Meridian 557 audio amplifier

200W/8 ohms, Bridge mode, <0.05%, – 90dB S/N Ratio, 27kg Meridian have maintained a strong reputation for their power amplifier technology for over 15 years. Until now, their power amp developments have concentrated on high-transparency low-power models or on the custom amplifiers in their renowned active and digital speaker designs.
The 557 takes the Meridian 500 Series into new territory - with 200W of clean clear power - for the first time allowing the option of a complete Meridian front end for large passive speakers. The Meridian 557 can be used with the 502 or 501 preamps, or with a Meridian DSP Surround Processor.
The Meridian 557 houses two powerful amplifiers in a dual mono construction. The amplifiers are both rated at 200W into 8 ohms. Each over-specified output stage uses 8 high-power transistors. These, combined with a massive low-noise 1.6kVA toroidal transformer, permit this amplifier to deliver currents in excess of 30A, ensuring no loss of performance even into loads that dip below 2 ohms. The massive power delivery of this amplifier makes it ideal for driving difficult loudspeaker loads.
557 can be operated in bridged mode giving power in excess of 680W into 8 ohms, 1000W into 4 ohms.
The 557 provides balanced and unbalanced inputs as well as twin outputs for bi-wiring.
The topology of 557 is very much in the Meridian tradition. A high-precision fast DC-precise input stage is combined with a fully complementary amplification and output stage. Also, the 557 uses Meridian’s well established self-adjusting bias and error-correction output topology.
The 557 is fully protected against DC and thermal overload. A proprietary Meridian soft-start circuit is also fitted.