If you are looking for a premium super-automatic espresso machine that provides both convenience and versatility, consider the Delonghi Dinamica Plus vs Primadonna Soul, two of the best-selling models from the Italian brand.
Both are packed with a bunch of features to take your espresso experience to the next level, such as a fast-heating thermoblock system, an automatic milk frothing system, a long list of preset drinks, the ability to be controlled remotely, etc. The Bean Adapt Technology of the Delonghi Primadonna Soul left a significant impression on me, as it seamlessly adjusts grind size, coffee dosage, and brew temperature based on the distinct coffee beans being utilized. Conversely, the Delonghi Dinamica Plus scores points for its more attractive price point.
Delonghi Dinamica Plus vs Primadonna Soul: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Delonghi Dinamica Plus vs Primadonna Soul: Differences
The Delonghi Primadonna Soul wins the Dinamica Plus with a score of 4-1. Keep reading for more detailed information.
Coffee Flavour
Winner: Delonghi Primadonna Soul
Built-in Grinder
Both come with a built-in stainless steel grinder to crush the beans. So they spare you from wasting time and money to research and buy a separate grinder.
During testing, I found them to be quite noisy. I’ve heard reports from some users claiming these machines are quite quiet, leading me to surmise they might be living alone, so their early morning or late-night coffee preparations are not impacting anyone else’s sleep.
The Dinamica Plus has 13 grind settings, giving you great control over the grind of coffee grounds to brew your dream drinks. As with most super-automatic espresso machines out there, you should only change the grind size by rotating a dial inside the bean hopper when the grinder is running.
The Primadonna Soul, on the other hand, has no grind-size knob. Instead, this one uses Bean Adapt technology (via an app) to ensure that the grind size is precisely matched to the specific type of coffee beans you are using. Additionally, this smart function self-adjusts the brewing temperature and extraction time for optimal results – it basically does all the thinking for you. You can also change the grind yourself if you want more intervention in the process.
Heating System
Both have a single Thermoblock heating system, reaching the ideal temperature for brewing espresso or steaming milk in under 20 seconds. This is a welcome feature since traditional boiler-equipped machines take about half an hour to boil water and produce lukewarm or not-hot-enough drinks.
By heating only the necessary water for each process, Thermoblock technology dramatically reduces the waiting time and enables you to enjoy your favorite coffee beverages without any unnecessary delays. Moreover, this helps cut down on power consumption (which is beneficial for both the environment and your electricity bill) and ensures your drink is always made with freshly boiled water.
Of course, if you are looking for an espresso machine for an office or a coffee shop where there’s a need to produce a high volume of coffee beverages throughout the day, nothing can beat a dual-boiler machine, such as the DeLonghi Eletta.
Both also have room to pre-warm up to two cups to minimize heat loss, ensuring that your freshly brewed coffee stays at the ideal temperature for a longer period of time. This is especially valuable during gatherings or when serving several cups of coffee in succession.
Brewing System
These machines have a per-infusion function, which I think is a must-have for a more balanced and flavorful espresso with enhanced complexities and nuances. What is this? It is simply a pre-extraction process that involves soaking the coffee grounds in heated water for a brief period before the actual brewing begins. This ensures the maximum amount of aroma is pulled out and minimizes channeling, leading to potential over- or under-extraction.
In the realm of automatic espresso machines, the minimum pressure required to pull a nice espresso is about 9 bars. The Dinamica Plus brews espresso at up to 15 bars of pressure, while the Primadonna Soul offers a pressure of up to 19 bars, so you can expect them to produce properly extracted espresso.
At the end of the day, my tests showed them to make excellent coffee with a thick, lovely crema on top, which is on par with those that come from some coffee houses I know. But to achieve this, the Dinamica Plus required some manual tinkering and adjustments to achieve the desired grind size, aroma strength, and brewing temperature. Meanwhile, I found the Primadonna Soul automatically fine-tuned every setting perfectly based on my beans, and of course, you can make the adjustment manually.
Milk Frothing System
They are automatic milk frothing machines, which are ideal for beginners who prefer an automatic, (nearly) hands-free approach to preparing a milk-based drink like a cappuccino or latte. All you need to do is adjust some settings, like the amount of froth, and press the button. That is great, but if you are a would-be barista, you’ll prefer the greater level of control that a manual steam wand provides.
All right, just turn back to their automatic milk frothers. This is simply a high-quality milk pitcher that is attached to the left front of the machine whenever you fancy a milk-based beverage. I particularly appreciate this system so much because it doesn’t require complicated installation or milk-guiding tubes, which require extra cleaning. It is detachable for deep cleaning under running water or storing in the fridge to keep the milk cool.
