If you were being deliberately contrary, you could say that the Primo package from stylish Italian marque Audio Analogue isn't much to look at. You could say that its minimalist design doesn't give the eye much to linger over, or that its half-size footprint means it won't fit your rack properly. But while true on both counts, it would be criticism without cause, since the Primo CD and Settanta amp are two of the most gorgeously engineered pieces of hi-fi source and amp you're likely to come across.

If you like a surfeit of knobs and buttons for extended mid-listening twiddling, you'll be disappointed, with only a single diminutive button for on/standby/open and another for play/pause on the CD player, and a channel select, power, and rotatary volume knob on the amp. Busy, it ain't. The remote controls don't add much either - both amp and CD player come with a remote (slim and minimal, but black, which rather offsets the silver finish), though they're identical, and one can be used to control both.

The simplicity of the front is replicated round the back which, since you're not going to be looking at it every day, seems a tad perverse. Both have integrated mains leads rather than IEC kettle-style sockets, which is only a problem if you plan to upgrade your mains lead at a later date (you'll have to open the casing, thereby invalidating the warranty). The CD player has just a pair of RCA-phono outputs and one digital link, while the amp has five inputs, including one designed to be used with a tape loop and another which can be upgraded to an MM/MC phono stage.

The volume knob on the amp is a little unusual, since despite its rotary analogue looks, it's actually a digital mechanism - flick it to the right and volume rises a notch, or hold it to slide smoothly up or down the scale. It feels a bit odd at first but you get used to it. There's also a mute button on the remote that automatically drops the sound level by 20dB, automatically consigning the music to the background should your listening be interrupted by an inopportune phone call.

The Primos' half-width size means they can sit quite comfortably next to each other on a standard rack or placed one on top of the other so they look like an (exceptionally stylish) mini system. The amp can get fairly warm though, so if you do this, arrange them so the amp is on top.

Sound

The overall sound of the pair together is smooth, rich, and perhaps even a tad milky - certainly extremely fluid. That's not to say that it's in any way fuzzy, although it's perhaps not quite as sharp as it could be, but there is an inviting richness to it that largely banishes listening fatigue. Partnering with particularly warm speakers may not be the best move unless you habitually listen in bed, with mug of cocoa in hand - you can have too much of a good thing. But with detailed and even slightly bright speakers you can get a marvellously rich and inviting sound that draws you in, reproducing virtually all the detail you could want, while presenting it within a lush and enticing soundstage.

Of course, the two units are designed to work best together - aesthetically, they're a perfect match, and the half-width style means that as individuals they won't necessarily make an easy fit when added to your existing system. If you do use them separately however, of the two, the Settanta amp makes the better job of presentation, seeming to have a slightly better grasp of dynamics, though to be fair there's not much in it. The Settanta has much in common with valve amplification in terms of warmth and fluidity - and it's a lot cheaper than a valve amp of comparable quality.

In tests, the Primos' sound tended to suggest the listening and I found myself leaning towards acoustic jazz, folk and classical with some jangly guitar pop thrown in. The Primos' presentation conveyed texture and space without drawing undue attention to dynamic peaks and troughs. If you're into heavy rock or harsh, bangin' techno however, you may find something missing, with some of the attack slightly smoothed off. Then again, if you're a more mature raver, the richness and warmth without surrender of detail could well be appealing.

These are the first components in the Primo range, but there is more to come, which are all expected to be half-width designs, including a tuner and possibly a multichannel AV amp and universal player, though these last two haven't yet been confirmed.