Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems New: Meridian Ultra DAC

Yetis

Not being sarcastic at all, I really wouldn't be surprised.

Russ

Looking at the new power amp, they may have a job lot of 800 chassis sitting it the yard!

What is the look timeless or stuck in time?

Two notes based on the press release specs:What does this mean?

Also, this implies that the built in DAC in the DSP8000 has similar technology.

Output data rate is 36.864 Mb/s for 48kHz base-frequency and 33.8688 for 44.1kHz base-frequency content. (Same as DSP8000)
Output data rate is equivalent to 768kHz or 705.6kHz / 24 bit two-channel.

I don't like the design of the 800 series at all. Way too big and outdated.
It's time for something entirely new
G-series design is still very good imho.
Would like to replace/renew my G92A which now serves as pre-amplifier.

As far as we can work out, the same as currently the case is with Sooloos. You can put 192kHz files in your store, and play them back - as in "get sound out of them". Transport is 96kHz because it down samples in the core, for transport over the network, to fit the ID41 limitation of 96kHz.

Yes, I heard a description of this technology, and the extreme upsampling, first in discussion of the SE speakers a few years ago. It's good that they are actually saying what they're doing to some extent.

The 800 design is as much function as it is form. Being card based it pretty much has to be as big as it is. The fact that you can have multiple products sharing the same chassis is smart engineering. The vast majority out there think they are quite elegant.

I have it first hand from Meridian that the existing 800 series case is used "for performance reasons that are maybe not currently appreciated". In other words, it's a great case from an RFI perspective (at least).

I'm out of my depth here so I'm going to have to ask what it would be? The way that I see it is that you have some decent speakers that can't be upgraded e.g. some legacy 5200s. Could the computerised parts be placed outside of the speaker and connected by a cable?

Cheers
Tom

Apart from M, nobody knows for sure, but it could be a device like the MS200 (or MS600) that has the capability to send a signal to legacy speakers via MHR. The 818v3 already has this capability. That signal would be decoded MQA, "unfolded" to the extent of the capability of the DAC within the DSP, and sent to the DSP via MHR.

For most legacy DSPs this is currently capped out at 24/96 but there is a school of thought that suggests this limit may be upped by a firmware update to 24/192 (Meridian have hinted as much) but again, this is not certain. For example, if an MQA352 signal is sent it would only be unfolded one fold - to 24/96 - or two folds if the legacy DSPs can be updated to 24/192. Only SE DSPs will be capable of unfolding in full. It seems inconceivable to me that M will not provide something like this unit to serve the large numbers of legacy DSP owners out there.

Alternatively, an outboard MQA convertor sitting between, for example, an MS200 and a set of legacy DSPs is possible - this would take an undecoded MQA signal from the MS200, decode it and then encrypt the signal using MHR so that it could be fed into any DSP capable of handling MHR. This would protect the MQA IP and bring new life to existing kit, but it would likely require firmware updates to both the MS200 (for example) and the legacy DSPs. This device would not be a DAC as everything would remain in the digital domain - input undecoded MQA, output decoded and encrypted PCM.

Commercial considerations will also be key - is it better for M to sell brand new equipment in the mid-range (eg an MS200 or MS600 replacement) or an outboard MQA decoder that will work with existing kit? Only M know the answer to that question. There are also technical questions at issue - the clunky Sooloos infrastructure - limiting network cards and hence endpoints to 24/96 - is surely due an overhaul soon, which suggests that it may be better to go the first route rather than an outboard MQA convertor.

This is all theory - it may work out entirely differently. In the meantime, undecoded MQA is pretty damn good and will play on any DSP.

@Ludwig

The Ultra DAC manual states that "All lower bit-rate signals are upsampled to 352/384 kHz to allow a wider choice of high-quality filters."

Is this inconsistent with the output data rate equivalent to 768 kHz or is this a technical nomenclature issue (or simply my lack of understanding).

Either way, the specs of this new super DAC are pretty amazing. It's a great counter-intuitive move by Meridian. Can't wait to hear it. I wonder if they will offer an upgrade option to owners of existing 818v3s?

Agreed thanks Altus.

Thank the heavens, for not insignificant, inexpensive mercies.

Just need the content.

Hector

@Altus

I don't pretend to know for sure, and am basing what I say on the public data on the Ultra, as interpreted in the light of a conversation about the SEs some time ago with someone involved in design at Meridian.

I believe the "output data rate" of 768kHz refers to something within the DAC. All signals would be presented to the DAC at 352/384kHz, with appropriate upsampling depending on origin. Then while the DAC is "doing its thing", a further step of upsampling occurs.

What the difference is between that and simply upsampling to 768, I don't know.

I assume that the upsampling pre-SE DSPs upsample to 96 which is then presented to the DACs. The DACs in the SE speakers are a whole nother thing (as we already knew by listening).

Happy to be corrected on any of this.