe it to be top notch quality.

OMG! Child labour! :O Småland is the kintergarten in that multinational Swedish furniture shop, right?

(BTW, I've planned a demo of the SA Pandion 2 next week!)

 

[matthewpiano]

I get my new Exposure amp on Tuesday which I am really excited about even though it will be a while before I have the CD player and speakers to make the most of it.

The 2010S is a very good amp, CDP is even better IMHO. However, the amp does need a punchy speaker to hear them at their best. Although I assume you'll be having the newer model, which maybe slightly different.

Hi PP. Its the 1010 amp. Works brilliantly in the system I'm putting together. No need for the 2010.

 

[stevebrock]

Before you jump into another amp I think you have to do a "weaning" of the Elicit R. The Elicit R has a very different sound sig from all the amps that i've demo a few month back.

My Pathos dealer is a Primare dealer, hear many times the i32 with the Primare DAC 30 as a source and the new MA silver 6 line with Inakustic speaker cables, was where i start to be found of inakustik.

Saying that i think it will not be "love at first demo" but the Primare can grow on you, if you give it time.

Try to find a Sonneteer dealer if you will keep the RS3 or upgrade to the RS5, i think (from what i've read, Sonneteer is a very revealing, transparent sounding amp.)

If not you will need power to drive some speakers that you have talk about and the Roksan Caspian M2 can be your next amp...

I am not jumping into another amp on a whim, I have tried & tried with the Elcit but at the end of my tether now.

Gettinig the Primare i32 on home demo for 14 days - If I like it then it will be a stayer - I should know after a few days.

It is not easy trying to demo lots of different amps, all my local dealers stock is Naim, Linn, Rega - then stuff like Rotel/Marantz etc.

re: Pathos Logos - there is no way I could live with its look!

From all the opinion I have read the i32 ticks a lot of my boxes.

 

[drummerman]

Great we all like different things. Personally I think the Primare range looks somewhat ... ahem ... pretentious? (some would call it high end)

Personally, if I was looking for an amplifier in that price range I'd try both BelCanto and Hegel, perhaps Naim. Pushing the boat out slightly more, I'd probably consider the new cyrus all-in-one system.

Good thing is we are now spoilt for choice. There are more options than ever, that much for those saying hifi is dead.

I am looking forward to your impressions of the Primare

regards

 

[CnoEvil]

However, the system I heard was in fact:

Primare CD32 + PRE32 + A34.2 + KEF Reference 203/2

I thought the amps were powerful, a bit gritty, and nastily thin with male voices. But that could just be me.

Cheers

Matt

I am not all surprised at this, as it was something I was getting at in another thread about how ruthlessly revealing, "reference" type speakers can change like a chameleon, depending on the amp.

You have described exactly how I have heard Kef Refs sounding, and why I recommend amps with a hint of warmth.

Matching the Primare with SF, Harbeth, R Series, Spendor or indeed Rega would give a less brittle, lean and analytical sound.

 

[mpapo]

You could try and score a second hand Ayre AX-7E amp.

Other nice and more affordable brands to buy new from are e.g. Hegel, wyred4sound, ...

I like my Hegel amp a lot with my Kef LS50's , nice clean, non-fatiguing, dynamic sound. It actually reminds me of the Ayre AX-7E amp I once owned, but unfortunately sold due to WAF issues.

 

[matthewpiano]

This was something I found at my recent auditions. The Audio Note AX2s seem to be very revealing of upstream electronics (both amp and source). With the Eposure 1010 they sounded wonderfully musical, but switching to the Edwards Audio Apprentice amp things got a bit too brightly lit. System matching simply cannot be under-estimated in its importance.

 

[CnoEvil]

This was something I found at my recent auditions. The Audio Note AX2s seem to be very revealing of upstream electronics (both amp and source). With the Eposure 1010 they sounded wonderfully musical, but switching to the Edwards Audio Apprentice amp things got a bit too brightly lit. System matching simply cannot be under-estimated in its importance.

AN AX2s are an overlooked (but rare) gem of a speaker......and would be a great excuse to get a little valve amp or a Sugden A 21. :shifty:

I can see how they would work with Exposure...fast, clean,musical. NICE.

 

[Cockroach]

to be fair I could of lived

to be fair I could HAVE lived ......

 

[chebby]

AN AX2s are an overlooked (but rare) gem of a speaker....

A lot of old Snell Type K (Audio-Note AN-K) DNA in them.

Audio-Note even sell the replacement Snell Type K foam surrounds.

They look so unfashionable I reckon they must be good. (Wider baffles and almost equal width-to-depth proportions are a dead giveaway of another era.)

 

[Cockroach]

I Think your right,

I think YOU'RE right, .....

 

[chebby]

I Think your right,

I think YOU'RE right, .....

An ellipsis should be three dots ...

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

I know you have had a hard time with the Elicit R, and some times is painful to let some things go, but emotion and reason don't play in the same team...

Put some work into trying to demo the Roksan Caspian M2 I foud it very tranparent and revealing close to Elicit R sound signature.

 

[ifor]

I Think your right,

I think YOU'RE right, .....

An ellipsis should be three dots ...

i had to look that up; I'd no heard of an ellipsis before.

 

[plastic penguin]

This was something I found at my recent auditions. The Audio Note AX2s seem to be very revealing of upstream electronics (both amp and source). With the Eposure 1010 they sounded wonderfully musical, but switching to the Edwards Audio Apprentice amp things got a bit too brightly lit. System matching simply cannot be under-estimated in its importance.

AN AX2s are an overlooked (but rare) gem of a speaker......and would be a great excuse to get a little valve amp or a Sugden A 21. :shifty:

I can see how they would work with Exposure...fast, clean,musical. NICE.

