Stereo Home Theater Pass Thru
The PrimaLuna DiaLogue Two is equipped with a home theater pass thru that allows you to enjoy your
stereo source material and the 2 main channels of your seperate home theater processor.
This is a true pass-thru circuit. Most integrated amps that advertise having home theater pass thru
circuits are only “unity gain” circuits. This means the volume is set at a pre-determined level, but the
preamp section is still active and can introduce unwanted noise and coloration to the sound. The home
theater pass thru of the DiaLogue Two completely removes the preamp section from the signal path.
This is a “direct-line” circuit that results in a lower noise floor, and less coloration.
Connecting Your Surround Sound Component To The DiaLogue Two
To avoid damaging your equipment, always make sure everything is turned off and unplugged from the
wall before connecting your components.
Connect your stereo sources & speakers to the DiaLogue Two as normal. To integrate the DiaLogue
Two into your home theater system, take the front left & right preamp outputs from your A/V processor
or receiver and plug them into the “HT” input on the back of the DiaLogue Two. When you want to
watch a movie, simply turn the DiaLogue Two on, and switch the input to “HT.” Now control the volume
via your home theater processor as normal. We recommend you go into the setup menu of your
processor to match the levels of the front Left & Right speakers to match the volume of your center
channel. Consult your processor’s manual for more information.
PrimaLuna
®
DiaLogue Two
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Ultralinear – Triode Switching
Your DiaLogue Two integrated amplifier affords you the opportunity of switching between Ultralinear
and Triode modes by remote control. You need not turn off the amp to do so; you can switch while the
unit is operating. Although a faint click might be heard through your speakers, it is in no way harmful.
Your DiaLogue Two always starts in Ultralinear mode when powered up. Centered behind the front
panel is a two-color LED which indicates the mode in which the amp is functioning: Red—Ultralinear;
Green—Triode.
The choice between Ultralinear or Triode modes is a matter of taste, influenced by your speakers and
the recording.
Ultralinear Mode
The term ultralinear applies quite literally here. The design exerts a tighter grip on the speakers and
produces music more likely to be described as accurate, dynamic, with great inner detail. The top and
bottom end take on more “pop” and excitement.
Triode Mode
Take your KT-88 or EL-34 and wire it like a 300B! Triode sound is best described as warmer on top and
bottom, a little compressed, with the midband now slightly more pronounced. Your shoulders drop as
the sound is more relaxed. In absolute terms it will not play as loud as maximum power drops by
roughly half compared to Ultralinear.
So Which Is Better?
Decide with your ears but we will leave you with this thought: On the surface it would appear that if you
wanted to play music louder, you would use the higher-powered Ultralinear mode; conversely, you
would use the Triode setting for soft listening. Not always true! At low listening levels, you may need
the “pop” that Ultralinear provides for top and bottom extension so the music sounds full. At higher
listening levels, Triode operation will start to “compress” and allow you to crank it up more with less
fatigue. The point is: have fun with it and never let people tell you what sounds right.
PrimaLuna
®
DiaLogue Two