Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems SpeakerLink used as Digital Out (XLR or SPDIF) plus COMMS and RS232

SpeakerLink Connections and Conversion

The two grounds are for the master and slave comms connections. AES doesn't really need the ground, but either can also be used when SPDIF is required.

Tx and Rx are transmit and receive; used for RS232 connections (control / firmware updates), note a ground connection is also required.

TIA-B cable colouring

All the best,
Steve.

SpeakerLink to AES/EBU without Comms



SpeakerLink to AES/EBU plus C5 Comms



SpeakerLink to SPDIF plus C5 (inc. Slave Comms Return) OR M5/S5 Comms

Your a top bloke Steve, thanks for helping folk out.

Regards,
Carl

Meridian Comms

The Meridian Master or Slave comms signal via DIN or BNC is the same it's only the connection type that is different.

Thus for those that require BNC comms; a BNC connector can be fitted rather than the DIN plug, to the same two wires as detailed in the diagrams above.


For RS232 control or firmware updating ...

The RS232 DB9 connector pinouts are standard, see this site DB9 Connector Pinout

Pin 2 = Rx
Pin 3 = Tx
Pin 5 = Ground

However, in the case of Meridian a "NULL MODEM" female connection is required, thus rather than Rx to Rx / Tx to Tx the wires need crossing so it becomes Rx to Tx / Tx to Rx when wiring up.

Regards,
Carl

Excellent diagrams. What's the Slave comms connection on the C5 DIN all about?

Hi VK,

It's to enable two-way volume control/display between say Sooloos and processor.

Regards,
Carl

So (a) do I need it for attaching an MS200 to a 562 (would it allow the 562 to let the MS200 know that volume has changed, for instance?), and (b) if I don't, is there any harm in having the slave connection hardwired?

Hi again,

A) Yes, that's correct.
B) No harm at all.

Just think of it as connecting two components with a C5 cable, so that each unit can command and be commanded by the other.

Regards,
Carl

Connecting to a 3rd party DAC with a XLR input.
Is this all that's needed?
Is it better than the SPDIF out of a Control:15?

SpeakerLink to AES/EBU without Comms

Hi,

Yes that's it, it might sound a little better than SPDIF, but most likely given the source is a C15, it won't make much difference if any, but it's worth an experiment.

IMHO to really improve the AQ from a C15 you should consider adding a network connected Sooloos Endpoint. There's been lots of discussions on their relative merits in other topics. Try Google Searching the forum and post any follow up question in one of those topics.

Regards,
Carl

To my ears, there is no discernible quality difference between SPDIF & AES (SL) on C15.

In my system with a MS600 the SpeakerLink out is darker sounding than coax to my DAC. I think what works best for each user is system dependant. Worth trying out.

Does this also work for SpeakerLink input? I have a 3D Lab Nano Transport which has SPDIF and AES/EBU outputs. The manufacturer says AES/EBU is the preferred connection method.

So if I can connect this to a SL input this would be awesome.

Frans