“This PL EVO 400 Integrated Amp is my return to tube audio after a multi decade hiatus. As a youngster I vividly recall Dad and Uncle H comparing their stereo rigs, tubes of course since this was the 50’s. Over the ensuing years I would entertain adding tube components to my rigs but never lit the candle. When I saw and heard the PL EVO 400 integrated amp I could no longer procrastinate. I’ve only had my EVO for two weeks so it needs more “burn-in” time. So far though I’ve been thrilled with several aspects of my EVO. This thing is built like a tank. The transformers are seriously excellent. Electronics, especially as it relates to audio equipment has been a pastime for me going back to childhood. I mention that because I really appreciate the “old school” point to point wiring in this unit. From an audio component assembly perspective that hand crafted wiring is a thing of beauty. If there was a transparent enclosure option I would take it in a heart beat just to look at that beautiful point to point wiring. Also the power transformers contribute to the hefty weight (40lbs) of the PL EVO 400 but in a relatively compact unit. The quality of the factory installed tubes (4xEL34-2x12AX7-2x12AU7)is superb. I’ll hold off on any “tube rolling” until I get my unit fully broken in and enjoy the factory tubes for a while. I was also pleasantly surprised with how quickly the unit warms up. There’s a handy led on the front panel that notifies you when the tubes are warmed up and ready to make music. Also there’s a “bad tube warning” protocol via a red LED that illuminates in front of the offending power tube(s) along with a red LED showing on the front panel. Another impressive feature is the quality of the remote control. This remote is not your usual lightweight that is mostly plastic. No, this remote is a top quality solid metal unit with some heft to it. Along with the usual remote control functions it also facilitates selection between triode or ultra-linear switching. In closing I must state that I’m thrilled with my first tube audio component in a very long time. I anticipate that as it becomes more seasoned the sound quality, which is excellent at this time will become even better as it ages like a fine wine. BTW, there was a small concern as to whether this unit would have sufficient power to drive a pair of classic mirror imaged, but power hungry Dahlquist DQ-10s. The EVO 400 I. A. doesn’t break a sweat in that regard. Oh and needless to say that the crew at Upscale Audio reflect the qualities of the founder, professional , personable, knowledgeable and dedicated, each to their own area of expertise in the audio/home entertainment equipment field. Geez, my review has evolved into more of a treatise. Bottom line, GREAT UNIT, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“this amp is heavily under rated. yes it is rated high but thats not what i meant. i got this amp with the kt150 tubes and the sound quality exceeds amps ive been around lately in the last several months. i wanted to take advantage of the quality assurance upgrade option wondering if something could sound better i would be interested. decided i would stop by a couple friends houses and i even drove to three audio stores and asked to listen to specific tracks i had on a usb. songs i knew really well. i have to say i did hear some good 15-30k amps. the 15k range was almost unnoticeable but some extra clarity at higher volumes and were talking like 1% or less clarity increase. all other really expensive amps i heard; some really didnt sound much better at all, some even sounded duller, while there was one 30k that blew me away but the guy had 100k speakers on it. with regard to the evo 400 it has absolutely no noise even when turned up in silence. it is extremely bright but not brittle, meaning a snare drum, or a tight vocal or a cymbal crash sounds like its supposed to. my friends call the evo the heart breaker. it can play so clean that you can hear the high quality vs poor quality production recordings in great detail. revealing some songs just sound like a preschooler recorded it and others sound incredible like you are standing there. i have noticed pail in comparison many stereo, decks, and speakers all setup with a colored or :boasted: type of configuration in the circuit. this almost makes all the songs super level in volume and tonal character. this makes most amps really sound the same in nature and even some of the not well recorded and mastered songs sound loud and proud. i don't understand why amps have these hidden features. its really embellishing and sorta gives those other name brand or more expensive amps a way to hide from a truly immersive experience; with just added tonal changes to boast everything with the designers ambitions to audio(this actually limits and restricts those amps sound stage and immersive sound experience). the thing i noticed on this amp is that is doesn't have any of these features. its takes in the signal and it will reproduce it 100% on the output side allowing mistakes to be present and or truly astounding quality audio to be present. i would say its on par with a 15-30k amp easily any day of the week. the one thing i will mention is in my journey i went through three speakers with this amp, and as i had a semi positive experience with the klipsch, i then upgraded to the monitor audio and those allowed the amp to shine but still sounded a bit neutered. i then upgraded to 328be and it was a completely different experience. if you are limited to speakers then i suggest you get this amp as a go to for sonic performance(it wont hold you back). if you can afford to crank up your speaker budget and invest in a speakers that can actually allow you to hear the quality of this amp then you will not be disappointed. this amp + revels was a like a bare noticeable if any comparison to a 100k dollar speaker + 30k power amp. the only thing i noticed was beyond this amps wattage delivery, the other 30k amp sounded better cranked up delivering serious sound to those other speakers as the amp and speakers had a higher capacity to operate. the evo400 itself at full volume has no audio based defects, its just the limit where it hits. i have yet to turn it up and hear any distortion or fatigued audio noises. this amp with a decent speaker budget and wiring is absolutely the best value you will find on the market. note: i am operating in a 90% treated dead room. so i can hear a mouse fart in the background if there were to be one in the recording. dont sleep on this amp. i assume using two power amps in mono would substantially make a difference from what others have said, in my situation i have a small room so the integrated amp was my choice.”

