Explorer₂ Tidal HIFI Edition inkluderer 3 mnd voucher til TIDAL HIFI til KUN 2.500,- ( Oppkrav legges til 300,-)
BESTILL HER
The Meridian Experience in your hand
Explorer₂ replaces a computer’s audio outputs with a USB-powered DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) featuring over 30 years of Meridian’s digital expertise in high-quality audio circuitry. Explorer₂ includes digital clocking derived from Meridian’s award-winning Reference Series components, for precise timing of digital signals.
Meridian has paid as much attention to the analog circuitry as the digital. Explorer₂ features a pure analog volume control with a powerful headphone amplifier and a line output. This provides sophisticated volume control with an extended range of 100dB – ideal for sensitive headphones. Whatever you listen to, Explorer₂ makes it sound its best.
Meridian Resolution Enhancement
Explorer2 includes significantly more DSP power than its predecessor, allowing the full suite of Meridian audio enhancement technologies to be included, which was not previously possible. Thus the Explorer2 upsamples all input signal to 176.4/192kHz (4x standard sample rates) – 4x streams are played at full resolution with no downsampling. It includes Meridian’s proprietary Apodising upsampling filter, which minimises pre-ringing for a clearer, more transparent sound, while at the same time removing digital filter artefacts from earlier digital recordings, audibly improving overall smoothness of sound and stereo imaging.
The Explorer2 also features Meridian’s approach to noise-shaping. This moves noise out of the audio band, increasing the audible signal to noise ratio.
Superior clocking
Explorer2 features full audio performance at sample rates up to 192kHz, 24-bit resolution. It doesn’t downsample 176.4/192 kHz signals to lower levels, delivering instead the full bandwidth of the original. Explorer2 is completely asynchronous – it does not rely on the computer’s clock for timing. Instead, it uses precision on-board low-jitter crystal oscillators for the base sample rates. These were developed from those used in Meridian’s premium home entertainment systems.
These oscillators provide the master clocking for the entire playback system, and eliminate all USB interface jitter. ‘Isochronous’ transfer ensures maximum bandwidth and low latency. This is particularly significant, for example, when playing videos on the computer, for which audio and video must remain in sync.
Dual auto-sensing outputs
Two outputs are provided: one for headphones and the other a line output for connection to a hi-fi system. Explorer2 automatically senses which is in use and deactivates the heaphone amplifier when the line output is connected, reducing noise.
The 3.5mm headphone socket delivers up to 130mW of high-quality audio – capable of driving plenty of level for even low-efficiency headphones.
The volume is controlled from the host computer. The volume control is an advanced design with an extended range of 0 to –100dB. This level of variability suits all kinds of headphones including the most sensitive.
The second 3.5mm socket provides a fixed-level analogue (2v RMS) output for connection to an external audio system. This is connected directly to the DAC for bit-precise performance. It delivers a fixed, full-level signal with no volume control. This is exactly what you need for an audio system: driving full level ensures both maximum signal to noise ratio and maximum use of digital resolution right through to the audio system’s own volume control, which controls the level for all sources in the system.
A Higher Class of DAC
Explorer2 is a USB Class 2 device that works with the newer (2009) USB2 specification. This supports a transmission speed of 480Mb/s – 40 times faster than Class 1 – allowing Explorer2 to play 192kHz audio streams. You can also plug it into any available USB port – including a hub. You’re not required to plug it direct into the computer.
Whether replaying an mp3 or a high-resolution lossless file, Explorer2 will make any content sound its best. It delivers a level of audio quality essentially limited solely by the source material.
Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)
Three indicators show the status of the Explorer2. The LED furthest from the headphone socket illuminates white to indicate that the unit is operating (and playing PCM at 1x standard sample rates – 44.1/48kHz). The middle LED (2x standard rate) indicates 88.2/96kHz operation and the third LED 176.4/192kHz operation (4x).Explorer2 includes a powerful decoder and audio renderer for Meridian’s exclusive ‘Master Quality Authenticated’ system. This ensures that MQA-encoded lossless audio files and streams sound exactly like the source. The 1x LED glows green to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate that the Explorer2 is playing an MQA Studio file – one based on a new, exclusively sourced, artist/producer-approved studio master. In all cases you hear exactly the sound the production team intended.
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FEATURES:
MASTER QUALITY AUTHENTICATED (MQA)
Sourced from the original studio master recording as approved by the creative team, MQA combines an advanced new digital sampling technology that captures extremely high frequency timing and detail in an audio signal with an equally novel system to “encapsulate” that data into a form for delivery using any lossless file format or streaming. The listener’s decoder reconstructs the entire original signal, bringing up an indicator confirming that what they are hearing is exactly the same as the original master. Without the decoder, the listener enjoys CD quality reproduction. Its most advanced form, “MQA Studio”, uses the technology in the studio to generate an even higher quality master recording as the source.
MERIDIAN APODISING FILTER
Filters are critical in digital audio. Commonly they introduce distortion and harshness because of "pre-ringing". Early digital recordings suffer from harshness too, due to primitive filters. After painstaking research, Meridian developed a special filter that avoids pre-ringing, so it can be steeper, cleaning up the effects of early filters. The result: a better, cleaner sound from recordings old and new.
SPECIFICATION:
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 not 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).
Meridian launch MQA at The Shard
Riktig God Jul
Per S
MDS Norway AS
Meridian Audio LTD. Importør
tlf 48 23 43 20
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