Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Meridian Explorer

This from the Meridian webpage:

SIMPLY LISTEN
Explorer replaces your computer�s sound card with a USB-powered DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) featuring Meridian�s high quality audio circuitry and design derived from Meridian�s award-winning Reference Series components, along with a powerful headphone amplifier with on-board analogue volume control. Whatever your choice of content � iTunes, Spotify�, YouTube� or a High Resolution downloaded file, Explorer makes it sound its best. Simply by plugging it in and listening with it, you�ll experience significantly higher sound quality.

Neil,
What's your point?

Neil, the explorer has that headphone amp so it can drive my HD650 pretty well actually.
BUT there is also an optical out so I can drive my DSP3100 speakers (with an SPDIF converter).
ALSO there is a Line out 2V so with a preamp or a passive volume control you can drive active speakers.

You aren't going to see fantastic gains upgrading to a mega money USB cable but there is a potential improvement in the noise floor by using a well shielded and terminated one.

Sadly there isn't a direct link between cable price and sound engineering practice

The Kimber one I have seems very good, but that is good engineering, nothing more. Just get the copper one, not the silver.

I drive my Elac speakers without problems from M Explorer. Sounds a lot better than my old Arcam rDAC. I installed a USB card on my PCI-E slot because i had problems with some sort of noise coming from other USB devices, such as mouse and keyboard and other parts of the computer. This USB card solved this problem.

I agree that there is no correlation between a price and quality. But it is very often so that well made/designed/built/engineered products cost more than less well made/designed/built/engineered products.

In my experience there is difference between SPDIF cabels. I have tried a few both at home, in shops and at friends. In cirka 95% of the cases the better/more expensive cable produces the better sound.

The laws of design apply to cables just like any other thecnical product. There is difference between an cheap amplifier and expensive one. The products do the same thing, thing but in different ways.

Best Regards, Per Nilsson

Slightly OT but the cables I make up for SPDIF use connectors priced at about �5 each and the cable is ~�2/metre (CT100 equivalent). When I see an expensive cable made up using 50p connectors and a generic variant of RG/59 I never know whether to laugh or cry.
CT100 is overkill for SPDIF but you get lovely sharp edges on your scope when you look at the data stream

Yesterday I linked Explorer via standard USB cable to a cheap opt/SPDIF converter and into 5200's. Guess what? It sounds great.

I'm sure it did- but did you do a comparison between that and other cables/converters? I'd think particularly the converter might make a difference here? After all, isn't the explorer itself, along with many of Meridian's products, a converter? Seems odd when we all get excited about one converter, and pay a lot of money for it, only to assume that another converter somewhere in the chain isn't making a difference...

Incidentally, not all USB or other cables are built equal- even Sony will not guarantee problem free firmware updates (for example) on my NEX series cameras unless their own cable is used.

I agree that anything beyond good engineering and component quality won't make a difference, but I think that certain companies, even in cables, have pushed the boundaries of what good engineering means, and spend a lot on research.

I've moved this debate to a new thread Incidental USB cable debate

Please let's keep this thread Explorer thread Explorer centric.

Regards,
Carl

Sorry! Back on topic...

I just connected the Explorer with my cheap desk speakers (usually I'd prefer mute). Simply to test some my favourite soundtrack without any setting on driver. My wife said do we need the 5.1 system in living room anymore?