Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier (53% off)

Description

The Meridian Prime D/A headphone amplifier, paired with the optional Prime Power Supply, is a high-end audio component designed by Allen Boothroyd. The Prime features a dark center section on the front panel, a profiled volume-control knob, and an elegant matte finish. The chassis is made from interlocking aluminum extrusions with no visible fasteners.

The front panel includes two ¼” and one 3.5mm stereo headphone jacks, an On/Standby button, and two pushbuttons with vertical arrays of three white LEDs above each. The left button selects between two analog inputs (one pair of gold-plated RCA jacks and one 3.5mm socket) and the USB digital input. The right button switches between bypass and two settings of Meridian’s Analogue Signal Processing (ASP), designed to enhance stereo imaging.

The rear panel includes gold-plated RCA jacks for line-level output, a 12V DC connector, and a switch-mode wall-wart power supply. The optional Prime Power Supply provides four dual-regulated, 12V-output mini-DIN sockets and a pass-through USB path, enhancing performance by isolating power supply noise.

Inside, the Prime’s circuitry is mounted on a six-layer printed circuit board optimized for grounding and power-supply isolation. The volume control uses a high-quality Alps component with close channel matching, connected to the front panel by a flexible shaft. The direct-coupled signal path is short, with active circuitry based on op-amp chips and an XMOS USB receiver chip, powered from the USB bus. The USB input operates in asynchronous mode, supporting 16- and 24-bit data at sample rates up to 192kHz, but not DSD data. Separate crystal oscillators are used for the 44.1kHz and 48kHz sample-rate families, with base-rate data upsampled to utilize Meridian’s apodizing filter.

The Prime’s sound quality is noted for its richness, warmth, and clarity, with excellent midrange and authoritative low frequencies. The ASP settings adjust the soundstage perspective, though they may affect stereo separation. The optional Prime Power Supply enhances audio performance, providing more body and separation in the sound.