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MeridianSooloos produce first jointly developed touchpanel: Control 10

by Darren Murph posted Mar 16th 2009 at 12:05AM


Given just how zany the past few months have been in the HD world, you probably forgot all about Meridian and Sooloos' little tie-up back in December. Lo and behold, the newly conjoined company has just released its first jointly developed product, the Control 10 touchscreen. The device integrates Meridian's proprietary connectivity with a Sooloos touchscreen in order to create what's called the "most user-friendly media-access solution yet." For those with lots of Meridian equipment, it'll be hard to let this one pass given just how well it'll integrate, and there's also RS-232 for more widespread control. Hop on past the break for the nitty-gritty, but only after you've grown comfortable with the $5,000 asking price.

Continue reading MeridianSooloos produce first jointly developed touchpanel: Control 10

Sooloos delivers RackMount media server models at no extra cost

by Darren Murph posted Jan 26th 2009 at 8:18AM


So far as we can tell, this is the first major product introduction from Sooloos since it was acquired by Meridian Audio Limited in December 2008. For those who've already plunked down for one of the company's music management devices, you'd be better off holding your ears and scrolling down with haste. For everyone else, you should know that Sooloos's Source, Twinstore and Ensemble units will now be available in a 2U rackmount enclosure for -- get this -- no additional cost. The mountable iterations will include internal fans for heat dispersion and a front-panel power switch, though functionally everything will remain the same. Pays to wait sometimes, huh? The full release (prices included) is after the break.

Continue reading Sooloos delivers RackMount media server models at no extra cost

Meridian's HD621 HDMI Audio Processor breaks out the audio, but keeps it in-house

by Steven Kim posted Jan 18th 2009 at 1:32PM

Meridian HD621 HDMI Audio ProcessorA 6:1 HDMI switch with audio breakouts is something we'd normally look to Gefen for, but we're not surprised to see that Meridian has introduced its own wrinkle to the formula in its HD621 HDMI Audio Processor. In addition to routing one of the six HDMI sources to the output, the $3000 box will separate out the audio signal (up to 8 channels) on a single RJ45 connection in the Meridian Multichannel High Resolution or four RCA jacks, each carrying two channels of Meridian High Resolution data. It's all nice and proprietary, but c'mon -- did you expect anything else from a company that has never shied away from creating its own standards? Needless to say, only those interested in an all-Meridian system need apply.

Splurge on some Meridian gear this holiday, score two extra years of warranty

by Steven Kim posted Dec 26th 2008 at 11:34PM

Meridian F80
Honestly, we picture the typical Meridian customer as the "if it breaks, I'll just buy a new one" type, but we honestly don't know any Meridian owners who we can hit up for hand-me-downs. More importantly, everyone is looking for a value-add these days, so Meridian is offering an extra two years of warranty coverage for purchases made between now and February of next year. So if you've been on the fence about that $35,000 DSP7200 speaker setup, now is a great time to jump in; if you're looking for a way to pitch the $185,000 Reference Video System to your "finance committee," this could be the deal-closer. Heck, even if you're just curious to dose your kitchen countertop with a little Ferrari-approved luxe, you can do so now with the assurance that the "flawless craftsmanship" will hold up an extra couple of years. Kind of puts Bryston's long-standing 20-year warranty in perspective, doesn't it?

Meridian picks up Sooloos, and isn't telling anything more

by Steven Kim posted Dec 8th 2008 at 9:13AM

Meridian Sooloos
In tough economic times, it's not unusual to see consolidation among companies as big fish gobble up smaller ones. We didn't really see Meridian's acquisition of Sooloos in our crystal ball, but there's some definite synergy going on here; with Meridian's adoption of SpeakerLink for ethernet distribution of control and data and Sooloos' 17-inch Control:One touchscreen, there's some interesting possibilities. One thing's for sure, the two companies are targeting the same affluent, tech-lifestyle crowd; but we're all left to speculate. Meridian didn't disclose any immediate plans, let alone terms of the deal -- we're guessing some number of $3000 F80s was involved.

