Meridian DSP5200SE

Meridian DSP5200SE

High-end active speakers with highly advanced DSP processing

You choose these speakers because you're not willing to compromise! Meridian Audio was officially founded in 1977 by Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd and to this day Meridian is run with the same constellation and everything Meridian makes is still being developed and made by hand in England. Since then they have had a hand in nearly all of the current common digital file formats. This is just a small hint about the powers behind Meridian Audio and its products. Not only was Meridian the first British company to launch a CD player back in 1983, they were also the first to launch an active speaker with DSP being able to program the speakers to allow for phase differences and other digital inconveniences. This was 1991. Today, they have accumulated more experience and in many ways perfected the use of DSP in their active speakers.

The traditional audio system i outdated

Today, the traditional hi-fi setup typically consists of two speakers and an amplifier, but in reality it is, according to Meridian, the a wrong way to look at it. Years ago we found out that stereo was better than mono, and thus the idea of using ​​two speakers was born. At that time the technology was not ready for having two identical amplifiers built into two identical speakers and at the same time control the sound with analog technology, which is why the amplifier was born. So it was strictly speaking not for audible reasons, and many manufacturers have also found that active speakers have a clear sonic advantage over passive with a built in amplifier. Still today it is an absolute minority of companies, that have led concept into practice with the same competence and dedication to the music and a true passion for reproduction as Meridian.

Highly detailed, incredibly clean sound

One of the key ingredients that make DSP5200 so immensely powerful and great-sounding, is Meridian's own Apodising filter. This unique filter can minimize the so-called pre-ringing effect, which gives hardness to the sound to an absolute minimum by means of a very steep filter. This filter gives a much more accurate sound from your music, the tones are more clear and defined. Their algorithm is even able to compensate for the bad filters so many older CDs have been through in the mastering process a problem that especially characterizes recordings from the 80s. Both problems are addressed in today's filters and contemporary filters during the production, and it simply is really smart! These simple and ingenious solutions are something that Meridian is world famous for and also what has given them so many satisfied customers.
 

In Meridian Special Edition DSP5200 the DSP conversion is not done in the Meridian preamplifier, but actually in the speaker itself, and this gives the advantage that the Meridian can wait until as late as possible in the processing of the signal, the signal retains better. This DSP processing is more reminiscent of a computer's way of handling data than a conventional DAC. DSPs allowing you to program the drivers to compensate for their own structural weaknesses. In addition, Meridian by the active system able to tune the built-in amplifiers sonically to fit each device individually, instead of using a single amplifier for all of the devices. This ultimately results in a significant boost in sound quality and better utilization of the effect.

Advanced features, but highly user-friendly

Although DSP5200SE is a masterpiece in digital technology and stands as one of the most sophisticated and thoughtful active speakers on the market and is filled with state of the art technology, Meridian made sure that it is incredibly easy to connect and start listening to. All you need is a Meridian Audio Core or Media Core 200, or similar Meridian Core amplifier, and two network cables: one from Audio Core 200 and down to one DSP5200 and one between the two. Meridian calls the technology MHR, and like so much else, Meridian was also first with this technology, which allowed to distribute digital audio between two components, which were also a clear improvement from the analogue alternative. Looking at the basic details such as the units' individual quality, Meridian also put a lot of their expertise and energy here. The tweeter is a beryllium tweeter selected because of a unique combination of lightness and stiffness, which is mounted in a short horn to provide more sensitivity, and the voice coil is wrapped with silver wire instead of the normal copper wire. Bass / midrange drivers are made from polypropylene, which is a lightweight and rigid material that has a low inherent sound. Each driver is coupled to a 75 watt amplifier which combined makes 225 watts of power available for each speaker.
 

The result of all these efforts is nothing less than shocking good! If you were expecting a high end rendering, you have underestimated Meridian, the music simply flows in a way that you simply can't believe that there is are many different things in the actual loudspeaker while it reproduces instruments and voices in such a vivid way! These speakers can compete with any traditional amplifier/speaker setup and come out with a gold medal in their grasp. If you've decided on a pair of active speakers, the DSP5200SE is among the absolute best.