I own the Prima Luna HP with KT150s mated to the Focal 1038 in a 12,5 by 20 ft room with eight ft. ceilings.the 1038 is not to big!.front end are the DSD and DMP plus a Aurender N100H.analog is Rega Planar Three 2017 version.it all sounds awsome.
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Wow! That is my system (almost)! I have the 1028s, and my PL HP integrated has the KT150s!! BTW, I had a bunch of tube sets on hand from owning a VTL amp so I tried Russian 6550s, KT88s also. The KT150s are world class tubes and really sound great. And, Windom tames any etching/detail and warms the whole thing up.
BTW, the headphone amp in that PL is very good (or however they implemented it). I use Focal Clear headphones and just enjoy it to the max.
Have you tried headphones and what do you use?
Enjoy!
Peace
Bruce in Philly
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I have only tried the stock EL34s and the KT 150s.i have tried diff. 12au7s.some NOS Mallards and Briemers.have the Brimears in there now.Thought the stock 12au7s were a little hot on the top end.have had the KT150s in the amp for about a year and a half.sound best after amp has been on for half an hour at least.
no.do not own any headphones at all.i have read that the headphone amp in the HP in very good.
I own the 1028 BE II for almost 8 years now. The strong points are the drivers and the tweeters. The week points are the filters and the crossovers. They could be a bit more neutral. But when you find the right amps they will be jaw dropping good. In the past I used a Classé CA2300, but it lacked low frequency control. Now I use class D amps for ultimate control. The downside of the low frequency control can be the room modes.
I use the Focals from 100Hz and up, below 100Hz I use a B&W DB1 sub. This way the Focals are far more neutral and holographic. I made the bass ports longer… with a cover of a magazine. The extension is 40cm long and I put the foam plugs in the end. This brought a far better midrange. Due to high pass filter (set in my preamp) the filters of the Focals work much better. The midrange and high frequencies are breathtaking good. They are the best loudspeakers I ever auditioned in a 32m2 room.
Enjoy your Focals,
Wijnand
You guys have my home office system! PL HP, running EL34s right now (but I like the KT150s occasionally), DSD, VPI Prime, Gryphon phono stage, and Focal 1038 Be II. But I’ll be honest, when I compare to the Nola Contenders that they replaced (I still own them), I lose some warmth and body, but I get more air and smoothness. Focal’s tweeters are pretty impressive. I sometimes wonder if the 1038s would pair better with a tube amp that – unlike the PL – has more traditional tube amp characteristics.
More tube amp characteristics? Hmmm… interesting… it is all perspective. I think the PL HP integrated has way more tube character than the two VTL 300 Deluxe monoblocs I had before the PL. The VTLs sounded … no veil … and almost no tubeness… just enough I thought. So when I put my PL into the system and retired the constantly failing VTLs, I was shocked by the amount of tubeness the PL has… but is also more veiled. Always an interesting hobby.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Have you tried the KT 88 tubes, I have the Focal 1038 be with Primaluna HP in mono configuration. I tried the KT 150 and always felt I was not getting the best out of my system. The EL34 are better but the KT 88 gets everything right from top to bottom a lot of detail and some nice tube warmth . I have a set of Gold Lion KT 88 and mullard Kt88 they both sound the same. And they are made in the same factory the even look the same but have a big price difference if you get the mullards you will not be missing anything.
The most tubeness sound from the PL is with the stock EL34s. I have a stockpile of 6550s and KT88s from owning those crazy VTLs… so I put those in… I didn’t like what the KT88s did but that could have been their age or the stresses the VTLs put on them… who knows. THe KT150s I have in there now, from Kevin, sound the best… but not the sweetness of the EL34s. I could flip them back, but I am fine with the KT150s.
My point is not that the PLs are not or are tubey, it is just that what I came from, the VTLs had less tubeyness. So to me, the PLs are really tubey to me.
To be totally honest, tubeyness is, I think, a distortion. But I don’t care, I like it.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
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I originally bought a pair of Electra 1008 BEs for an bedroom system powered by an old French tube amp called a Kora Mercury. Phenomenal at voices and detail. My main system is BKK pre/250/P10/DSD/PWT, and an innuous zen mk 3 with Legacy Focus Se speakers. I tried the 1008s in my main system but the room is too big. I bought the 1028s because I wanted the magic of the monitors in a bigger size, appropriate for the room. What I came to realize is that both pair of speakers fulfill different needs. The Legacies are more polite and tolerant of poorer recordings. They fill the room really well and have great bass. I have the 1028s on the long wall, more near field, and they are more luscious and detailed. So I switch between them based on my mood and the music I am playing. I have upgraded the PS system as far as I can afford and this is a simple way to get some variety.