Perreaux Prism 350 Power Amplifier

POWER AMPLIFIER  ·  350W/CH  ·  PERREAUX  ·  REVIEW

Once in a while something comes along, unassuming and unexpected, and makes you sit up and take notice. The Prism 350 arrived and was promptly removed from its box for investigation. The packaging was excellent — made to withstand a long journey. The amplifier was not your typical drool-worthy work of metal art. It was solid, simple, and elegant. Very elegant. It felt good to the touch and was not overly large. No sharp edges, no unsightly heatsinks protruding from its flanks. It was heavy though, hinting at some serious power inside.

First Impressions: Sound

Set up with a Hovland HP100 preamplifier and the EMMLabs CD player, the first notes through the Prism 350 produced an immediate response: “What is this?” A most pleasant sound — pleasant for the complete absence of audiophile clichés.

The Prism 350 sports an abundance of MOSFET transistors and is fast and decisive. But never the slightest harshness. For a treble-sensitive listener it was notes from heaven. The fine detail is all there, but it never throws things away to impress — it simply doesn’t try to manufacture artificial detail. There is a sweetness, almost valve-like in the treble registers.

The midrange is more solid state: fast, warm of neutral, and perfectly balanced against the upper registers. It doesn’t sit right in front of you like the best valve amplifiers, and it doesn’t hide either. Female vocals are good; male vocals are extraordinary in texture. Guitar, saxophone, and drums all sound superb.

Bass and the Bottom Line

The bass is something Perreaux is rightly proud of — tuneful and never rumbling. The control is absolute. Drums, synth, and organ will not run away with your speakers. It goes very deep. Where does this Perreaux sit in the establishment? Rather close to the very best. I have heard many Levinsons, McIntosh amplifiers, and Krells sound worse. My own FPB700cx beats it on raw power and bass weight, but that is the extent of the difference. My Plinius SR Reference matches the bass, competes in the midrange, but misses in the upper registers.

I put this Perreaux in my Class A list. Alongside the Manley Reference amplifiers and Krell FPB700cx.

It has enough power to drive 95% of speakers in the world to terminating levels — 600W into 4Ω, 80A current per channel. Well done Perreaux on a stunning amplifier.

Test System