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

Comparison only made using headphones as described, as this is my chosen use in my study when SWMBO has had enough of 7200's.
Hector

I recently downloaded USB Audio Recorder Pro from the Android Google Play store to see if it would drive the Explorer from my Nexus 7.

Playback worked fine using a USB "on the go" adapter cable but unfortunately there was no way to set the volume level.

I emailed feedback to the authors and today I was asked to download the 1.1.0b beta version and now the mixer within the app can control the volume out on the Explorer.

It's really meant to be a semi-pro audio recording tool so the interface for selecting which music to play back is quite basic and it only supports uncompressed audio but it's impressive to get glitch free 176kHz AIF playback from a small tablet.

Hopefully the beta version controls will end up in the stable release soon.

-Ronnie

I too have joined the Explorer club, and I must say is sounds fantastic.

Running only one light, which I think is correct. (J River, says it is 'bit perfect')

And no problems running my HD800 headphones.


CheeRS

Shaun

I just received my Explorer from Todd The Vinyl Junkie in the US. Not dead certain that it's the latest firmware but given the date and assurances on Todd's site I presume it is.
So far I've tried the Sennheiser IE80's (analytical) and the B&W P5's (mellow).
I'm using BitPerfect with iTunes on a mac.
I would give the sound quality an A+.
It does a great job with 96/24 tracks from HDTracks.com and AAC files from the iTunes store and my own vinyl rips with a Sound Devices 702. It sounds better than the headphone playback in the Sound Devices itself.
The only drawback is that it's not loud enough for some of my tracks. I have the volume all the way up in bit perfect and it's not really loud enough for Led Zeppelin.
Cheers,
Sam

Just on the verge of buying one of these, quick question- I remember early on there was talk of apodizing being added later through firmware/software options, did anything ever come of this?

Cheers,

James

Hi Sam,

I'd check to see if it has the latest firmware as it may help with your volume issue?

Explorer Firmware post

Cheers,
Rick

Hey Rick,

I did the firmware update first thing. Do they have one of those for your ears?

Thanks,
Sam

For those that may be interested, Audio Advisor recently announced the Meridian Explorer available through them so for those that don't have a dealer close by, this is a way to get them on-line.

My local Meridian dealer went out of business and the other high end audio dealership hasn't been signed up that I know of, I think they are still deciding what brands to carry. So in the mean time, for those that don't have a local dealership, we have a simple option.

FYI, I did a search to see if this information was posted first. Sorry if this is repeat information.

Nice, looks like I will soon own an explorer as well. Great find.

This USB recorder app is not available at my local app store. Is these any other similar app like USB recorder could send digital signal?

When I connect the Explorer to my Android tablet via otg, there is one light on but nothing came out.

The September Stereophile has an extensive review of the Explorer by Art Dudley. Art is my favorite Stereophile writer and he does a great job with the Explorer. I don't think Art is much of a headphone guy but he spoke highly of everything else about the unit.

The review also contains extensive measurements by John Atkinson. They liked it and commented that it does use the Apodizing Filter and that the headphone out inverted absolute polarity. The unit had a constant headphone output impedance of 5.25 ohms across all audio frequencies. They tested SN 020005BC.

"An excellent value. Very highly recommended."

I hope to see Meridian's response appear in the Manufacturer Comments next month. I did not see their input in this month's magazine.

Losing patience waiting for my house to finish so I can enjoy the Meridian speakers, so I went ahead and bought a pair of HD650 and will go buy Explorer tomorrow! I tried the HD800. It was actually my favorite (with some cable tweak), but I was worried that I won't be able to drive it properly with the Explorer. I'm not looking to spending $$ on another headphone amp and director to go with the HD800 just yet.