PrimaLuna EVO 100 User manual

PrimaLuna EVO 100 Phonostage Quick Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of this world-class tube phonostage for both moving magnet (MM)
and moving coil (MC) cartridges.
As with all quality audio equipment, your PrimaLuna EVO 100 Phonostage needs to be broken in.
The tubes need at least 100 hours of playing time before they start to sound their best, but every
component, from capacitors to power transformers will take time to settle in. Be patient! You’ll notice
the biggest improvement after 24 hours of playing, and after that it just keeps on getting better for up
to 500 hours.
Caution: As with any vacuum tube equipment, once you turn the unit off, do not turn it back on again
for about three minutes, or damage may result.
Quick Guide to the Tubes
Your PrimaLuna EVO 100 Phonostage uses the following tubes: 2 x EL34, 2 x 5AR4, 4 x 12AX7, 2 x
6922.
The two larger tubes on either end of the back row are EL34 power tubes, and these are used to
stabilize and filter the power supply.
The smaller tubes in between them are 5AR4, used for power supply rectification i.e. to convert AC
to DC.
The four tubes in front under the tube protectors (which helps shield them from radio interference)
are 12AX7 signal tubes. They are used as the primary gain stage for MM cartridges, and as a
secondary gain stage for MC cartridges. (The outer tubes are the first gain stage for each channel
and the inner tubes the second gain stage.)
The two 6922 tubes are well shielded in a compartment at the back of the unit, and the MC signal is
sent to these tubes for primary amplification before being sent to the 12AX7 gain stages.
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Quick Start
1) Connect your RCA tonearm cable to the input on the back of the phonostage.
2) Connect an RCA interconnect to the output on the back of the phonostage and connect the other end to a
line input on your preamplifier. (Note: Do not use a preamp input marked “phono” if there is an internal
phonostage.)
3) Connect the power cable and turn on the EVO 100 Phonostage using the power switch on the left side of
the unit. Remember, once you turn the unit off, do not turn it back on again for about three minutes.
4) Use the Mode button on the front panel to select MM or MC depending on what type of cartridge you have.
5) MM mode gives you 40 dB of gain for your moving magnet cartridge.
a) You can use the switch on the right side of the unit to choose between 47 pF and 100 pF of input
capacitance. This setting depends on the capacitance of the tonearm cable and can be safely used on
whichever setting sounds better to you.
b) If you are tube rolling, remember MM mode does not use the 6922 tubes in the back of the unit.
6) MC mode offers three gain settings and five input impedance settings for your moving coil cartridge.
a) Find the lowest gain setting out of Low (52 dB), Medium (56 dB), or High (60 dB) to appropriately match
your cartridge (check your cartridge manufacturer recommendations) and set the MC Gain knob to
match.
i) You can go higher from there if you want to match the volume of another source, but don’t go lower.
ii) When you go higher, listen for distortion, and go back to the lower setting if you hear any.
b) Use your cartridge manufacturer’s specifications to find the minimum recommended input impedance
setting, and set the MC Load knob to the appropriate setting. In general, the impedance setting is about
10 times the internal impedance of the cartridge as listed in the cartridge specifications. Thus, an internal
impedance of 10 ohms results in a loading of about 100 ohms. You can go higher or lower from there,
and use what sounds best. Changes will tune the frequency response and change the quality of bass and
amount of “air” on the top end. Pick the setting you like, or change it on the fly depending on the
recording.