The history of the company began in 1985 in Denmark. Already the first Primare products, released in 1986, components of the 900 series, demonstrated an extraordinary combination of design and audiophile construction. It’s not for nothing that this system was taken as a permanent exhibit to the Copenhagen Museum of Industrial Art. In 1992, Bo Christensen again confirmed his reputation as a master of design by coming up with an original image of the High-End components of the 200 series. The bright individuality of the image, the excellent ergonomics of Primare components and the associated success among music lovers quickly found imitators among other manufacturers. We can say without false modesty that Primare’s design breakthrough influenced the appearance of all modern AV electronics.
An interesting fact: the 900-series preamplifier was equipped with a motorized volume control and an exclusive remote control – completely familiar attributes of audio equipment today; then, at the turn of the 90s, these useful additions were almost never found in high-end devices. In 1993, Bo Christensen left the company, but the designer managed to do the most important thing – he gave an idea and made the appearance of Primare components recognizable. In ’94, the company’s chief designer, Bent Nielsen, developed the 300 series of audio components, the elegant, laconic design of which became the basis for future Primare products. In ’96, Primare is part of the Xena Audio group, associated with such well-known audio brands as Copland and QLN. At the same time, Primare moved to Växjö, Sweden, and the management of the company passed to Lars Pedersen. Pedersen decides to expand Primare’s business and increase its range, not limited to the niche segment of expensive audio equipment. It was possible to reduce the cost of production without sacrificing quality not only by transferring production to factories in Taiwan and China, but also with the help of the latest technologies, some of which we will talk about later.
Primare 928 series of Hi-Fi components (1986)
In the late 90s, talented engineer Björn Holmqvist joined Primare. At the same time, the famous designer of analog and digital electronics Mike Bladelius, known for such companies as Threshold, Pass Lab, Classe Audio and others, began to collaborate with the Swedish company. As a young man, Bladelius studied with legendary high-end amplifier designer Nelson Pass. Thus, Primare developed a uniquely qualified team of electronics engineers, whose experience and innovative ideas helped the company quickly update its model range, creating very popular families of components of the 10th, 20th and 30th series. These lines allowed the company to strengthen its position in the market for high-quality AV components and begin to conquer a more mass segment.
Primare 200 series of Hi-Fi components (1992)
The new century for Primare was marked by the release of the first home theater components. Since then, the company’s lineup has necessarily included several levels of players, multi-channel processors and amplifiers. Since 2002, Primare has been producing AV receivers. Moreover, the company does not make big compromises when developing components for DCs; Primare multi-channel receivers and amplifiers play music with almost the same proprietary quality as the Swedish stereo components. In 2007, Primare was among the first respectable audio manufacturers to release an integrated device that combines a CD player, tuner and stereo amplifier in one package. It is noteworthy that the CDI10 model was especially compact due to a D-class amplifier – a type that was not then rated among advocates of high-quality sound. And then the Swedes surprised many by bringing a technology that had long been considered frivolous to devices of an undeniable Hi-Fi level. A year later, an integrated device DVDI10 was manufactured using the same principle, which has the functions of a video player.
Primare 300 series of Hi-Fi components (1994)
In addition, in 2008, in the SPA 22 AV receiver and SP32 processor, Primare for the first time introduced modular device design technologies and a proprietary D-class amplifier circuit UFPD (Ultra Fast Power Device). The Swedish modular approach was used again in 2010, when the new integrated stereo amplifier I32 included the ability to install an audio streaming card from any UPnP devices: Internet resources, computers, network drives, flash drives, smartphones, etc. Among the manufacturers of universal and network players, many prefer a large number of functions and supported formats, leaving the playback quality at a very average level. But this position does not suit Primare’s designers, who are accustomed to doing everything to the highest standard. In 2011, the company released one of the world’s best High-End Blu-ray players, the BD32. And in 2013, the Primare NP30 high-end network player was released.
Primare 30 series of Hi-Fi components (1998)
However, Primare is not only a stylish appearance and ease of settings; the brand has long been associated with good sound and modern equipment capabilities. The company has always been lucky with talented engineers who have managed to create Hi-Fi components with an enviable quality-to-price ratio, such that even entry-level Primare products are not a shame to include in front of discerning music connoisseurs. Primare’s ability to make high-quality hi-fi at a reasonable price is due to its far-sighted policy. The company was one of the first not afraid to move production to Southeast Asia, maintaining its headquarters and design department in Europe – a step that significantly reduced production costs. Of course, after the move we had to take a fresh look at quality control. Once in the European warehouse, any Primare device, before being sent to the store, undergoes a series of multi-stage tests in which the functionality of each unit is carefully checked, ensuring 100% reliability and compliance with the stated parameters. Therefore, the company’s amplifiers come to the owner or store already warmed up and can immediately reveal their potential even at the first demonstration.
Primare 30 and 20 series Hi-Fi components (2010)
By ordering a lot on the side, Primare does not give into the wrong hands such an important issue as software for various controllers and processors. The company understands that the final impression of the user depends on the error-free operation of the devices – equipment that is excellent in sound and capabilities but malfunctions is unlikely to please anyone. You can update the device firmware yourself. Another modern function is available: control of components with multimedia capabilities (for example, network players) using a smartphone or tablet, having previously installed the proprietary Primare APP or Primare AIR application. The richness of Primare’s assortment hides another big plus for the company. The unity of design of all devices in an audio system is most easily achieved when the sources, processors and amplifiers are represented by components from the same company, or even better, from the same series. Not every manufacturer produces the entire range of audio electronics. Primare makes almost every type of audio device, and to a very high standard.
Primare Prisma series of Hi-Fi components (2017)
Primare equipment did not ignore prestigious awards: in 2012, a pair of CD32/I32 stereo components won the “Product of the Year” award from the EISA association. Among the latest achievements of Primare, we note the release in 2014 of stereo amplifiers of the 60th series. In it, the Swedes brought previously proven technologies of switching power supplies and D-class amplifiers to the High-End level. To ensure that no detail was overlooked when making flagship amplifiers, production of the 60 Series components was returned to Sweden.
Timeline:
1985: Primare founded 1986: Launch of the 928 series of power preamps. This example is kept today in the Copenhagen Museum of Industrial Art. 1992: Launch of the 200 series preamplifiers, CD player and tuner. 1994: Bent Nilsson invented the 300 series, distinguished by high aesthetics and performance, marking the beginning of the future Primare equipment. 1996: The company is headed by Lars Pedersen. Moves to Sweden. 1998: Bent Nilsson and Lars Pedersen introduce the 20 and 30 series of integrated amplifiers and CD players. New products are easier to use and produce. 1999: Bjorn Holmqvist joins the team. 2000: New AV products: V20 DVD player, A30.5 P30 processor, 5-channel power amplifier. 2002: The new DVD player DVD25, AV integrated amplifier SPA20 and AV preamplifier SP31.7 were released. 2003: Release of the DVD30 universal disc player. 2004: SPA21 AV integrated amplifier, SP31 processor, new series 20 and 30, including products I30 integrated amplifier, DVD player DVD26. 2007: CDI10 system based on the new D-class module. 2008: DVD/CD system DVDI 10. Primare introduced a new design, embodied in the SPA 22 AV integrated amplifier and the SP32 7-channel preamplifier. 2010: New 30 Series: I32 amplifier, CD32 CD player and R32 phono updated. 2011: Primare receives the prestigious EISA “Best Product” award for the CD32/I32 system. In the same year, the production of universal BD32 players was launched. 2012: Primare enters the new realm of audiophile computer audio with the release of the DAC30 and MM30. 2013: Network player NP30 and application for it.
