Предусилители — Primare PRE35

The PRE35 from Primare is a modular stereo preamplifier with fully balanced analogue circuitry, laid out on a four-layer main board so that the signal path stays as short as possible. Primare presents it as a system control centre with very low noise, and its modular chassis accepts optional digital and streaming boards, so an analogue unit bought today can later gain conversion and network playback. The listed price is EUR 3,200, with black and titanium as the two finish options.

Key specs that matter

On the input side there are two stereo pairs on XLR and three stereo pairs on RCA. Outputs comprise two balanced XLR preamplifier pairs, one RCA preamplifier pair and one RCA line output at fixed level, which suits feeding a recorder or a second system without following the volume setting. Primare gives the preamplifier output gain as 16.5 dB, total harmonic distortion below 0.002 percent from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and a noise figure better than 100 dB signal to noise. The analogue section offers 30 kOhm impedance on the XLR inputs and 15 kOhm on the RCA inputs, while the XLR outputs sit at 380 ohm and the RCA outputs at 100 ohm. The case measures 430 mm wide, 106 mm high and 420 mm deep.

Engineering and use context

Two expansion slots define the modular concept. The DM36 module adds a digital-to-analogue converter based on the ESS ES9068A chip, with PCM up to 384 kHz and 32 bit, DSD256 and MQA processing, plus Toslink, coaxial and USB inputs. The SM35 module installs the Prisma network player, bringing Roon Ready status, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Chromecast built-in. A single signature knob on the front handles both input selection and volume. For integration with other equipment there is the C25 remote for IR system control, 3.5 mm IR input and output, a 12 V trigger output on a 3.5 mm jack and an RS232 port for external control systems.

Pairing

With two balanced output pairs, the PRE35 can feed a main stereo power amplifier alongside a second amplifier, such as a pair of mono units or an active subwoofer with XLR inputs, at the same time. Primare builds the PRE35 in the same 35 series as its full-size modular amplifiers, and the trigger output lets a connected Primare power amplifier power up whenever the preamplifier is turned on.

Alternatives

Primare also makes the SC15 Prisma MK2, a network player and DAC with preamplifier functions and WiSA wireless speaker connection.