Across 20 shots at the optimal grind setting (setting 5 of 13 with a medium-dark roast), TDS ranged from 9.1% to 9.7% with a mean of 9.4% and a standard deviation of 0.14% — the tightest consistency of the three machines tested. The PrimaDonna Soul's pump maintained 9 bars throughout extraction with measurably less variance than the Dinamica Plus across our pressure logging.
The practical difference in the cup: in blind testing, 4 of 5 testers rated PrimaDonna Soul shots as "slightly sweeter" and "fuller-bodied" than Dinamica Plus shots at the same grind setting. The margin is real but small. Both machines are performing at a level that exceeds what most home users will notice day to day.
What HomeBarsLabs measured: The PrimaDonna Soul's tighter TDS standard deviation (0.14% vs 0.18% for the Dinamica Plus) suggests more consistent pump pressure control. Whether this translates to noticeable cup quality improvement depends on palate sensitivity and bean quality. With high-grade specialty beans, the difference is perceptible. With commercial supermarket beans, it's not.
The PrimaDonna Soul's milk system has two circuits: one for hot frothed milk (LatteCrema Hot) and one for cold milk (LatteCrema Cold). This means the machine can simultaneously prepare hot espresso and cold frothed milk for an iced latte — one button press, one 45-second wait, one drink. The Dinamica Plus requires you to prepare hot espresso, wait for it to cool or pour it over ice separately, then froth cold milk manually as a second step.
In practice, we used the cold circuit for 15 iced latte preparations. Results were consistent — cold-frothed milk at 8–10°C, adequate foam texture for iced drinks. The convenience is real if iced espresso drinks are a regular habit. If they're occasional, the advantage narrows considerably.
Hot milk performance matches the Dinamica Plus's LatteCrema — microfoam at 60–65°C, consistent texture across latte, cappuccino, and flat white settings.
The De'Longhi Coffee Link app connects via Bluetooth. Setup took 4 minutes. The app allows you to create named drink profiles with specific grind setting, temperature, volume, and milk texture preferences saved per user — up to 4 profiles on the machine itself.
Day-to-day use: the app is most useful for initial setup of custom profiles. Once saved, you select them directly on the machine display without opening the app. The practical value is higher in multi-user households where each person has different preferences — one profile for a light double espresso, another for a strong latte with extra foam, a third for cold brew. The app eliminates the need to re-adjust settings each time.
Reliability: reported Bluetooth connection drops requiring a phone restart to reconnect appear across multiple user accounts — not frequent enough to be disruptive but worth noting.
The PrimaDonna Soul is noticeably heavier (26.5 lbs) and wider (10 inches) than the Dinamica Plus (22 lbs, 9.4 inches). In a kitchen with limited counter space, this matters. The larger water tank (2L vs 1.8L) and bean hopper (350g vs 300g) reduce refill frequency — at our 3-drink testing pace, the Soul went 8–9 days between water tank refills versus 6–7 for the Dinamica Plus.
The TFT display is the same resolution as the Dinamica Plus but the Soul's navigation is marginally faster due to a more responsive touch interface. Both machines heat up in 35–40 seconds. From button press to drink in hand: 45–50 seconds including milk preparation — essentially identical to the Dinamica Plus.
Not sure whether to choose the PrimaDonna Soul or Dinamica Plus? The full comparison has the side-by-side data.
Read the Full Comparison →