Hi All,
Been a long time since posting. I've had my Triton 1's for a couple of years now. And they never disappoint. My VPI Classic (3) tt still sounds amazing through the Marantz PM7005 and the T1's with the help of an Avid Pulsus phono preamp. CD's are also very good. Recently I was given over a Terabyte of digital music (mostly DSD but Flac and other modes as well) and have utilized the PM7005's (had the PM8005, but it is relegated to my "B" system since it does not have the requisite USB-B port) ability to take the signal from my Asus laptop via the Marantz USB driver to listen to this music. It sounds very good for sure through the T1's. However, I am noticing some harshness in many of these music files. I also am detecting some harshness when playing CD's (CD player is a Cambridge azur651c) as well. Perhaps my T1's are breaking in (I've been a bit remiss in my listening due to job change..Startup with lots of travel but things getting a bit normal now... only about 100 hours on the system overall) or perhaps I am becoming more aware of these sonic characteristics now that I have a premium pair of speakers that have revealed the good and the bad over time? IDK. I've only been exposed to these wonderful sounds for a couple of years, which pales, I would guess, to the total hours many of you have logged in your high-end systems, so I am certainly exploring new pros and cons of my modest system.

That being said, I am intrigued by the audiophiles that swear by tube amps and after reading up on the subject ad nauseum, I need to hear from my fellow Golden Ear Enthusiasts.

My max budget is about the cost of the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium integrated at around $2300. I believe this amp does not include a phono input but that can be added to another $200. I have read in multiple reviews that the PrimaLuna and Triton speakers ((1 and 2(+)) are a perfect match for the Primaluna Prem power amp or integrated amp (I don't have a preamp so need an integrated), especially for one like myself who is cautiously looking into his first tube amp, keeping in mind the bang for the buck factor (like the one I got with my Triton 1's.)

I would appreciate anyone who has this amp/speaker combo if they would share their thoughts on this pair. I am also curious how I would play my digital files (I use Jriver Media Center ver M23 at this time) through the PL since it does not have a USB-B port.
I may have to relegate those files to my "B" system as it may be sacrilege to use a tube amp to play digital files (?). IDK. A motivator to pull the trigger is perhaps I could recoup some of my payout on the PL by selling the Marantz PM8005 since, like most of us, I am on a sort of budget... Decisions!

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts.

Thank you in advance for your time.

best
Gus

Hi Gus,
Your Triton Ones are capable of amazing sound, and you are right, they are on top of my list for bang for the buck!!!!
You should be enjoying sweet music through them. BUT, as you noticed, they are revealing speakers and can show any weak spots you might have in your system.
Having said that, your music files, assuming there is nothing wrong with the, and DSD/FLAC files should be great quality, one would think, should NOT be sounding harsh. Can you play them elsewhere to check that there is nothing wrong with them? That might be a good place to start.
A LOT of us have chosen to use the Oppo blu-ray, dvd, SACD, DVD-A, and CD player which can also serve as a DAC for playback of your files. That might also be a good place to look--the UDP 105 or now the 205 .
But to directly address your quest, yes tubes are GREAT!!!! And the Primaluna Proloogue Int. would surely be a step up from your Marantz (though it is no slouch, yet it is probably not up to the same level of quality as the wonderful Triton Ones). The Primaluna may also be a great place to start. But you will need a DAC to play your files through it (and there is nothing wrong with playing good music files (NOT talking about MP3s here, but proper files like you have) in a high end system which you have with the Triton Ones and are building up. They should sound fantastic.
Sorry, I have not heard that particular combo, so I cannot speak directly to the PL and Ones. I have the Ones with hybrid tube/transistor amps from Vincent and LOVE the sound. I am more of a basshead that you probably are, so I want a little more ommph on the bottom than most tube amps supply. IF that is interesting, there are some great hybrid integrated amps out there with tubes in the pre-amp stage and transistors or MOSFETS or even class D output in the amp stage. I figure you have already read about all that though and decided on the PL.
Whichever way you go, I am sure you will be delighted with the music you get through your Triton Ones once you upgrade and sort out the file playing.
Have fun with it,
God Bless,
Wayne

Hello Wayne,

thank you very much for your prompt response. Very good advice and info. Appreciated.

