Prima Luna Premium Pre

Importer of the brand, not exactly impartial observer...

"Importer of the brand, not exactly impartial observer..."

Yes, but he has some points, doesn't he?

Yes, he does make some good points.

So The Prima Luna weighs more and may be better built.

How do the parts internally compare to a Conrad Johnson ET3SE on a quality basis?

More importantly does it sound better?

My local dealer sells both CJ & Prima Luna and he told me The Prima Luna is inferior to The CJ ET3SE. His opinion is if you are going to upgrade go to an ET5 or something in a similar price range and that The Prima Luna is going backwards.

Of course that is his opinion. It is hard without listening to the Prima Luna in the same system as the CJ.

I wouldn't worry so much about the parts as the sound. My Jadis preamps had parts in them that may not have been the most expensive, but the end result was stunning.

If your dealer has both brands, can't you listen to them there and compare? Or better yet, borrow them to try at home in your system? That way you'll know if it sounds better to the only ears that matter, yours. Look at the above posts--there are two people who have differing opinions of the Prima Luna vs. McIntosh. I would say they are both correct, as far as their own hearing and personal preferences in what they want out of their audio systems go. You need to make your decision based on what you hear, not what someone else says.