Stereophile, US, November 2022
A35.8 – 8-channel amplifier
“The Primare A35.8 amplifier surprised me. Its performance in my system corroborated Primare’s claim that they can make a great amplifier from Ncore modules, one that can rival amplifiers based on the newer Purifi technology as well as amplifiers utilizing traditional, nonswitching technology. Its eight channels and bridged gain options endow it with tremendous versatility. To me, the Primare A35.8 is worthy of an audition in any multichannel setup. It is a pleasure to use and to listen to.”
View full review
Heimkino, Germany, Jun 2022
A35.8 – Power Amplifier with Extra Class
For Film and Music – Our test home cinema confirms the excellent impression from the laboratory. The Primare masters the delicate tones and knows how to please with its balanced, sensitive sound. When it’s time to turn it up and the walls are supposed to shake, it doesn’t show any weaknesses and lets the cinema tremble with brute dynamics. A big movie theatre!
Incidentally, the Primare A35.8 is also excellent for enjoying music. High-fidelity sound characteristics paired with seemingly unlimited power reserves also delight demanding listeners. If you bridge all four channel pairs, the eight-channel power amplifier is also ideal for driving a stereo system in bi-amping mode. With a whopping 1.5 kW total output! The A35.8 is therefore recommended not only for use in the home cinema, but also for the sophisticated stereo listening room.
Conclusion – The EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) recently named the Primare A35.8 Best Product 2022-2023. Quite rightly so: superior performance, flawless sound, and a wide range of possible uses also give the eight-channel monster our absolute recommendation!”
View/download full review as PDF
Fidelity, Germany, September 2022
A35.8 – Customized Performance
“With two bridged pairs of channels, the bass gains another ounce of impact and definition, but at the same time it is even more permeable for the mids, which can now breathe even more freely. In addition, especially with the bowed bass at the beginning of the piece, it is noticeable how the attack and decay of the tones are traced even more finely. The stage changes not significant in their extent, but the individual sound events now seem to be even better separated. earth shattering? Not really, but after two or three changes I can blindly tell the difference between single and bi-amping – based on small but clearly understandable differences that I don’t want to do without afterwards because they simply add that much more fun to listening to music worries.
The experiment in search of the next bit of sound quality can therefore be considered an absolute success – especially when you consider that the additional costs are very reasonable and the eight-channel power plant takes up no more space in the rack than a stereo power amplifier.”
View/download full review as PDF
EISA AWARDS, Aug 15, 2022
EISA POWER AMPLIFIER 2022-2023
*Joint award with Home Theatre audio expert group*
“Designed for both the home theatre audio and hi-fi worlds, Primare’s multichannel 35 Series amplifier deploys eight bridgeable channels of potent, dynamic Hypex Ncore amplification, and then lets the user decide what to do with them. For a home cinema, the A35.8 can spread its output across a surround array or be used to bi-amp the front LCR speakers; in a two-channel system, bridged pairs bring phenomenal power and grip, and all eight amps can be put to work on loudspeakers with a split crossover. This is a flexible, innovative, and imperious-sounding amplifier, in a stylish, understated chassis typical of the brand.”
View full review
Sound & Vision, July 2022, USA
Primare A35.8 Eight-Channel Power Amplifier Review
“There are many uses for power, and in my months with the A35.8, I explored most of them. At no point did Primare’s eight-channel design fall short in quantity or quality of amplification, making “bigger without change” and without complaint, no matter what I sent its way. That earns the A35.8 a straight “A” in my book”
View full review
HiFi Musik, Sweden, June 2022
A35.8: Complete Freedom
“In the final analysis I can state that Primare has succeeded very well in their intentions to produce a high-quality and supremely flexible multi-channel amplifier. And the number of channels was not simply taken out of thin air, as it can, for example, be run fully bridged to bi-amp a pair of speakers with two sets of speaker connectors, and thereby use all of those eight channels.”
View/download full review as PDF
Sempre Audio, June 2022, Austria
A35.8 Power Amplifier
“According to the ideas of the Swedish high-end hi-fi manufacturer Primare AB, the new Primare A35.8 Power Amplifier is an eight-channel power amplifier that can be used alone or as a pair with the two-channel power amplifier Primare A35.2 Power Amplifier can supply any multi-channel system with adequate performance for the highest audiophile demands in surround playback of music and films.Above all, a sophisticated circuit design and an extremely potent power supply should ensure this.”
View full review
LowBeats, June 2022, Germany
Primare A35.8 – flexibly configurable 8-channel power amplifier
“The Primare A35.8 is a cleverly made and highly potent 8-channel power amp for multi-channel, multi-room or ambitious stereo.”
View full review
Alpha Audio, May 2022, Netherlands
Primare A35.8 – the bridge between film and music
“What a wonderfully fast, lively and flexible amplifier the A35.8 is. Not only can it control eight speakers, it is possible to control four power-hungry speakers via bridge mode. Or bi-amp a stereo set. And yes: that works great! However, you have to take into account the standard low gain. And you do need a preamp with four outputs. The Primare Pre35 can do that job. All in all a beautiful duo that can do much more than most enthusiasts will think!”
Review available in both English & Dutch.
View full review
Home Cinema Choice, June, 2022
Home Cinema Choice A35.8 Review
“Overall, Primare’s A35.8 is a classy bit of kit, with a performance (plus a luxurious design and build) that feels commensurate with its not inconsiderable asking price. It’s more than capable in terms of power output to handle hungry speakers, and does so while keeping distortion or unwanted colouration at bay. Being able to bridge its amp channels to suit your requirements is another feather in its cap, as is its refined and insightful nature with music. I rate this an A-grade amplifier.”
Five Star / Best Buy
View/download full review as PDF
FDW Magazine, April 2022, The Netherlands
Primare A35.8 – Eight times more muscle power
“The Primare A35.8 is above all an output stage where each channel delivers an insane amount of power and a sound quality to enjoy. Eight times 150 Watts is already very nice. Where it really gets interesting for stereo enthusiasts is when you take those eight channels and start bridging”
View full review
HiFi News, UK, March 2022
A35.8 HFN Review
“The channel count reaches eight because, sensibly, Primare has built it around bridgeable pairs, which means none need go to waste in a home cinema environment. Primare’s most powerful amp to date will service the most ambitious bi-, tri- or quad-amp loudspeaker solutions… a rare product that straddles the worlds of multichannel and hi-fi with aplomb. Its amp stage delivers scads of umblemished, responsive power, while its bridging ability is there to keep hungry loudspeakers well fed – and all this comes from a box no bigger than some monoblocks…”
View/download full review as PDF
