Back in 1999, while reviewing the Wazoo integrated amplifier from Bow Technologies, 1 I learned that its designer and company founder, Bo Christensen, had previously founded another audio company. That’s how I discovered Primare. Over the years, various products from Primare have appeared at audio shows but never grabbed my attention. In a recent EISA press presentation, however, Primare showcased an eight-channel amplifier that did, given my interest in multichannel audio. I was glad to be able to attend.
Expectations were high for the new A35.8 power amplifier. Its stablemate, the A35.2, which Herb Reichert reviewed very favorably in the April 2022 issue,2 earned Class A status. Stylistically similar to the A35.2, the A35.8 offers more than just additional channels: It supports flexible channel bridging. This allows it to drive anything from a high-powered stereo setup to various multichannel configurations. (Together, these two amplifiers can realize practically every imaginable speaker arrangement.)
Cool power
The A35.2 stereo amplifier is based on Primare’s proprietary class-D amplifier module, the UFPD2. Fitting eight of these modules, without major redesign, into a reasonable chassis for the A35.8 and operating them consistently within thermal limits was impracticable. Primare, therefore, opted to use the reliable and powerful Hypex NC500 amplifier module, with some modification. The NC500 has an aluminum plate for thermal coupling with a heatsink, but to maximize thermal
