A valve amplifier against a solid-state one. They are not really rivals: they differ in character, in what they will drive and in what owning them involves, so start there rather than with the watts.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Power | B | PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated has more power - 100W against 80W into 8 ohms. That is about 1dB, which is a small step in loudness but real headroom on peaks. |
| Built-in DAC | A | Naim Uniti Nova has a DAC on board; the other needs an external one, which is another box, another power lead and another purchase. |
| Analogue inputs | B | PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated takes more analogue sources - 5 against 2. |
| Use with a TV | depends | Only Naim Uniti Nova has HDMI ARC, so the television can drive it directly and one remote controls the volume. If the system is for music only, this changes nothing. |
| Headphones | depends | Only Naim Uniti Nova has a headphone output. Worth something if you listen late, nothing if you never do. |
| Amplifier type | depends | Naim Uniti Nova is Solid State and PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated is Hybrid. Valve designs are usually warmer and softer at the limits and need their tubes replaced eventually; solid state is the lower-maintenance choice. This is a taste and ownership decision, not a quality one. |
| Price | evenly matched | Priced within a few per cent of each other. |
A Naim Uniti Nova B PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both amplifiers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated has the edge on paper, though not by much. The rows marked "depends" are more likely to decide this than the score is. If this sits under a television, Naim Uniti Nova is the one to buy - HDMI ARC means the TV remote controls the volume and there is no second box in the way. If you already own a DAC or a streamer, the built-in one is money you are paying twice for, and PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated becomes the more rational buy.
What a spec sheet cannot show: how either sounds with your speakers, how the controls feel day to day, and what the app is like to live with - which is where most all-in-one amplifiers are actually won or lost. Power figures are the manufacturers' own and are not measured to a common standard, so treat small differences as noise. If you can hear both, that will tell you more than any row above.