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Vis-à-vis my Jadis valves the highs were rather fresh – I believe my American colleagues call this crisp. This didn’t default from a neutral balance but when in doubt seemed on the more lit-up side. In general this instilled an admirable freshness I enjoyed but recorded flaws also were laid bare rather than obscured. Take the brushed cymbals on Chihiro Yamanaka’s Abyss which produce a glorious flicker above the energetic piano game of the Japanese. This was very appealing. With hissy sibilant voices the I32 showed less tact but that wasn’t its fault. It simply passed on what’s recorded to leave it to me to blame the performer or mastering engineer. My personal yard stick is Patricia Barber’s Modern Cool which the Primare moved to the edge of tolerance. But that’s less criticism than observation.
Remaining on jazzy ground for a bit longer, it’s rare to come across an amp in this price range which screws up tonal balance and the Primare hit all the right notes to seem neither too energetic nor dull. On nits it was about nuances that are harder to identify clearly. I did miss some of the more intimate moments which the Jadis offers with for example’s e.s.t.’s furious Live in Hamburg concert. The insistence of the prematurely passed Esbjörn Svensson’s piano play didn’t telegraph alike. Despite all its other talents the costlier Jadis bested the Primate on midband expressivity. The I32 isn’t really tonally recessed. Clearly its frequency response exhibits no wild squigglies. What was up? Further A/Bs with the Jadis put me on the right trail.

The Jadis retrieved more detail and microdynamic fluctuations in the critical vocal range. I noticed this predominantly with voices and particularly with those on vinyl. On Bettye LaVette’s Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook, the Jadis conveyed more information about how her pronunciation involves breath, vocal chords, lips, tongue and throat. The Primare simplified these elements. It didn’t manage to tease them out into individual parts. Digitally sourced voices followed suit. Lucinda Williams’ smoky pipes [World without Tears] were plainly more persuasive with valves. Granted I was shamefully pleased to have found something about the Primare to criticize.
Conclusion. On technology Primare’s I32 is the height of tech. On features and trim there’s absolutely nothing to fault particularly when price enters the picture. On power efficiency and standby consumption one feels squarely future-proofed. I would recommend this machine to devotees of massive classical fare where its realistic roominess, dynamic verve and control over complexity shine. With Rock and Pop the Primare too is in its element if the speakers aren’t tuned too lean down low. Those who rather feel glued to the lips of a small Jazz combo leader or who consume their classical composers in small settings and preferably on period instruments might want to check whether the Swede does alright.

Psych profile
  • The bass is lean and quick rather than massive, reaches deep and never wants for control.
  • The mids continue seamlessly and any kind of music sounds fast and dynamic. Here the machine pulls no favorites. In direct comparison to amps with superior midband resolution one realizes how more remains possible.
  • The treble is crisp to contribute to the amp’s signature of being agile and open. Not hyper present the highs aren’t recessed either and mostly just right.
  • The dimensional perspective is flawless, realistically sorted and comfortably distanced. Localization focus is believable, i.e. neither artificially sharp nor diffuse.
Facts:
  • Concept: Class D integrated with SMPS
  • Dimensions and weight: 430 x 420 x 10 6mm (WxHxD), 11kg
  • Trim: Titanium or black
  • I/o ports: 3 RCA in, 2 XLR in, fixed and variable RCA out, speaker terminals
  • Other: Remote control, dimmable display, option slot for digital expansion card
  • Power consumption: 31 watts at idle, 0.2 watts in standby
  • Website
redaktion @ fairaudio.de