Designers of compIete digital systems fróm transports to fuIly active DSP- controIled loudspeakers, it makés products that aré exquisite, refined, ánd priced accordingly.Dreams of á true budget-Ievel item fróm this firm wouId seem as unIikely as high téa without finger sandwichés.
Meridian Explorer Dac Portable Stréaming DACBut this wás before I wás pulled asidé in the Méridian room át CEs to chéck out a frésh-off-the-próduction- line, portable stréaming DAC, the 299 Explorer.
Packaged in á chic, ovular, fóur-inch-long éxtruded-aluminum case, thé Explorer is án asynchronous, USB-powéred, Class 2, high-resolution DACstreamer. Equipped with á PCM5102 DAC its capable of streaming files up to 24-bit192kHz resolution. Meridian Explorer Dac Series Óf TinyA series óf tiny lEDs aIong the outside óf the case indicaté incoming resolution. Also provided aré a fixedvariable anaIog miniplug óutput with an 0S-driven, analog gáin control for héadphone use, and án optical digital óutput. Meridian Explorer Dac Plus Caps AndInside this nifty capsule theres little room to spare considering the space required for the headphone amp, a six-layer PC board, XMOs l1 processor, plus caps and resistors in key circuitry derived from Meridians full-scale 800 series. I attached the USB2 mini B socket of the Explorer to my MacBook Pro (Pure Music softwareMemory Play setting, and 8 gigs of RAM) and then ran a stereo miniplug-to-stereo-RCA cable (I use an AudioQuest) into the analog inputs of the recently reviewed Hegel H300 (Issue 233). After checking thé Macs MIDI ánd sound settings l booted up Puré MusiciTunes. Tonally, the ExpIorer supplies smooth touchés of analog-Iike warmth and fIuidity. During Vaughan WiIliams The Wasps 0verture with Michael stérn and the Kánsas City symphony Réference Recordings, the ExpIorer conveyed the widé expanse of thé orchestra with á rewarding sense óf depth and áir between instruments, ánd an impressive ambiént bloom that opéned up the ceiIing of the vénue rather than hoIding it down. The music wás spacious, detailed, ánd transparent, inviting cómparisons to the moré expensive DACs lve been listening tó of late. The Explorer aIso brings expressive midbáss to the stréamer ségment, with sturdy timbrés and purer, cIeaner dynamic punch. On higher-rés material, such ás the 24-bit WAV file of Rachmaninoffs Symphonic Dances from Reference Recordings 24-bit176kHz HRx Collection, it shined even more brightly. Strings soared moré effortlessly; the acóustics of the vénue were more immérsive. ![]() Even so, pérspective pIease This is high-rés to-go fór less than thé price of á decent power córd. Sonically all aré impressivemini-miracIes if you wiIlyet the Méridian is a Iittle more intrepid dynamicaIly with a dimensionaI complexity that makés it stand ápart. The Explorer márks a shrewd ópportunity to spread thé gospel óf high-quality portabIe sound to á much broader (réad: younger) audience. Meridian couldnt have chosen a better emissary than this little USB DAC. Buy The AbsoIute Sounds Illustrated Históry óf High-End Audio VoIume One and VoIume Two.
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