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Primare - Reliable ?

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So, I just had an ex demo Primare i35. It sounded nice for a day then a few days later - dead. Powers up but no sound output. Its going back.
It sounded quite nice and I'm tempted to buy a brand new one, with a warranty BUT It's only got 2 years warranty where longer is the norm, and no doubt those complex class D circuit boards are difficult to repair.
So, are Primare's reliable ? Do they have a good reputation ?
 
I have been using Primare CDP's and amplification exclusively for over 20 years. In that time, I have never had a problem. Most recently I have moved up the foodchain to the Pre60/A60 combo and am well pleased. They get to work most days and they sound fantastic. Class D technology at work here and no issues.
IME Primare kit has been ultra reliable.
 
I have been using Primare CDP's and amplification exclusively for over 20 years. In that time, I have never had a problem. Most recently I have moved up the foodchain to the Pre60/A60 combo and am well pleased. They get to work most days and they sound fantastic. Class D technology at work here and no issues.
IME Primare kit has been ultra reliable.

Thanks - so I guess me using Primare for 1 day and then hitting a major failure is a one off
 
I had a used Primare CD player for 5 years, never had any problems and built quality was very good. My unit was from 2004 so not extra vintage but old enough to realize they are reliable.
 
I have been using Primare CDP's and amplification exclusively for over 20 years. In that time, I have never had a problem. Most recently I have moved up the foodchain to the Pre60/A60 combo and am well pleased. They get to work most days and they sound fantastic. Class D technology at work here and no issues.
IME Primare kit has been ultra reliable.
i32 here... bombproof so far
 
I've had and still have a fair bit of Primare stuff (BD32; Pre 32+MM30 x2 (one in both systems); R30 phono stage; A30.2 power amp -> A34.2 power amp -> A60 power amps as I moved up the range). Never really had any problems (my Pre 32 with MM30 digital/streaming board accidentally downloaded the firmware for the i32, but Karma A/V sorted that for me free of charge, including all the postage) and it's the best sounding kit I've ever had. I'm a bit of a fan.

I think you've been very unlucky. If it's under warranty, return it or get the distributor to fix it. Karma in the UK is first class.
 
I've never actually owned any Primate, but sold a fair bit of it back in my retail days (early/mid noughties) and can't remember ever having anything back faulty...unlike a lot of other brands.
It's beautifully made and from my experience very reliable.
 
I’ve got a SP31.7 and it still sounds great but it is slightly buggy recently switching in and out of Dolby Digital. I think I would need to spend a fortune to better it with something new.
 
The CD players have a poor reputation in the trade for reliability....but strangely you never hear much about said problems from any owners....
I had a pair of AW400’s and one of them went pop 5 minutes after I bought it...of course dropping the (connected to the pre) I/C plum across the speaker terminals didn’t help :p
 
Thanks - so I guess me using Primare for 1 day and then hitting a major failure is a one off
Well I believe Primare and reliability
The CD players have a poor reputation in the trade for reliability....but strangely you never hear much about said problems from any owners....
I had a pair of AW400’s and one of them went pop 5 minutes after I bought it...of course dropping the (connected to the pre) I/C plum across the speaker terminals didn’t help :p
I have had four of their CD players and never a problem.
 
Well I believe Primare and reliability

I have had four of their CD players and never a problem.

Yep my point exactly, but the guy who I bought 4 sets of Primare monos from (moving up the range) always said that the CD players were excellent but would never sell me one...
He was probably one of Primares biggest dealers in the uk too...
 
I have a Primare i32 and after a year of use it did develop a fault - no sound from the speaker terminals (pre-out and tape-out still fed signal). Being under guarantee Karma organised the shipping and sorted the fault and they did say they were surprised by the fault and deemed it very unusual for a Primare amp. There's always going to be a risk, and like me, you might be one of the unlucky ones (although I don't feel that unlucky as it got repaired without any fuss whatsoever and I got to play with my older amps to make me realise why I love the Primare so much) - but I get the impression by the people that repair these things that Primare are super reliable on the whole.
 
Yep my point exactly, but the guy who I bought 4 sets of Primare monos from (moving up the range) always said that the CD players were excellent but would never sell me one...
He was probably one of Primares biggest dealers in the uk too...
Strange
 
I had an A30.1 amp which failed I had to replace one of the transformers, I wasn’t that impressed when I opened it up.
Don’t think I would buy anything from them again.
 


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