Aside from its considerable audio merits, the Primare 30.1 is arguably the best looking and best turned out amplifier in this month's group, which is praise indeed as there are some strong contenders. This is a big amplifier, though not grossly so, and it is one of the densest and heaviest pieces of hardware of its type, thanks to a massively endowed power supply section which is responsible for the 100 Watts into eight Ohms (180 Watts into four Ohms) power ratings. The front panel incorporates a stand-off to house the display and control circuits, which is an effective aesthetic feature, but the most impressive features of all are the three turned controls, which are simply the best.
The amplifier is a dual mono design, with a 300VA transformer for each channel. Inputs - there are six - are relay switched and controlled by an impulse generator volume control offering high precision 1dB stepped attenuation and good channel balance, even at low volume settings, which is difficult to achieve with stepped rotary potentiometers. Controls are limited to volume and source selection, and there's no tape monitor facility. A full system remote control also offers balance adjustment.
Unusually there is also an absolute phase switch, but most unusual of all is that two of the inputs are fully balanced, which has its up and down side. Balanced operation should deliver better sound quality, though much depends on the specific circuit topology. Few have access to balanced source components, and for the rest of us, the A30.1 is reduced in effect to a four input amplifier. However, Primare's own D30.2 CD player is a balanced mode player, and there are others, mainly from high-end producers where it's considered essential.
Sound quality
There was no substantial disagreement about this one, and on the one occasion where there was a difference in judgement, it was about the musical merit of the amp, and not about the actual sound. By common consent, then, this was heard as an easy, light and open amplifier, which was generally felt to be enjoyable and fresh. Diction was counted as particularly good in the vocal tracks, and tonality was generally warm and open. Two listeners guessed the brand correctly, though neither had been told which brands had been included in the test.
"Intimate, tactile, and with good timing" was one typical comment following the Claire Martin track Riverman, while another described the same piece as "very enjoyable, light and fresh, very good diction and a believable guitar". The Dohnanyi Symphonic Minutes Op. 36 was felt "a little rushed" by one and "warm, easy to listen to, almost valve-like" by another. It was precisely this warmth and grace that was heard by one listener as a little too easy and relaxed to be true, but even he scored the Primare well at the end of the sessions.
This is indeed an impressive amplifier, with plenty of subtle, tactile detail and a coherent, solid balance; an amplifier moreover that worked consistently well in each of the systems tried. In some ways it is not the most immediately likeable performer because its qualities, though wide ranging, are evenly, even thinly spread, but it repays extended listening all the more for this.
Conclusion
Best Buy. This is one of the most naturally balanced, least intrusive and thoroughly enjoyable amplifiers in the group, whose sound for once is sophisticated and complete enough to justify its cost. What more can you ask?
地址：厦门禾祥西路8之70号（联邦音响电器街）
联系电话：2287878 传真：2286222
全对称/平衡电路，附有平衡输入与输出端子， 是一台不折不扣的，双单声道合并式扩音机， 采用元件比传统产品多四倍。精选的元件与 毫不妥协的电路设计，是一台外形漂亮双靓 声的扩音机。输出功率100瓦X2，频应10
至10万周，尺寸：430X375X100毫米，重 量15公斤
