Help on power amp selection (1 Viewer)

[Daneel]

Does anyone have experience of the Primare A30.5 power amp? I’m particularly interested in comparisons to the Rotel 1075 and 1095. After a lot of research I’ve found it uses 5 separate power supplies which is good from some points of view, however each one is only capable of 160 VA. The 1075 which is rated to the same 5 x 120W has a large toroid transformer of 1500 VA. Having said that, the Primare does nearly double in power going from 8 ohms (120W) to 4 ohms (200W) which indicates a fairly robust PS.

Also it’s damn heavy weighing in at 27kg compared to the 1075’s 17kg. I am being offered the unit 6 months old in very good condition for the same price as the 1075 new (prices are higher here in the UK, the 1075 is £845 here, only $999 in the US).

I demoed it on my B&W 602s3s and was very pleased with the improvement over my Pioneer 2011 (45tx) receiver. What I am concerned about is how it will handle the speakers I intend to upgrade to in a few months time. The prime contenders for now are the B&W 703s (rated 50W-200W). How do you think the Primare will cope with those?

The guy offering the Primare will be putting it on Ebay pretty soon so I need to make a decision fast.

All input appreciated.

Reviews can be found

here and here

 

[Daneel]

Hey guys I did a spreadsheet of the first review comparing the output of all three power amps. Also I got the 160 VA figure from here. I hope it's wrong and have emailed to ask them but there has been no response so far.

Any advice at all?

 

[JohnSmith]

I would go for the Primare. The Rotel's are a good first step into poweramp market, and are good for the money. But Primare's are in a different league.

Especially if you're into music/multi-channel. The Rotels offer a good safe sound- Primare more refined.