Meridian spreads its SpeakerLink all-in-one connection up and down the line

by Steven Kim posted Nov 29th 2008 at 10:18AM

Meridian DSP8000 speaker and AC11 hub
Meridian's SpeakerLink all-digital, single cable solution for moving audio, communications and control bits between components has major appeal for going with an all-Meridian system -- higher performance and more integrated control are always good things in entertainment devices. Pity is, the active digital speakers and associated components cost a pretty penny; but if you're shopping Meridian, we're guessing cost is no barrier to entry. If you spring for the company's flagship DSP8000 speaker, you'll get a nice RJ-45 jack right onboard for a SpeakerLink connection; if your means are more modest (relatively speaking), then you'll need an AC11 hub that breaks a SpeakerLink connection out to a Meridian Comms port (DIN or BNC) and S/PDIF audio. The AC11 goes for $995, the DSP8000 are safely in the "if you have to ask" realm north of $40,000 per pair.

Meridian's $185,000 810 Reference Video System unveiled

by Darren Murph posted Jul 30th 2008 at 7:44PM


Anyone even remotely familiar with Meridian will understand that it caters to the affluent sect. Anyone even considering disputing that fact need look no further than the recently unveiled 810 Reference Video System. This monstrous projector boasts ten full megapixels of resolution, a native 4,096 x 2,400 resolution, 3-chip D-ILA module, PKI Xenon light, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 4,000 lumens and a video processing box created by Marvell. Slated to ship in Q3, the PJ comes packaged with a long, short or medium-throw lens as well as a "motorized 2.35:1 anamorphic lens assembly for fixed height ultra-wide screen installations." Each unit also comes bundled with the 810 Reference Video Scaler "which connects to the projector with four parallel DVI-D cables, each carrying one quadrant of the image." Early reports suggest that even with all the fancy hardware, the $185,000 asking price may still be a bit high, so make sure you give this one a serious look before committing.

[Via BigPictureBigSound]

Meridian's i80: the $400 universal iPod dock

by Darren Murph posted Jul 29th 2008 at 12:03PM


Meridian's multi-thousand dollar F80 has long since been just a pipe dream for those looking for a tabletop audio system, but one of the biggest gripes about the spectacular device was the inexplicable omission of an iPod dock. Now, Meridian is out to remedy that problem by introducing the i80 Universal Dock for iPod. Able to play nice with dock-connecting iPods and iPhones, this dock integrates "nicely" into the aforesaid F80 and will be available with clip-on red / yellow trims for those with vivid tastes. Wash that $399 away this August, or go for broke by dropping $3,395 on the i80 / F80 kit.

[Via Trendy Gadget]

Meridian $3K F80 home entertainment system gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 7:44PM


Before you unload $2,995 on anything, you're likely going to want the opinion of someone who has had a chance to try things out beforehand, no? Working under that assumption, we present to you a review of Meridian's stratospherically priced F80. Proudly called "the most expensive tabletop music system in the history of the civilized world," this unit was seen as a "model for all tabletop systems," with the reviewer even begging everyone else to look at this before starting up design on yet another ho hum alternative. The critic also noted that this unit pulled off what he thought was impossible: "identifiable left- and right-channel sound from a system that measures only 16-inches wide." As expected, the F80 was indeed the "best" he had ever heard in this category, but the omission of an iPod dock was a sore spot. For those with more disposable income than they know what to do with, this one seems a surefire winner; for everyone else, it's not worth going into debt over.

Meridian breaks bank, hearts with M810 video system

by Steven Kim posted Jun 21st 2008 at 2:23PM

Meridian M810 projector
If pairing the Meridian's lowly MF10 projector with your DSP7200 speakers is just too "entry level" for you, Meridian has a kind of HTIB to show you. The M810 video system (yeah, it's a system) consists of 800 Series electronics, a 7.1 speaker setup built around the DSP7200 speakers, and a new M810 Projector. The term 'HTIB' doesn't really capture this setup accurately, but replace 'box' with 'super-great-audio-video-enclave' and you get the gist of it. The M810 Projector makes use of JVC-sourced 4k D-ILA silicon in conjunction with a 850-Watt lamp to pump out 10-megapixel video. Our friends at CEPro were pretty impressed by the demo; and it'd be just plain rude to the setup crew to say otherwise, seeing as how they spend four days setting up and calibrating each M810 system. Yours for $175,000, home not included. Father's Day has passed, but there's always next year, right?