Depending on your preferred drink, you can choose the level of milk froth. All you need to do is turn the dial from “none” (for hot milk) all the way up to “max” (for cappuccino, espresso macchiato, or latte macchiato). To clean it, just shift to the “clean” position, and the machine will automatically flush all parts using piping-hot water to remove any lingering milk residue. This is incredibly convenient for day-to-day cleaning – it doesn’t replace thorough cleaning under running water or in a dishwasher occasionally.
Regarding frothing milk, both really performed impressively. They could produce lovely, thick milk foam for a barista-quality cappuccino. They failed to reach the silky microfoam you can whip up with a manual wand, but the results were nonetheless commendable for automatic systems.
Design & Usability
Winner: Delonghi Primadonna Soul
Dimensions, Footprint, & Weight
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus | Delonghi Primadonna Soul | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9.3 x 14 x 17 inches | 10.3 x 15.4 x 19.1 inches |
| Weight | 20.9 lbs | 28.6 lbs |
I don’t know about you, but I’m always interested in the look of an espresso machine. After all, it will stay on your kitchen countertop for years to come, so it would be great if it were handsome and could evoke a sense of joy and excitement each time you brew a drink, right?
They aren’t the prettiest automatic coffee machines I’ve seen and don’t have a futuristic appearance to transform your kitchen into Tony Stark’s lab. But their sleek and modern designs will draw the attention of anyone who meanders into your kitchen. As always with DeLonghi machines, there’s too much plastic in their construction to keep their price tags down, but they still feel well-made and sturdy.
The Delonghi Dinamica Plus vs Primadonna Soul come with 3.5-inch and 4.3-inch capacitive touch displays, respectively, which take center stage. They clearly display all the beverage options and customizable settings and provide an intuitive experience like playing with a smartphone. Frankly, I’m not a big fan of a built-in touch display (I hate leaving fingerprints on it), but I’m pretty confident that anyone will be happy with the display on both of these machines.
And as you can see, the Primadonna Soul is significantly heavier and bulkier than its sibling, making the task of finding a suitable location and positioning it quite challenging. This appears to be one of the compromises associated with owning a feature-rich machine.
Pre-programmed Coffee Options
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus | Delonghi Primadonna Soul |
|---|---|
| Espresso Coffee Long Doppio+ Coffee Pot Cappuccino Latte Macchiato Cappuccino + Cappuccino Mix Hot Milk Caffelatte Flat White Espresso Macchiato Hot Water | Espresso Coffee Long Doppio+ Coffee Pot Over Ice Long Black Americano Cappuccino Latte Macchiato Cappuccino + Cappuccino Mix Hot Milk Caffelatte Flat White Cortado Espresso Macchiato Mug To Go Tea Function Hot Water |
With their diverse collection of one-touch drinks, they can easily satisfy the caffeine palates of large groups. Both also have a hot water function for a quick brew of tea or a bypass doser for the use of pre-ground coffee.
I know that finding the ideal combination of settings for your favorite beverage is a very time-consuming process, so it’s perfectly justifiable for you to get upset when someone accidentally changes it. Do not worry! To deal with this, the Delonghi Dinamica Plus vs Primadonna Soul have got you covered with their ability to store 4 and 5 user profiles, respectively. So you and others can have their ideal coffee recipes stored in the machine without any interference. This function may be useless in large settings, but it is really a game changer for home use.
Oh, they also have a cold drink option called “over ice.” I initially thought it was a really cold brew function that soaked the coffee grounds in cold water overnight, but in hindsight, I realized it wasn’t. Instead, these machines just infuse and extract espresso at a lower temperature, resulting in a room-temperature beverage. Then you can add some whiskey stones or ice cubes to get an iced drink.
Spout & Cup Clearance
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus | Delonghi Primadonna Soul | |
|---|---|---|
| Spout Type | Dual | Dual |
| Cup Clearance | 3.5-5.5 inches | 3.5-6 inches |
The Primadonna Soul’s dual spout can go all the way up higher, so it’s basically compatible with a wider range of cup sizes. I also loved that their espresso dispensing spigots can be lowered to prevent splashing and disturbing the attractive crema – a widespread issue with machines with fixed cup height.
The dual shot feature of both is a lifesaver when you want to prepare a large amount of caffeinated drinks without waiting for a long time. They actually make two cups of espresso instead of just double the amount of water, as many entry-level machines do.
Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus | Delonghi Primadonna Soul | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Reservoir | 1.8 liter | 2.2 liter |
| Bean Hopper | 0.37 liter | 0.52 liter |
Their water reservoirs can easily slide out from the front, so refilling them is much easier than with machines with rear-positioned tanks. While these reservoirs are not very large, a single daily refill should suffice for typical home use. You also have the option of installing a Delonghi water filter to reduce the machine’s descaling needs.