Funny thing happened while researching PrimaLuna tube int amps... My focus was on the prologue as it received rave reviews by a Stereophile reviewer. His biggest praise came when he used a PL Prologue to do an updated review of the Triton 2+, which has been updated to sound more like the T1's. So I decided to compare the Prologue to the next one up the line, thinking that one would be more closely matched to my T1's. When comparing the PL Prologue and Dialogue, there are several features, including a "full" rather than a "slim" remote control...... that made me yearn for the better model, but alas, $3400 is a bit out of my budget so I will go with the Prologue. if it's good enough for the Stereophile reviewer's reference system (I think he bought it) it should be good enough for my T1's.

Here's the funny thing... I was doing a general search for the PL Dialogue, hoping to find one in mint condition for less than what a new one would cost. Well, believe it or not, I found one on ebay that was about a year old and in pristine condition. And he wanted about $700 less than a new one. He seemed legit with 100% satisfactin rating, so I took a chance and got it. I sent him a message via ebay and asked him a few questions, then let him know what I had for gear, including the T1's. He commented he heard a PL Prologue at a high end audio store connected to a pair of Triton 2+'s and said they sound gorgeous so he has a healthy respect for the GE speakers. He believe the Dialogue will be a perfect match to the T1's due to their 92db sensitivity rating. The 35 watts the PLD generates with the stock EL34 (?) should be plenty to drive the T1's. As I am a bassist, my only concern is that the low end won't be as powerful with the PLD, but everything I've read puts my mind at ease about that.

the seller is only selling his PLD so he can fund buying 2 Dialogue Premium HP's to use a mono blocks. It took him two months to finally decide to sell. Glad he did. The pics are a good indicator his PLD is prisitine as he claims. I take very good care of my gear as well, so appreciate the care he has taken to prevent chips, nicks and dents. Both on the Int. and the remote. I should see it next week sometime. I will let you know how they sound. I would guess the T1's are well broken in now so this should be fun and interesting.

Now that I will be losing my Marantz PM7005 with the built in DAC, can anyone recommend a budget friendly stand alone DAC to use with my music files? I have a "B" system that has a VPI Traveler tt, the Marantz PM8005 I originally bought with the rest of my gear, not knowing I would need a DAC in the future, a pair of Klipsch RF-3's (mint) circa 2001. Since I rarely have the patience to listen to one album completely before searching for the next find (there are literally thousands of music files/albums in the 1.3 Tb library) perhaps I will use the PM7005/RF-3/(have a small HSU sub but found the RF-3's do a good job with most bass fequencies) VPI Traveler/technics carousel cd player. I also have a Tascam DVD recorder in that rack. So this might be the best place for the 7005 and use the PLD/VPI Classic 3/Avid Pulsus phono preamp/RF-3's/Cambridge azur 651C cd player. I could put the 8005 up for sale (it's mint a comes with a customer dust cover I had made for all of my gear) to recoup some of my investment to some budding audiophile who has a need as it won't be used at all. Thoughts?

I expect many hours of joyful listening with my T1's providing the sound pressures.

Thank you for your time Wayne.
atb
Gus

WOW Gus, good for you man!!!!!
I am not really that clued up on Primaluna products, so I just watched this video and am VERY impressed!!!!!
www.primaluna-usa.com/dialogue-premium-integrated/
Sounds like a major leap forward for you sound wise.
I am happy for you!!!!
Just to address a couple of your thoughts, EL34 tubes are SWEET AS!!!!! The KT88 is a touch more powerful/forceful sounding, but not as sweet IMHO. We are talking SMOOTH here. MUSICAL toobs!!!! In the video the man addresses bass, which is sometimes lacking from amps using EL34 tubes, and he says the transformers will put out the bass with this tube. If that is correct, and I have no reason to doubt that, then you REALLY will not have to worry, because the sub section of the Triton One is powered and will fully and warmly, powerfully play your bass as long as it gets to the Triton's input in the first place. It is a case of what goes in comes out louder. So poor bass from some flabby sounding tubes will sound poor and flabby and louder when coming out of the Ones. But good quality bass coming in will sound even more powerful and awesome coming out.
I hope that makes sense, I can tell you more about that IF you are worried or it does not make sense.
And remember, these are just my subjective, experience based comments.
Others may disagree.
And of course, that built in powered subwoofer means, as I am sure you already know and have researched, those 35 wpc should play the Ones plenty loud, and beautifully!!!! And 35 toob watts are much more than solid state ratings in my experience. The Ones are that efficient you should be able to really get down with that much power. (Course power is always a the more the merrier sorta deal, so I can understand that guy going for the mono blocks to increase his power.)
I follow your logic about selling the other int. amp and going for a DAC. You should be able to find a really good DAC for what you can get from you Marantz.
Bro Art here has a thread on DACs so you may be able to get some ideas there.
I think you are gonna have a whale of a system, good for you, well done, get off the bus, Gus!!!!
God Bless,
Wayne