Mentioned this so many times: They are overlooked because few stockists exist. With little exposure (excuse the pun) and outlets, fewer opinions. have to say I get frustrated by hearing recommendations of these unknowners, but can't access a dem.

Have you done a lot of travelling or is Ireland overloaded with hard-to-get makes?

 

[ifor]

Confused!

 

[chebby]

duplicate post

 

[chebby]

They are overlooked because few stockists exist. With little exposure (excuse the pun) and outlets, fewer opinions. have to say I get frustrated by hearing recommendations of these unknowners, but can't access a dem.

Your nearest stockist is 17.5 miles (most of it on the A3) from your village.

(There is a closer one about 10 miles away from you - in Guildford - but their website doesn't work very well, so it's impossible to tell what Exposure products they have in stock without phoning first.)

 

[CnoEvil]

Have you done a lot of travelling or is Ireland overloaded with hard-to-get makes?

No, but in NI we have 4 good dealers (all within 1.5 hours drive), two of which* often get in less well known brands. There is also Clooney Audio in Dublin.

Lyric

Kronos*

Ardhowen*

Moores

Kronos briefly dealt with AN, and they (AN) had a room at the Nothern Ireland Audio Show, held in Belfast a couple of years ago. I had a good chance to listen to their kit and met Martin Grenall, who is their "man on the ground". Their stuff sounds wonderful, but certainly has a look from yesteryear.

AN's motto is "Elaboration creates problems, simplicity and purity create perfection".

 

[plastic penguin]

They are overlooked because few stockists exist. With little exposure (excuse the pun) and outlets, fewer opinions. have to say I get frustrated by hearing recommendations of these unknowners, but can't access a dem.

Your nearest stockist is 17.5 miles (most of it on the A3) from your village.

(There is a closer one about 10 miles away from you - in Guildford - but their website doesn't work very well, so it's impossible to tell what Exposure products they have in stock without phoning first.)

Wasn't actually referring to Exposure on this occasion. I know the Guildford one PJ. That was where they tried to sell me a 5k Naim streamer. O'briens was where I dem'd Totem Arros.

 

[chebby]

They are overlooked because few stockists exist. With little exposure (excuse the pun) and outlets, fewer opinions. have to say I get frustrated by hearing recommendations of these unknowners, but can't access a dem.

Your nearest stockist is 17.5 miles (most of it on the A3) from your village.

(There is a closer one about 10 miles away from you - in Guildford - but their website doesn't work very well, so it's impossible to tell what Exposure products they have in stock without phoning first.)

Wasn't actually referring to Exposure on this occasion.

Of course not.

"With little exposure (excuse the pun)" obviously referred to Audio-Note and not Exposure

 

[plastic penguin]

Have you done a lot of travelling or is Ireland overloaded with hard-to-get makes?

No, but in NI we have 4 good dealers (all within 1.5 hours drive), two of which* often get in less well known brands. There is also Clooney Audio in Dublin.

Lyric

Kronos*

Ardhowen*

Moores

Kronos briefly dealt with AN, and they (AN) had a room at the Nothern Ireland Audio Show, held in Belfast a couple of years ago. I had a good chance to listen to their kit and met Martin Grenall, who is their "man on the ground". Their stuff sounds wonderful, but certainly has a look from yesteryear.

AN's motto is "Elaboration creates problems, simplicity and purity create perfection".

Your pretty lucky. Most of the localish dealers in my area tend to stick to the 'known' brands, only occasionally get in specials. A few years ago SSAV at Epsom tried Dali speakers - that lasted about six months, from memory.

When I purchased the Leema that came SSAV @ Brighton. They sent it by post. Had heard it at the Guildford and Bromley branches, but they couldn't offer the same deal as Brighton.

Like Electros, there's one dealer in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, which you have to go via the car-park... ahem... the M25. That could be a six hour round trip, on a good day. There's also one in W. London, but according to couple on here, they are rubbish. The other one is in Devon, so although I live in a highly populated area, the choice outside of the Cyruses, Roksans, Arcams and Naims of this world is fairly limited. That's what I find frustrating.

 

[matt49]

However, the system I heard was in fact:

Primare CD32 + PRE32 + A34.2 + KEF Reference 203/2

I thought the amps were powerful, a bit gritty, and nastily thin with male voices. But that could just be me.

Cheers

Matt

I am not all surprised at this, as it was something I was getting at in another thread about how ruthlessly revealing, "reference" type speakers can change like a chameleon, depending on the amp.

You have described exactly how I have heard Kef Refs sounding, and why I recommend amps with a hint of warmth.

Matching the Primare with SF, Harbeth, R Series, Spendor or indeed Rega would give a less brittle, lean and analytical sound.

Yes, and I did hear the R900s on the end of the Primare kit at the same demo and preferred that set-up to the Refs, which would tend to confirm what you're saying.

Having said that, I do still think some speakers will never be to my taste, no matter what the electronics. I'm currently listening to Rega RS5s* on the end of the Sugden A21a, and the upper mids sound unpleasantly dry to me. I can't see myself liking these speakers in any system. I suspect a second-hand pair of Harbeths or Proacs will be the way to go.

Matt

*an ex-demo pair on loan for the weekend.

 

[matthewpiano]

Matt, I felt the same when I tried the RS3s during my audition. Clearly very talented speakers but not for me and I felt I would have found them tiring over a longer listening session. The ANs were much more natural and inviting for my tastes.

 

[stevebrock]

Regsarding the RS5's - As you know I have the RS3 and I knew they were probably the weak point in my system - there are on the back burner now until I get this amp sorted out.

I have just picked up a cheapo used Rotel 971 that will see me through until I find an amp that I like - I will probably like the i32, but I am going to take my time and demo a handful at home. I do want to try an Icon Audio ST40 - but not keen on Icons return policy!