CD32/I32 system in Music Emotion magazine (Holland) December 2010
“Primare is one of the relatively few brands that has a deep understanding of how important it is to be different and especially to stay different. It has a very strong character that manifests itself in these new models as a wonderful, almost irresistible combination of elegance, modesty, high-quality build and advanced yet easy operation. In the new I32 we have real evidence of the technical progression that drives Primare’s desire for change, for despite the recognisable Primare design signature outside, the design inside has clearly been transformed in comparison to its predecessor…the I32 is a totally modern amplifier with the tonal quality that is characteristically Primare in spite of the use of the modified D class technology. If anything that familiar rhythmic coherence and smoothness has been enhanced by a more grown-up and realistic representation of low level information and more powerful dynamics. In the end the I32 and CD32 have become devices through which everybody will find an involving music experience. They’ll make you smile with their user-friendliness and excellent quality at such a reasonable price.”
Please find original Dutch review and the English translation in I32 downloads section.
CD32/I32 system in Audio-Video magazine (Poland) January 2011
"I had formed my opinion of the amplifier’s sound when I learnt that it works in Class D (but) what is interesting is that this, the first Class D amplifier from Primare, also features a sound quality that is unique to this company – a sense of analytical detachment, a feeling that it is presenting the sound in the most objective way…this creates a very interesting effect. You’re surprised by tiny musical resonances that were always present on the disk but now reproduced with honesty. Although at first this seems cold and impersonal, eventually it proves to be very complex and rich. What is perceived as lacking in emotion at the start becomes more engaging with every album played. It is the micro detail that is responsible for inspiring new emotions...to tell you the truth I did not think that sound of this character could be so musical.”rimare 32 is a system that's not only pleasant on the eye. It also has a precise, clean, detailed and really musical sound. It is well worth to listen and recommended".
Please find original Polish review and the English translation in I32 downloads section.
CD32/I32 system in Stereo magazine (Germany) March 2011
“Primare uses a high-efficiency Class D amplifier technology for the I32 known as "Ultra Fast Power Device ": UFPD in short. There is no question that you can produce high performance in this mode, and the Swedes prove it again. However, Class D amps must still defend themselves against the suspicion that they are only partially audiophile. With UFPD, Primare wants to circumvent all the pitfalls of standard Class D and provide the highest quality by realising stable gain and a high damping factor…particularly noticeable in the high performance of the I32 was the way that it handled B&W‘s 802 Diamond without a hint of trouble. It’s not a flashy sounding amplifier: despite all the speed and lithe playfulness, it does its job discreetly and inconspicuously, yet with real commitment. The Primare components are not only able to keep up with their peers, they’re at the head of the list and are a powerful statement from the Swedes. A genuine recommendation for Nordic design in sound.”
Please find full English translation of this review in I32 downloads section.
CD32/I32 system in Audio Video magazine (Czech Republic) February 2011
“Power amplifiers operating in class D are often referred to as digital, but this is not completely true with reference to the nature of the analogue processed signal…the sound reproduction through this system is spectrally balanced with a deep velvety bass and a non-distorted treble. Spatial localisation is stable and clear. Playback of CDs with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz is concrete and "tight", and sounds quieter and more ‘open’ with increasing sampling frequency reproduction. The properties of the amplifier will force even an average loudspeaker into "brisker motion". The bass has adequate power with an unlimited dynamic range and solid contours for high-volume listening. Both Primare devices also afford excellent quality of reproduction.”
CD32/I32 system in Hi Fi Test Audio Video (Germany) February 2011
It is not easy to identify what I liked most about the Primare combination. Was it the unique design, the solid workmanship, the touch and feel of quality materials or the high-tech electronics with their excellent measured performance? In the end I think it was the sheer joy of playing the combination that exited me most. Performance, dynamics and precision without limits, coupled with open, honest timbres and a touch of individuality: just like a Swedish Turbo!
Please find full English translation of this review in I32 downloads section
CD32/I32 system in Hi Fi Choice (UK) April 2011
"Close your eyes and you’re convinced that with just a couple of steps towards the speakers you’ll be in danger of impaling yourself on the end of a cello spike or copping a drumstick on the nose. Images are simply superb, immaculately spread out in all directions and utterly stable, fully vindicating the 80-year-old confidence trick that is stereo. It’s a finding we repeated over and over as we trawled through the widest selection of recordings, old and new, from jazz to rock to classical to unclassifiable. Cue up some operatic monster and the panoply of 200 players and singers is there before you: play the simplest voice and guitar ballad and the intimacy is immediate."
Please find full review in I32 downloads section
Performance and Potential
Primare's CD32 and I32 system has impressed Andrew Everard, the Audio Editor of the UK's revered classical music title Gramophone. In a two page eulogy in the May 2011 issue, he says of the I32 " this is a powerful amplifier, as capable when handling the full force of a symphony orchestra as it is with accompanied solo voice or instrument, but it's one you really can't hear working. That, in my book, makes it a somehwat exemplary device."
Please view and download the complete review in the I32 download section.
UFPD: Definitive Proof
Our proprietary UFPD is a wideband low distortion technology and not like other Class D designs. We’ve said it all along, but if you’re looking for a definitively independent assessment, the June 2011 issue of the UK’s foremost hi fi magazine Hi Fi News has all the proof you need! In listening and lab tests by the UK’s most experienced review team, the I32’s audiophile nature is revealed. In a group test of its peers, the I32 has emerged as an ‘outstanding’ product.
The review says: “Sounding crisp and squeaky clean the I32 delivered startling clarity that was captivating. Forget any preconceptions about Class D switching amps having impressive bass delivery but offering grainy high frequencies. The Primare sounded tight and grippy along with a highly explicit treble that made the percussion…sound uncannily real. And the bass was impressive: extended, powerful and highly descriptive.”
And the lab report says “Unlike most Class D amps (but like the Hypex), the I32’s response and distortion characteristics are broadly unaffected by speaker loading, offering a response flat to 60kHz (–3dB) and free of ultrasonic peaks or other resonances. Similarly, its output impedance remains impressively uniform at 0.024-0.07ohm right across the audio range, with the inevitable rise (caused by the output inductors) displaced to a harmless 1.4ohm/100kHz. Distortion is very low indeed at 0.002-0.006% from a subsonic 5Hz to 1kHz, rising gently thereafter to 0.037% at 20kHz and 0.05% at 40kHz.”
Please view and download the complete review in the I32 download section
Hi Fi Lessons
“With the I32 and CD32, Primare from Sweden is introducing a special combination at the cutting edge of technology, which addresses the performance needs of even the most demanding audiophile. The combination produces very high resolution, huge reserves of power, excellent tonal balance and graduation. But if you were to ask us which is the main protagonist of this test, we would tell you without hesitation that it is the CD32, which is a real bargain in this price level because it combines excellent build level, hypermodern aesthetic design and a sound which nails it in terms of resolution, transparency and speed in every musical style.” HXOS magazine, Greece
Please view and download the original Greek review in the I32 download section.
