[x838nwy]

Ah.....now I see.
Personally, I'm not crazy about wall warts.
In can be difficult to plug two into the wall, the top one may come loose over time.

Same here. Socket real-estate is a real problem for me these days. And some of our sockets were installed sideways. Don't ask me why.

 

[GaryB]

Same here. Socket real-estate is a real problem for me these days. And some of our sockets were installed sideways. Don't ask me why.

 
That's a common practice in hospitals...

 

[R Giskard]

That's an interesting amplifier. The design is very much like their CD players, albeit smaller. I don't like the fact it has an external power transformer though.

 

[nicoch46]

  That's an interesting amplifier. The design is very much like their CD players, albeit smaller. I don't like the fact it has an external power transformer though.

wait..... we will know what is in there....
 
Btw external power transformer is always a good idea

 

[purk]

 
wait..... we will know what is in there....
 
Btw external power transformer is always a good idea

Yes, this help reduce the noise in the amplifier quite a bit.  However, a wallwart PSU is not a good idea.

 

[ChiAki]

Looks really...... NOT MERIDIAN...

 

[ticos442]

Can someone verify if the RCA line out is fixed or variable?
 
In my office/desktop I also have an Amp and speakers, which is fed currently by a Meridian Director and and Oppo universal player. The Meridian Director is also feeding via a splitter a Woo Audio headphone amplifier. I'm very interested to see if I can simplify my current configuration by inserting the Prime to replace the Director and the Woo Audio headphone amp without losing any sound quality.

Can the Prime really be used as a pre-amp configuration? Per Meridian's Prime manual, it can be used not only to feed powered speakers, but also as a pre-amp through the line-level outputs. Therefore, I assume the volume control knob is only applicable for the headphone outputs, but I might be wrong here.

"On the output side, the Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier includes a pair of gold-plated line-level phonos on the rear panel that can be used to drive an external amplifier or pair of analogue active loudspeakers"
...

"In addition to its use with headphones, the Prime Headphone Amplifier is also an outstanding analogue preamplifier, allowing multiple inputs to be managed effectively and brought up to line level at extraordinarily high quality for driving external power amplifiers or powered analogue speakers "

 

[GaryB]

The RCA output is definitely variable, as stated by jude in answering my question earlier in this thread, confirmed in e-mail correspondence I had with Meridian technical support. Don't hesitate to contact Meridian... in my experience they respond to questions quickly.

 

[ticos442]

Thank you GaryB for the clarification.
 
In your opinion, would this be a deal breaker in my configuration if I were to buy the Prime to also use it as a pre-amp?  
 
The output on the Director is definitely fixed which makes things easy.  However, with the Prime I am worried that it would be difficult to determine the ideal level of volume out in the Prime that I would need to dial to in order to feed my amplifier for maximum sound quality.  Any suggestions on this?

 

[ticos442]

Jude, I am really interested in the Prime.  I have a couple of questions that I'd really appreciate your input on:
 
1.  When do you expect to get the optional power supply unit?  And therefore, when do you think you can provide us your feedback on what difference did it make?
2.  When you do, can you compare it to cheaper cleaner USB power options like the iFi iUSB or others?

Thanks!

 

[Hooster]

  Thank you GaryB for the clarification.
 
In your opinion, would this be a deal breaker in my configuration if I were to buy the Prime to also use it as a pre-amp?  
 
The output on the Director is definitely fixed which makes things easy.  However, with the Prime I am worried that it would be difficult to determine the ideal level of volume out in the Prime that I would need to dial to in order to feed my amplifier for maximum sound quality.  Any suggestions on this?

 
Is your aim just to simplify your configuration? The Prime uses an Alps pot to control the volume. Just set the volume to whatever listening level you like, I don't see any difficulty there. In my opinion there are better solutions to controlling volume than Alps pots, but what do I know...

 

[ticos442]

Thank you.
 
Yes - one of the objectives is the simplification of my configuration, and to minimize cables, and the overall path to the final musical product.  I would significantly reduce the number of boxes, gear and cables if I go with the Prime implementation, and if what they advertise really works.
 
I have been impressed with the Meridian products/sound  (Explorer, Director) that I currently have, and I like very much in theory what they have done with the Prime.  I agree - I am not crazy about the variable output and the Alps pot implementation, but all reviews I've read so far claim that it does not affect the sound and experience.

 

[Neverthinking]

nice amp. but the price is nice too...

 

[GaryB]

ticos442, I see by your profile that you apparently now own a Prime.  Have you any comments regarding your initial experience?
 
TIA 

 

 

[ticos442]

I was so excited about my new purchase that I updated my profile too soon.  My Meridian Prime got stuck in the mess that UPS has in their hands with last week's winter storm in the DFW area - my Prime has been delayed getting to my home for more than 10 days and counting.   I will be happy to report findings once I get it!