Hey Wayne.

Thanks for your input. Seems you know your way around toobs!! The PO says he only has about 140 hours on the original EL34's as he is quite the tube connoisseur and has several sets of power tubes to use. The smaller 12au7 tubes (2 preamps/4 drivers) have about 1000 hours on them, but he says they are good for at least 5000 hours while being used in the PrimaLuna so will leave well enough alone for quite a while. He liked the KT88's but he says the same as you about the EL34's. Very smooth and musical. With the T1's 92 dB sensitivity, I'm sure the EL34's will be fine.

The video hyperlink you posted is the vid that helped me make the decision to pull the trigger on the used Dialogue.
Your explanation about quantity and quality regarding the output of the T1's makes perfect sense. Thank you!

I am considering a PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC for the 1.3 Tb of music files I have but will have to wait a bit as they are a bit pricey. Well worth the $ but I can live with my "B" system with the built in DAC on the PM7005 for those files. My focus will be spending many hours with my LP's and favorite High-Quality CD's to discover what I've been missing all these years by staying with Solid State. Granted, the sound of the Marantz amp is excellent. And they certainly aren't cheap at $1200 new. But I am intrigued by toobs and I believe I am one who can appreciate the marked improvement of sound quality that a "quality" tube integrate tube amp can provide. If I can find a buyer for my Marantz PM8005, that would be a good start on saving up for the NuWave DAC. We shall see.

I will be sure to check out Bro Art's thread on DACs. Something I know very little about.

Btw: Since I"m on vacation, and in anticipation of receiving my PLD next week, I took some time today to go to my local (1 hour away) best music store that has a wonderful selection of LP's and picked up about 10 albums for not much $. Most of them are compilation albums with an assortment of hits during a particular time period. All in very good condition. A very good bang for the buck. I will try them on my B system first after cleaning (they do a cursory cleaning in the shop, but I believe a more thorough cleaning is required before needle drop) then give them a listen through the T1's. So looking forward to this next step in the evolution of my listening experience.

Thanks again for your input Wayne. Appreciated.
I'll try to remember to post an update on the forum if case anyone else is considering the PrimaLuna product line to complement their Golden Ear speakers.
atb
gus

Hey Gus,
Sounds like you have researched your subject well and asked a LOT of the right questions.
About the wonderful world of tubes:
Yes, a lot of us love to roll tubes in search of the best sound possible. At first, you probably will want to just get to know your PL amp with the tubes it has in it, and those tubes have very little time on them. Though I do not know which tubes PL uses and puts in their amps. Likely a currently produced brand.
NOS tubes are fun to look for and roll into place to see how they sound. And they can make more of a difference than one might imagine. I am not associated with this place, but I buy all my tubes from Chelsea and Tyler at TC Tubes. They are honest and always steer me in the right direction, not pushing some old tube off on me to make a buck. You can write them to ask questions, they have wonderfully carefully matched pairs and quads. tctubes.com/6CA7-EL34-KT77.aspx
Just a suggestion here. What I do is, buy a pair or quad of tubes I want to try and put them into place and keep the stock tubes supplied by the amp manuf. as back up. You need to have back up tubes in case a tube burns out, you don't want to be stuck for a few days without music, waiting for new tubes to come in. And IF you don't like them better than the stock tubes, put them back in and keep the NOS for spares.
That amp will take and auto bias many different kinds of tubes, so the joys of tube rolling are nearly endless with it.
Have fun and enjoy the ride,
God Bless,
Wayne