Primare I22/CD22, I22, CD22 Service Manual

Primare AB • Renvägen 1 • SE - 35245 Växjö • Sweden • Tel [phone] • www.primare.net

PRIMARE

Primare I22/CD22

With the CD22 player and the matching I22, Primare offers two
designs at the forefront of digital and analogue technologies
created to process and amplify music from the CD or on-line
sources. The result is sound with a sense of rhythm, accuracy of
timbre pitch and the holographic spatial positioning of performers.

REVIEW: I22 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND CD22 CD PLAYER
MAGAZINE: STEREO PRESTIGE & IMAGE, FRANCE
TRANSLATION FROM SEPTEMBER 2011 ISSUE
AUTHOR: P. VERCHER & J. VALLIENNE

IMAGE

&

PRESTIGE

Primare AB • Renvägen 1 • SE - 35245 Växjö • Sweden • Tel [phone] • www.primare.net

PRIMARE

This player/converter/amplifier system has proprietary technologies, which feature new power,
filtering, conversion and amplification (see our chapters on technology by image) circuits. The
result is a truly coherent sound aesthetic of great beauty without any auditory fatigue and with many
opportunities to adapt to personal tastes.

Listening Conditions

We first listened to the I22 and the CD22 separately, then together, to determine their best operating
conditions. First of all, and critically, the I22 requires a very long run-in period (as with all switch­mode power supply and switching amplification) of about one week to deliver its full open, analytical
abilities and optimal dynamic capacity.

We stress this point because if you remove the I22 from the box and plug it in, you are unlikely to
hear the potential of this amplifier. After run-in, it requires at least half an hour to stabilize its
performance. After that, the choice of power leads is critical to get the best separation, precision of
timbre and the layering of sounds. We used power cords from MIT, O2A and Silent Wire to replace
the original. Interconnects with an upper-midrange emphasis must be avoided and the most neutral
chosen to expose excellent dynamic capability. Finally, as far as speakers are concerned, we found
that, without changing the sound character, the I22 is capable of driving the most complex loads
with a disconcerting ease. Furthermore the I22 is quite astounding in its ability to retain bass quality
and speed. The remarkable CD22 player was auditioned while making many comparisons between
the various sampling frequencies it offers. The conclusions will go against many preconceived
ideas. In general the 44.1 kHz frequency appears to offer the best spatial coherence, with robust,
well-structured timbres. The higher the oversampling frequency, the more micro-information is
defined, but at the cost of a little control over bass, dynamics, timbre accuracy and stereo width.
Thus, at 192 kHz, rich micro-detail gives an impression of greater transparency: a quite ethereal
character especially from large orchestral works, but with a slightly shortened stereo image width.
To paraphrase the title of a Pirandello play, one is tempted to say "to each his own truth", but be
aware, you must already have speakers with great definition to really appreciate these minute
differences. In the end, we opted to listen at 44.1 kHz where all the parameters appeared the most
balanced to us.

Listen

With the BWV70 Cantata by Bach, the Primare set reveals the entire character of the performance
under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner, while distinguishing, with an extremely precise analytical
capability, between the different instruments of the orchestra, in particular the trumpet and the
reverberant oboe, whose pitch is finely in tune, without nasal effect. The chorus, in two sections that
respond to each other, has a very warm tonal togetherness characterised by extremely rich textures
that do not dry out through the upper-midrange. Given the complexity of the message for
reproduction, the Primare CD22/I22 system gives a naturally faithful rendition without lapsing into

REVIEW: I22 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND CD22 CD PLAYER

Primare AB • Renvägen 1 • SE - 35245 Växjö • Sweden • Tel [phone] • www.primare.net

PRIMARE

cold analysis. Even the most turbulent sequences of this cantata seem to flow with a fluidity, which is
so removed from the disjointed character, of conventional switching amplifiers. One is struck by the
quality of the bass vocal, by the warmth of its timbre and its humanity. Through the Primare system
intelligibility is exceptional; the smallest dynamic intonations are revealed. In the third movement,
the Primare set differentiates the pitch of viola and cello, preserving all the harmonic richness of
these instruments, even with the marked differences in level. With increasing volume there is often
a break-down of the timbral structure of stringed instruments that quickly becomes tiresome. The
Primare system avoids all these problems with great distinction.

There were more excellent surprises: in the monumental performance of Bach’s Toccata and
Fugue, the organ rises with extraordinarily expressive power. Clearly the I22 has plenty in reserve:
the sub bass is free of any artificial fullness. Indeed, with unusual clarity, extreme bass notes are
beautifully wrought, expressing perfectly the dynamic capacity of the Primare system. In balancing
direct and reflected sounds the effect of the nave of the Cathedral of Dresden can easily be
detected.

With the Sersé excerpt from Max Emmanuel Cencic, the Primare CD22/I22 system restores the
voice of the counter-tenor exhibiting a warm, uncompressed and very natural evolution from low­midrange to treble. Unlike many Class D switching amplifiers, the I22 does not react abruptly to
strong level differences, and preserves the counter-tenor’s complex harmonic structure. He
remains perfectly positioned relative to the orchestra. Again, we were surprised by the quality and
sustain of the bass in the string sections, which remain un-blurred emphasising the grain of bristles
on strings. Without accentuated effect in the upper midrange, the acoustics of the venue modulate
naturally without becoming a reverberation chamber.

When switching to a totally different musical genre: Yesterday, played by Shirley Horn, the Primare
system communicates the melancholy of the singer with a rare accuracy. Intonations are relayed
with a completely warm aspect at odds with that of conventional switch-mode power supplies and
switching power stages. In this respect, among others, we can detect the hard work of Primare’s
engineers in developing switching circuits to overcome the problems of this technology. The
presence of the voice is always warm and with a correct focus, good level balance with the beautiful

REVIEW: I22 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND CD22 CD PLAYER