Saturday, 06 December 2014 19:02

Meridian Explorer 2 - MQA ready. Update with extended information

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On December 4, Meridian unveiled their new  audio format MQA. They had obviously worked behind the scenes with a compatible product too.

On December 5, it was announced that Meridian's pocketDAC Explorer gets its sequel - Meridian Explorer 2. And this is already prepared for MQA decoding.

 

Explorer 2 is similar to its predecessor an asynchronous USB DAC in very compact Format. It has a mini USB type B input, and outputs you can choose between 2xRCA with fixed gain, or headphone poutput with variable gain. We have mentioned earlier MQA, and in addition it also has its own Meridian Apodising Filter particularly to prevent pre-ringing.

Meridian Explorer 2 can be used for these operating systems:

Macintosh OS X 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard) or later.
Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 or later
Linux kernel 6.2.37 or later and ALSA version 1.0.32 or greater.

 

 

Info from Meridian:

 

Product highlights

True Meridian quality from a pocket Digital to Analogue Converter
Includes USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
Meridian MQA Decoding and Rendering with LEDs to indicate authenticated master-quality replay
Full range of Meridian Resolution Enhancement technologies for ultimate performance: Apodising filter, 4x upsampling to 176.4/192kHz, Noise Shaping
Asynchronous USB Audio Class Compliant 2.0 HS 480Mb/s for best-in-class performance
Bus-powered; plugs into any computer with a USB port
Exceptionally high resolution (24-bit/192kHz)
6-layer circuit board with audiophile-grade components throughout
Auto-sensing headphone and 192kHz-derived fixed analogue outputs
Advanced headphone volume control: 0 to –100dB, ideal for sensitive headphones.
Ultimate playback performance limited only by the source material – makes any file sound its best
Compact, elegant and rugged metal enclosure
Cable connection to avoid motherboard stress
Hand made in the UK

Outline Specifications

Inputs
• USB mini type B.Outputs
• 3.5mm analogue line out, fixed 2v RMS.
• 3.5mm headphone jack with variable-level output, impedance 0.47Ω.Construction
• Extruded Aluminium shell with moulded plastic endcaps and rubber foot.Power
• USB, nominal 5V at <500mA.Processing
• Dual Tile XMOS DSP with 16 cores and 1000 MIPS Indicators
• Three white LEDs (1x, 2x, 4x) show connected state and audio stream rate. 1x LED glows white for PCM, green to indicate MQA playback and blue to indicate MQA Studio playback. MQA indications will no  show if the bitstream is altered in any way.Implementation
• USB audio class compliant 2.0 HS 480Mb/s bandwidth.
• Asynchronous: device is the clock source for high quality.
• Firmware upgrade via USB.
• Windows drivers provided, no drivers required for Macintosh OS X or Linux.
• Analogue volume control for headphone output, controlled from PC, control law modified to match connected OS.
 
OS requirements
• Macintosh OS X 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard) or later
• Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 or later
• Linux kernel 2.6.37 or later and ALSA version 1.0.32 or greater
 
Dimensions (approx)
102 x 32 x 18mm (4.0 x 1.25 x 0.7in).
Weight (approx) 50g (1.76oz).
 
 

Read more about Meridian Explorer 2.

 

Price in Norway: kr. 2.500,-

Meridian is distributed in Norway by:

MDS Norway AS
Rundtom 68

1385 Asker

 

Last modified on Wednesday, 11 November 2020 16:30
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Karl Erik Sylthe

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