Primaluna amp with Sonus Faber?


So I am planning my next major upgrade and while I originally wanted McIntosh 601s for my Sonus Faber Guarneri mementos I am looking in other directions.

Anyone have thoughts on the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP amp paired with above speakers?

I want separate amp and preamp so that is why I am not touching the integrate primaluna. As far as preamps go, I am still considering McIntosh, the C52, but may also look at other options.

Room size is medium-large most likely (try to guess on size as I will be moving in a year or so anyway). All opinions and thoughts appreciated!
runninkyle17
I would agree with George, the solid state Mac will work much better.  A tube amp delivers more power at a higher impedance.  The impedance curve of your speakers indicates your speakers will have a louder output basically from 700 to 7000 Hz.  A solid state amp delivers the power equally across the frequency spectrum.  For a linear sound with a tube amp, you need a speaker with a smooth impedance curve without any bumps or dips.

http://fritzspeakers.com/Images/speakers/Carbon7SEimpedancePhaseGraph900.jpg

 
runninkyle17 OP1 posts@georgehifi That is interesting.

Can you explain in a in a little more detail. Does the primaluna amp have issues with high impendance loads?

In a way this one does into high impedance also, as this graph shows it has a sharp rising frequency response peak from 10khz to 50khz into 8ohms, 4ohms and also the simulated speaker loads, the only time this is flattened out is into the green 2ohms load???

"Stereophile Fig.1 PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP, 4 ohm tap, triode mode, frequency response with volume control at its maximum at 2.83V into: simulated loudspeaker load (gray), 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red), 4 ohms (left cyan, right magenta), 2 ohms (green) (1dB/vertical div.)."
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/images/1214PLDPIfig01.jpg

This sharp rising peak is also shown up as a nasty overshoot on a 10khz square wave.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/1214PLDPIfig03.jpg

Cheers George
Looks like I have some more reading and thinking to do.

I know many people look at frequency response as the end all be all of audio, but in the end I will try to go with what sounds good to me.

I guess the best way for me to answer this question is to audition each piece of gear and see what I think.

Thanks everyone who chimed in. It really does help with the whole decision process. I have a feeling that I might end up with the MC601's and just get a tube pre-amp in the end :)
I know many people look at frequency response as the end all be all of audio


Tests/measurements should be looked at, as well as listened to, that's how amps are built and designed.
  
Here in Australia we had a PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP owner who was complaining about hardness in the top end.

I showed him and explained the peaking in the top end of the stereophile frequency response and square wave tests, he then put it up for sale on the same forum.
I was castigated by other PL owners for doing this, all they could say was to listen to it, graphs/tests are meaningless, and buried their head in the sand.

I then proceeded to explain how this peaking problem could be fixed, and other techs agreed that the HF peak could be eliminated, with about 1hrs work that involved the feedback network and HF filters.
  
The ones that castigated me, suddenly wanted to know what and how to do this themselves, but knowing they would be incompetent without the necessary tools, I just gave them names of very capable tube techs that were able to do it for them, because they didn't have the frequency generators and oscilloscopes needed to do the job properly and then to check what was done.

They quickly went back into castigation mode.  

Cheers George   
Will your dealer let you audition in your home? That’s how I ended up buying my PL HP integrated.