Some users may tell you that they are fine without the filter, but believe me, maybe they’re using bottled or pre-filtered water. If that’s not the case, I highly recommend using a filter to remove minerals before they enter your machine and improve the taste of the water and, consequently, the coffee. Not to mention, it saves you from having to descale your machine too often. Yes, there is a small ongoing cost for replacing the filter, but I see it as a minor investment considering the significant benefits.
Should you decide to fully load the bean containers, it’s quite likely that you won’t use all the beans in a single night. But don’t worry. Their airtight lids can prevent the air from being exposed to the beans, helping to maintain their aroma for a considerable length of time.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Winner: Tie
At the end of the day, you need to treat your espresso machine well so that it rewards you endlessly with caffeinated beverages. The good news is that the upkeep of these Delonghi super automatics is a breeze since they have some in-built automatic cleaning programs.
Descaling these machines is an automatic process. The manufacturer recommends using a Delonghi descaler. Of course, they do. You wouldn’t want to roll the dice on other inexpensive alternatives available on the market. You can use the water filter to cut down on how often you need to descale the machine.
After brewing a milk-based drink, just shift the dial to the “clean” position to give the milk system a quick cleaning. Each time the milk carafe hits empty, either give it a deep rinse under running water or pop it into your dishwasher.
Don’t forget the related manual tasks, such as emptying the drip tray, disposing of used coffee grounds, cleaning and refilling the water tank, giving the machine’s casing a wipe, etc. Their removable brew groups also need to be washed and lubricated by hand periodically.
Utilities & Other Features
Winner: Delonghi Primadonna Soul
Coffee Pot
The Primadonna Soul comes with a new espresso pot and a separate preset option for it. This is a fantastic feature, especially if you wish to share your exquisite espresso-based drinks, topped with beautiful crema, with your colleagues at work. However, keeping the pot warm over extended periods will quickly cool it down, which may disappoint dedicated espresso lovers. The Dinamica Plus has a coffee pot option as well, but you must use your jug.
Remote Control
There is also an app that connects these units to your smartphone for remote brewing. You can pick a drink, adjust the settings, save your preferences, and kick off the brewing—all while indulging in a cherished movie from the comfort of your bedroom.
However, I found it wasn’t really useful for preparing a milk-based drink. I had to take the milk pitcher out of my fridge and attach it to the machine, which led me to stand in front of the machine. Doesn’t this make the remote control aspect pointless?
Bean Adapt Technology
This is the icing on the cake of the Primadonna Soul, which takes the automatic aspect to the next level. Right from your smartphone, Tap the coffee bean icon and input whether yours is 100% Arabica or a blend of Arabica and Robusta, then select from four roast levels – light, medium, medium dark, and dark. To make it truly yours, bestow your bean type with a moniker and perhaps an accompanying picture. That way, this function can adapt the grind size, coffee dosage, and brewing temperature to your specific beans for optimal results.
Auto Off
This function allows these machines to go off after an adjustable interval to reduce power consumption and save you money. You can choose from 15 mins, 30 mins, 1 hrs, 2 hrs, or 3 hrs.
Quick Rundown Of Delonghi Primadonna Soul
Quick Rundown Of Delonghi Dinamica Plus
- 3.5” TFT full-touch, colorful display provides intuitive and simple experience of one-touch specialty recipes
- De’Longhi Coffee Link App lets you create and save up to 3 personalized espresso recipes in your profile, so every cup of coffee is always customized to your unique taste
- 16 one-touch or customized coffee drinks: latte, espresso, cappuccino, flat white, iced coffee, regular coffee and more.
- Built-in conical burr grinder with 13 settings for always freshly ground coffee, for any beans of your choice.
- The intelligent Smart-One-Touch feature recognizes your preferences and is programmed to list your most frequently selected drinks as first on the display.
Last update on 2024-04-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References:
- Delonghi Primadonna Soul: https://www.delonghi.com/en/products/coffee/automatic-coffee-makers/primadonnasoul
- Delonghi Dinamica Plus: https://www.delonghi.com/en/ecam370-95-t-dinamica-plus-automatic-coffee-machine/p/ECAM370.95.T
I’m Floyd J. Alcock, an experienced barista with a deep love for coffee. I curate personalized coffee experiences, guiding customers through diverse flavor profiles and suggesting ideal brewing methods. My extensive knowledge of espresso machines enables me to recommend the best equipment to match specific needs and budgets. Sharing my expertise and passion with coffee enthusiasts brings immense satisfaction. I look forward to continuing my journey of coffee discovery with every customer I serve, fostering connections over a shared love for this magical beverage.