[Image courtesy CEPro]

Meridian's Ferrari-branded F80 home entertainment system priced at $2,995

by Darren Murph posted May 17th 2008 at 2:49AM


We fully expected that Ferrari logo and lacquered paint job to add a stuff premium to Meridian's F80, but this is undeniably insane. The "transportable home entertainment system," which has been hovering about since last March, is at long last ready to be purchased. Finding prospective buyers, however, will likely be challenging. The unit is now available in silver, yellow, white, black and the obligatory red, and each one will set you back a dumbfounding $2,995. We're thinking the unit itself would go for around three bills sans branding, but apparently Italian ponies aren't cheap.

Meridian announces MF10 1080p D-ILA projector at EHX

by Darren Murph posted Mar 14th 2008 at 12:41PM


Every so often, a projector hits the market that's just so delectable, it's hard to stop fantasizing about what pieces of your kids' rooms could be auctioned off in order to procure it. Enter the $14,995 Meridian MF10, which is most certainly one those units. Packin' a totally familiar black chassis, three 0.7-inch 1080p D-ILA chips, a native 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 700 lumens, and a 2x zoom lens (2:35:1 Cinemascope is optional), this PJ exudes confidence. You'll also find a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports along with component, S-Video and composite (saywha?), an RS-232 control terminal and the ability to play nice with the firm's $3,995 DVP2351 digital video processor (shown after the jump). Yeah, they're both available as we speak, but can your Centurion Card really handle it? [Warning: PDF read link]

Continue reading Meridian announces MF10 1080p D-ILA projector at EHX

Meridian announces DSP7200 speakers

by Steven Kim posted Sep 9th 2007 at 7:09PM

Meridian logoMeridian announced the successor to their DSP7000 speakers, the DSP7200. Meridian has always been happy to forge their own path in coming up with technical solutions for digital audio, and the DSP7200 is no exception. These are digital active speakers, meaning a digital bitstream is fed to the speakers and D/A conversion and amplification tasks are handled internally. There are real-world advantages to this approach -- vastly simplified cabling (both audio signal and control signals are passed around via standard daisy-chained CAT5), signals are kept in the digital domain as long as possible, and all processing can be done in the digital realm. The downside is the whole-system approach you have to commit to, which discourages mix and match. Membership in the Meridian club at this level isn't cheap, either. Pricing for the new DSP7200 was not announced, but the DSP7000 speakers being replaced cost about $25000 per pair. Ouch. We'll keep moving down the aisle to some of their other offerings.

Meridian's iRIS iPod dock upscales videos to 1080p via HDMI

by Darren Murph posted Sep 5th 2007 at 4:50PM


If you're having a flash of déjà vu, fret not, as this device certainly isn't the first from Meridian to output 1080p content from your iPod. Unveiled today, the iRIS universal dock for iPod claims to pump out your stored videos in resolutions as high as 1080p via HDMI, all thanks to the "high-end video upconversion processing." Of course, we're admittedly skeptical about how well this thing truly walks the talk, but nevertheless, users who opt for component outs instead of HDMI can purportedly witness 720p / 1080i content straight from their Pod. Notably, the Qdeo technology is said to "further incorporate advanced DSP for per-pixel, motion-adaptive video processing that corrects both color and contrast losses," and while there's no word on whether this thing plays nice with the new family of iPods, users will enjoy the coaxial / optical audio outputs, headphone and line-level outs, and the HDMI input for external sources. We know you're intrigued, so look for this bad boy to land in November for $379.

Meridian teams with Ferrari for F80 home entertainment system

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2007 at 8:01AM

No, it's not surprising in the least that Ferrari has found yet another firm willing to cater to their every demand in order to form a distinct partnership, but regardless, the automotive firm is looking to sweep the rug out from under your current home entertainment setup with the F80. Teamed up with Meridian Audio, the same folks who channeled HD content from your iPod to your TV, Ferrari is delving into yet another consumer electronics realm by coordinating an oddly-shaped and still mysterious "home entertainment center." Aside from looking more like a semi-circle and less like an AV component, the device purportedly packs DAB / FM / AM tuning, a CD / DVD player (no word on HD DVD / Blu-ray just yet), and 80-watts of power dispersed through the two front-firing speakers and rear-mounted subwoofer. In typical Ferrari fashion, the unit should be available in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, silver, and red, and while we're not entirely sure when this rubber is set to hit the road, you can hit the read link if you just can't wait 'til race day.

[Via ShinyShiny]




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