PrimaLuna - USA EVO 100 TUBE Phonostage V2
The EVO 100 Tube Phonostage V2 brings vinyl alive with liquid midrange, three-dimensional imaging and richly textured valve tone. HiFi News applauded its seamless, grain-free realism, while TONEAudio MAGAZINE found dynamics and spatial depth exceptional. Flexible MM/MC loading and gain make this an engrossing, all-tube centrepiece for serious analogue systems.
WATT RECOMMENDS
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Cartridge Compatibility
89/100
Build Quality
91/100
Value for Money
92/100
Pros
Lush, liquid and highly realistic vocal and instrumental presentation, with minimal grain or sibilance.
Expansive, layered soundstage with strong air, scale and separation of complex musical lines.
Versatile cartridge matching via selectable MM capacitance, five MC loading options and three MC gain settings.
Substantial, carefully finished all-tube construction with protective SoftStart and transformer-protection circuits.
Cons
Single RCA-only input/output arrangement lacks balanced connections and does not accommodate two turntables.
Maximum 60dB MC gain may be insufficient for some very low-output moving-coil cartridges in lower-gain systems.
Valve operation produces noticeable heat and eventually requires replacement tubes.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers consistently describe a highly musical, spacious all-tube presentation with exceptional tonal richness, strong dynamic expression and convincing dimensionality. Its character is warmly organic rather than overtly analytical, while still being praised for clarity, detail and freedom from obvious grain.
Transparency Noise Floor
85/100
HiFi News heard a notably detailed, transparent and accurate presentation, with fluid notes, little artifice and no apparent sibilance or grain. The reviews do not directly assess hum, hiss or background silence, so there is limited evidence about ultimate low-noise performance with demanding MC cartridges.
Tonal Balance Musicality
95/100
This is the EVO 100's clearest strength. Reviewers repeatedly praise its lush yet realistic vocal richness, liquid midrange, sweet treble, warmth, air and ability to draw the listener deeply into music without becoming sluggish or overly soft.
Dynamics
95/100
TONEAudio calls the tone and dynamics 'out of this world good' and found it left very little behind compared with far more expensive phono stages. Hi-fi+ also found it equally convincing with heavy metal and solo acoustic guitar, describing timing as spot-on and the presentation as energetic and involving.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
The tube circuit is repeatedly credited with a three-dimensional, layered presentation. Reviewers heard an almost holographic soundstage, clear access to individual strands of a recording, strong scale, air and a sense of musicians responding to one another.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Cartridge Compatibility
89/100
The EVO 100 supports both MM and MC cartridges, with MM capacitance choices of 47pF and 100pF, plus five useful MC loading settings from 50 ohms to 1k ohm. Selectable MC gain of 52dB, 56dB and 60dB gives it practical versatility, though the 60dB maximum may be limiting for some especially low-output moving-coils and connectivity is RCA-only.
Build Quality
91/100
Reviewers describe a heavy-gauge, fully vented steel chassis with a carefully finished painted exterior, brushed fascia and protective tube cage. The SoftStart circuit is also a thoughtful practical touch, avoiding turn-on thumps while the substantial all-tube power-supply arrangement is kept properly ventilated.
Value for Money
92/100
At the reviewed prices of roughly $3,700, TONEAudio called it one of the best deals available and said its performance suggested a substantially higher price, awarding it an Exceptional Value Award. The current listed price is $4,495, but the reviewers' comparisons with respected phono stages around $10,000 still support a strong value case within serious high-end valve phono amplification.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Price
- $4,495
- Input
- Stereo RCA
- Output
- Stereo RCA
- Tube Complement
- 4 - 12AX7 2 - 6922 2 - EL34 2 - 5AR4
- Dimensions (W x H x D)
- 11" x 7.5" x 15.9"
- Weight
- 28.7 lbs
- Gain
- 40 dB
- Input Impedance
- 47 kOhm
- Input Capacitance (Selectable)
- 47 pF, 100 pF
- Gain (Selectable)
- 60, 56, 52 dB
- Input Impedance (Selectable)
- 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 ohm
Manufacturer's Description — PrimaLuna - USA
Dare to Compare
Compare PrimaLuna construction to any other brand, at any price. You'll be amazed.
An external phonostage that is PrimaLuna with a massive power transformer, 5AR4 tube rectification, and with 12AX7 gain for MM, and 6922 gain for MC
It's here at last, a standalone PrimaLuna phonostage built to the same extreme level of engineering as every other PrimaLuna, and every bit as thoughtful and intuitive. The goal with the EVO 100 phonostage was to keep controls and features as simple as possible.
The EVO 100 Phonostage supports both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. The MM stage offers two capacitance settings, and the MC stage offers three gain, and five input impedance settings. The delicate signals in the MC stage are protected by mechanically decoupling the board.
All PrimaLuna, Inside and Out
At 27.9 lb, you know the EVO 100 Phonostage is all PrimaLuna in its use of a massive custom power transformer, with full protection. The heavy gauge steel chassis sports PrimaLuna's deep, glassy five-coat paint, with each coat hand-rubbed and polished.
Inside, all of the high-quality parts are joined using point-to-point wiring. The parts list is familiar to any PrimaLuna fan: ceramic tube sockets, Nichicon and DuRoch capacitors, and gold-plated connectors.
All-Tube Glory
As you'd expect from PrimaLuna, the EVO 100 Phonostage is tube rectified using two 5AR4 tubes. Two EL34 stabilize the power supply, and four 12AX7 form the gain stage for the MM setting. Gain for MC is from two 6922 tubes.
This makes the EVO 100 Phonostage the perfect match for PrimaLuna gear, bringing all-tube magic into every part of the signal. Or, pair this with a revealing solid-state system and enjoy huge levels of detail without a shred of harshness.
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