StreamingHiFi ElectronicsNetworkNews

Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 – The second generation

Primare AB presented the Primare NO5 Prisma in 2019, a small but really fine streaming client based on the in-house Primare Prisma Network Player Technology. Now the changing of the guard will take place in August and the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 will be launched.

Primare NP5 Prisma Network Player, with this solution Primare AB announced a “very special product” in 2019, as it was called at the time. In fact, it was an extremely versatile streaming client in the most compact and also very affordable form, which relied on the so-called Primare Prisma Technology.

Now, as the Swedish hi-fi company announced, the chosen successor, the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2, will be available this summer.

Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 as Successor to the Primare NP5 Prisma Network Player

Like its predecessor, the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 is to present itself as an extremely versatile solution, is to be available at a very attractive price and in an equally compact form, thus making Primare Prisma Technology accessible to as broad a customer base as possible.

Thus, nothing has been changed in the basic concept; on the contrary, the new generation presents itself in an almost identical form at first glance. The innovations can be found when looking at the details.

No more AKM re-clocking chip

First and foremost, the current market situation made it necessary to adapt the Primare NP5 Prisma Network Player, as it is well known that the availability of essential components for consumer electronics is currently very, very poor.

Thus, the hi-fi company Primare AB states the following:

“The development of the new model was necessitated primarily by the fire at the AKM chip factory, which resulted in a long-term disruption in the supply of the critical re-locking chip that is at the heart of the NP5 Prisma design and enables the selection of output sampling frequencies.”

Primare AB

In order to continue offering one of Primare AB’s most popular models, the company said it decided to adapt the design slightly to rely on a readily available chip. Primare AB promises that in redesigning the circuitry, great care has been taken to maintain the performance of the original Primare NP5 Prisma while allowing MQA passthrough, which was not possible with the original chip.

  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 02
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 08
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 07
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 06
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 05
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 04
  • Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 03

Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 – The second generation

Although Primare AB does not go into details about the new chip, it states that the Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 can process data in Linear PCM format up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, via USB-A, WiFi or LAN, and that DSD files can also be played back, using DoP, i.e. DSD over PCM.

Of course, the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 does not have a D/A converter; signals are output in digital form via a coaxial or optical S/PDIF interface.

UPnP, Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Roon Ready…

At first glance, nothing has changed in the supported streaming technologies; the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 relies on UPnP as well as Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast. Of course, it is Roon Ready right from the start and also offers the option of receiving audio data simply via Bluetooth without a network.

Spotify HiFi and TIDAL Connect to follow

Probably a little after market launch in summer 2021, the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 will also directly support TIDAL including TIDAL Connect and be ready for Spotify HiFi.

As just indicated, according to Primare AB, the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 will be available in the summer of 2021, the manufacturer is talking specifically about August 2021, although it is not yet entirely certain that this date can actually be met exactly. In any case, the recommended retail price for the new Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 is stated at € 600.

Getting to the point

Although it is called Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 and is described as the successor of the Primare NP5 Prisma Network Player, it is actually a version of the previous model that has only been adapted in details. In fact, the only change is that a new chip is used, because the AKM re-clocker that was used until now is simply no longer available. In the course of the redesign of the circuitry, however, a few nice features have been added, such as MQA passthrough and support for Spotify HiFi and TIDAL Connect. However, the price has also been raised significantly…

Manufacturer:Primare AB
Distribution:In-akustik GmbH & Co. KG
Price:€ 600,-

Show More

Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button