Meridian Audio’s booth (1644) at the Home Entertainment Show 2007 (HE2007), May 11–13, in New York City, will showcase the Meridian Digital Theater (MDT) system concept. This particular demonstration will highlight the award-winning, compact DSP3100 digital loudspeaker.
The system being demonstrated at HE2007 includes Meridian’s popular digital loudspeakers featuring their unique Digital Signal Processing (DSP) system. The system configuration includes five of Meridian’s award-winning DSP3100 speakers. A digital signal is fed to each speaker — in this case from the G91AH, a fully featured CD/DVD-Video player. Inside each speaker cabinet is a powerful crossover implemented entirely in the digital domain, permitting parameters and performance that are simply impossible with conventional passive designs. The crossover outputs are fed to individual precision digital-to-analog converters per band, and these each drive their own power amplifier, which is coupled directly to the drivers. The result is an elegant self-contained unit that sounds as good as it looks. In addition, the HE2007 demonstration system features an SW1600 analog/digital woofer optimized for both music and movie soundtracks, to make it an ideal companion to the system.
“The Home Entertainment Show is an excellent opportunity to interface directly with consumers and provide them an opportunity to see and hear the Meridian Digital Theater. The unique style of this show allows the Meridian gear to truly prove its prowess by providing clear, accurate imaging in an otherwise challenging environment,” said Norm Steinke, Vice President of Sales for Meridian America. “The compact Meridian Digital Theater system being demonstrated is a system designed to perform optimally in a smaller space, especially in the New York City area, where space is at a premium.”
The loudspeakers are driven by the G91AH, which can play back almost any PCM-format disc, including CD, DVD-Video, and the DVD side of a DualDisc. The G91AH is, in fact, one of the most versatile members of Meridian’s G Series, because it includes complete tuner, preamplifier, and controller capability, with both analog and digital inputs and outputs for direct connection to Meridian DSP loudspeakers. The G91AH also offers three S-video inputs, two composite-video inputs, and an external component input, so that devices such as satellite receivers with high-definition video and digital audio interfaces can be connected. An internal video processor converts video input signals to all three formats plus HDMI, allowing a single connection to the display at the highest resolution the display will support. And the G91AH can output full-bandwidth, high-resolution video at 1080p.
Meridian will also introduce consumers to the new G95 DVD surround receiver system and A350 on-wall speakers, which will be on static display. The G95 is a full 5.1-channel DVD-Audio/Video Surround Receiver with stereo and surround modes, a robust slot-loading DVD drive, and five gutsy built-in 100W power amplifiers to drive any choice of passive loudspeakers, plus an output for an active subwoofer. It plays audio CDs, MP3 CDs, Video CDs, and, of course, DVDs. The G95 can decode Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG, and MP3, and includes Meridian’s famous upsampling and Trifield surround processing. The G95 includes a broadcast-quality, high-resolution video processor-scaler that combines Meridian and Faroudja DCDi technology to deliver the most advanced, high-quality video available today from both DVD and external inputs at up to 1080p. Stereo and multichannel digital audio outputs are also available via HDMI at up to 192kHz.
Until now, fitting loudspeakers into or on walls introduced serious sonic compromises. Meridian’s new range of speakers including the A350, on display at HE2007, feature high-energy, efficient, low-coloration, wide-dispersion drivers, as well as the extraordinary low-resonance cabinet-design techniques used in Meridian’s flagship reference loudspeaker, the DSP8000. The speakers are available in a range of sizes, in active and passive form, and in flush, in-wall, and on-wall versions; the HE2007 display showcases the new on-wall models. Both heavy and rigid, to optimize dynamics and reduce distortion from wall vibrations, these speakers fill the room with clear, open sound that’s suitable for every application, from serious music listening to high-impact home theater.
Meridian Audio Limited is based in Huntingdon, near Cambridge, UK, and was founded in 1977 by Allen Boothroyd and Robert Stuart. With a 30-year history of innovation and development of the highest quality consumer audio systems, the award-winning company is widely recognised as a world leader in digital and analogue audio reproduction. Meridian developed the world’s first audiophile CD player, the world’s first consumer digital surround controller, developed the MLP lossless packing systems mandated for use first in DVD-Audio and now in the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc high-definition disc formats, and is the only UK audio hardware manufacturer to be a member of the DVD Forum. The company’s optical disc players, DSP-based loudspeakers, and Digital Theatre systems are unique in the industry, maintaining a super-quality digital audio signal throughout the path from the source to the amplifier, and using digital signal processing to generate advanced crossover characteristics that would be impossible with conventional passive analogue systems. Meridian is also the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Faroudja High-Definition video processors and projectors.
Note to Editors: Data sheets and hi-res images of the products are available from http://media.meridian-audio.com