4 Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Anthony F Greene

Verified Reviewer

“This amp is the perfect pairing for my Klipsch Cornwall IVs. They sound so lively. They scream "Turn me up". I love how many inputs this amp has. Rare these days.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Bill Corbett

Verified Reviewer

“The PrimaLuna EVO 400 is fantastic. Loving it.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Robert Dean From Washington State

Unverified Reviewer

“I've been using solid state amps since I started building stereos 35 years ago. The Prima Luna Evo 400 integrated is my first tube amp. After getting my new Cornwall IVs in late January (23) I decided that my Yamaha AS701 was really paired better with my Heresy IVs and after a heck of a lot of research, I decided on the PLI400. So I did the surgery getting it installed in my listening room and powered it up. The tubes got nice and hot and started emitting an odor that filled the room. I guess this is just what new tubes do. This brought a question to my head though. When you buy Upscale Audio tubes, they claim to burn them in for a period of time. Hmmmm, so they don't do this for the tubes installed on the new amps they sell? The odor went away completely after two uses. Anyway despite not having any tube burn in time I immediately noticed that I had been missing out on this tube thing. Gorgeous stereo ear candy and this thing doubles as a second fire place. Those tubes get real hot. I had to move from a shelf to the top of the cabinet as there were some input switching issues because it was running so hot. This hasn't happened since I moved it. I also noticed that there is no need to chase bass matching from my subwoofer. The sub just follows nicely. I rarely adjust my subwoofer anymore. I'm a vinyl lover and most of my listening is from the turn table. I use the amp's phono stage; its silent and the music flows with deep imagery and a broad sound-stage. Listening to my vinyl catalog is a whole new experience. Now its been two months or so and I'm fairly sure those tubes are all burned in. This thing has very nice output transformers. Bass is deep and seems to appear out of the ink. All the musical notes mature and decay exquisitely. As a rock and metal fan, I wonder what tubes are next in this thing. I watched a YT review recently and a fella said that he wouldn't listen to metal on a tube amp. Well my ears love it. One Saturday while my wife was away I chose a RATM album on vinyl and got it quite loud. I couldn't stop smiling. It's just sooo good. Next was Metallica's Black Album. Thundering detail that I never heard before and the smile was there. The power of this thing is immense. Most of my listening has the volume pot at about 8 o'clock. It's rare that I get it past 10 cause thing thing just plain rocks! They do need to put a better input switching pot on it. Its clunky and doesn't at all match the feel of the volume knob. Small taters. Lastly, this amp is a heck of a lot of money for us small guys but I have to say that it' s worth the hard work it took to pay for it.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Lehman Black

Verified Reviewer

“Sometimes what appears to be the simplest piece of audio equipment can be the most powerful and expressive. With just 2 front knobs and no meters or balance controls the EVO 400 has brought my moderate size listening room to life like no other previous amplifier has before. Using the stock E34 tubes and driving my beloved LSA Statement floor standers (88db sensitivity) the music finally sounds so life like I was brought to tears in less than 50 hrs of break in! I have owned tube integrated amps from Rogue Audio, Octave, Ayon, Audio Research and Conrad Johnson with many costing 2-3 times as much as the EVO 400, and this unit betters them all. Running the plate voltage on the tubes low has no deleterious effects on the sound and will only preserve the life of the amp. Combine that with the Adaptive Auto Bias, the bad tube indicator, dead quiet inputs and the unbelievable price and you have the best integrated amp out there.”

6 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“Absolutely love the EVO 400 I. Falling in love again with my old vinyl collection while exploring new amazing-sounding music with the Rose 150B streamer. Thanks to Sean for outstanding service with my purchase from Upscale, an enjoyable buying experience.”

3 Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“The best amp I have ever owned. Paired with Focal 936 speakers a match made in Heaven. Thank you Joel for your expert advice. Highly recommended.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

PrimaLuna EVO 400 Tube Integrated Amp Black / No Phonostage / Stock EL34 Only Reviews