Page 32 - 2022-08-01 Sound & Vision

test report

PRIMARE A35.8 8-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIER

RATING

PERFORMANCE

FEATURES
Power Play ERGONOMICS

VALUE
By Daniel Kumin

LET’S FACE IT, amplifiers are a neces- refinements, to provide eight channels misplace the supplied power cord: the
sary evil. Unless you’re listening to a of power, each capable of dumping many you have in your junk closet won’t
crystal radio through a flesh-colored up to 150 wa s into 8-ohm loads (or work (ask me how I know).
earphone, you’re not going to hear 400 wa s into 2 ohms), from a chassis Each of the aforementioned channel
much of anything without at least one that’s smaller and lighter—though at 33 groupings comprises an unbalanced
amplifier between the music and your pounds, not exactly featherweight— RCA input, a balanced-line input (XLR
ears. than many a stereo power amp. (Hypex male), and a speaker output on heavy-
The amplifier’s job is pre y simple: is a Dutch firm, founded by Mister Class gauge multi-way posts, unfortunately
“make bigger but don’t change D, Bruno Putzeys. Putzeys is ex-Philips, spaced too widely for dual-banana
anything.” But that doesn’t mean it’s where he developed the technology plugs. (I believe this is due to a Euro
easy. Audio designers have been upon which Ncore amplifier modules safety regulation that aims to prevent AC
wrestling with amplifier types and and subsequent versions are based.) power from being accidentally applied.
topologies for more than a century, The 35.8 is a plain but handsomely Lord, protect us from ourselves.) Each
balancing power, size, weight, heat, and finished black slab (also available in grouping also gets two mini-toggle
cost in near-endless iterations. Then brushed silver), unadorned on the switches. One selects either the unbal-
along came class D, which upended front except for a pilot LED and etched anced RCA or balanced XLR input; the
the juggling match, combining new Primare logo, which cleverly encircles other chooses among three modes:
highs (power) and potential lows (all the the power bu on. The rear panel more Bridged, Channel, and “Bridged +6dB.”
rest) in one small package. And don’t than makes up for the fascia’s austerity, Channel is the baseline, supplying
call it digital, ’cause it’s not—there’s no teeming with eight channel groupings, 150 wa s (8 ohms) to the channel in
quantization per se—but that’s a story plus an RS-232 serial port (for custom- question. Bridged combines adjacent
for another time. system control and comms), 12vDC odd- and even-numbered channels for
Exhibit A: the new A35.8 power ampli- trigger input and output on minijacks, The A35.8's eight a claimed 740 wa s (8 ohms, at 1 kHz),
fier from Sweden’s Primare. It employs and an IEC AC inlet. The power inlet is channels are wherein you connect your speaker wire
an octet of Hypex Ncore (NC500) the seldom-seen 20-amp variety with bridgeable and each to the even-numbered channel’s “+”
class-D modules, with Primare’s own three horizontal blades in place of the deliver 150 watts terminal and the odd-numbered chan-
power-supply, input, and heat-sink more familiar vertical ones, so don’t into 8 ohms. nel’s “–” terminal. “Bridged +6dB” does

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32 August September 2022 soundandvision.com