Since 2003 PrimaLuna has been building pure valve amplifiers with a clear mission: delivering high-performance valve-based audio components at affordable prices, resolving the reliability issues that had often dissuaded people from investing in the sonic beauty of valves. Their current, much-acclaimed EvoLution range spans 12 valve amplifiers – integrated amps, preamps and power amps across four price tiers – as well as a valve-based DAC.

Now in 2021, a new amplifier joins the range – and for the first time in PrimaLuna’s history, it’s not a valve amp! Or at least, it’s not entirely a valve amp. The PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier results from a collaboration between PrimaLuna and Floyd Design – the solid-state design arm of Durob Audio, PrimaLuna’s parent company. PrimaLuna has designed the valve-based preamp stage. Floyd Design has created the solid-state power stage. The two have worked together to mould a hybrid amp of such synergistic quality, it really does deliver the best of both worlds.

Combining valve and solid-state amplification in a single chassis to capture their inherent qualities – the effusive fluidity of valves, the power and grip of solid-state – is something audio electronics designers have attempted for decades, to varying degrees of success. The difficulty is in engineering these two different technological forms with their contrasting characteristics to meld to create a seamless sonic whole that genuinely delivers the best of both. Too often, hybrid amps turn out to be less than the sum of their parts – a mismatch, both technically and sonically.

In a hybrid system, the solid-state components may be considered the invaders. Thus, it is essential to choose solid-state components that behave similarly to a tube. MOSFETs, used in the power stages, share similar characteristics to valves, and Jan de Groot, the head of Floyd Design, has created amps with MOSFETs for 26 years.

They combined one of their most successful PrimaLuna pre-stages with a quality MOSFET poweramplifier already designed by their Floyd Design department, matched it for the best sound quality possible and mounted it in one chassis! Et voilà! It’s not like most other HYBRID Integrated Amplifiers on the market. You can SEE that, and you can HEAR that. And they didn’t want to be like the other hybrids in the market. They just wanted to produce the BEST HYBRID possible, and they knew it would become a more expensive unit. After the final fine-tuning and listening tests, they can easily accept and justify that!

Here, the respective expertise of PrimaLuna and Floyd Design, empowered by their close working relationship under common ownership, has enabled the creation of a hybrid amplifier that works in perfect concert from input to output. The result of this fusion of valve and solid-state excellence is an amp that delivers a tremendous dynamic range, deep and broad stereo imaging, smoothly expressive mid and high frequencies, taught and tuneful bass, and fast, punchy control.

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