Meridian hodetelefonforsterkere

CDWMcInSpots · 26.11.2013

Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier

Trådens emne
Dette er en paraplytråd for produkter med hodetelefonforsterker fra Meridian Audio.

Den skal handle om emner som er felles for alle eller noen av disse produktene, likheter og forskjeller mellom modellene, passende hodetelefoner o.l. Det vil også være nyttig og riktig å sammenligne disse produktene med andre produkter (det er naturlig å sammenligne med).

Det vil etterhvert kanskje i tillegg være naturlig å opprette separate tråder for en del av modellene fra Meridian.

Innleggstitler
Jeg oppfordrer dere til å benytte feltet "Overskrift:" i vinduet "Svar på Tråd" for å gi det enkelte innlegg en god og dekkende tittel. Dette gjør det lettere å finne frem i tråden etterhvert som den (forhåpentlig) vokser.
Man kan f.eks. benytte produsent, produktnavn eller modellbetegnelse som innleggstittel.

Bilder
Inkludér gjerne et bilde siden et godt bilde ofte kan fortelle mye om et produkt.
Benytt knappen "Legg til bilde" og en av disse valgene slik at bildet lagres i tråden slik at vi unngår lenker til bilder som er forsvunnet fra den opprinnelige adressen:

Fra datamaskin -> Fil
Fra URL -> Hake for "Hent ekstern fil og lagre den lokalt"

Referanser og lenker
Inkludér gjerne referanser og lenker. Det gjør det enklere for andre å finne informasjon, og forfatteren viser hvor informasjonen er hentet fra.

Meridian Explorer

CDWMcInSpots · 26.11.2013

Importør og forhandlere

Importør
MDS Norway AS

Man nyter dermed godt av norske lover og bestemmelser.

Forhandlere
Norske forhandlere er:

Hi-Fi Huset (Monitor Audio Norway AS)

CDWMcInSpots · 26.11.2013

Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier

Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier USB-DAK + hodetelefonforsterker med crossfeed (Analogue Spatial Processing):

Lanseringsside/kampanje
Head-Fi.org:
- "Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier Review"
- "New Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier and Power Supply!"
- "2013 Head-Fi Winter Gift Guide (Desktop Amps & DACs)" "Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier"
What HiFi: "Meridian unveils £1200 Prime Headphone Amplifier"
The Absolute Sound: "FIRST LISTEN: MERIDIAN PRIME HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER USB/DAC"
Andrew Everard: "REVIEW: MERIDIAN PRIME HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER – SO MUCH MORE THAN THE NAME SUGGESTS"
Meridian Unplugged: "A Review of the Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier"

Spesifikasjoner
Den tekniske informasjonen er noget spredd.

Utdrag fra Meridians produktside:

Specifications

INPUTS
1x stereo line input (2x gold-plated RCA phonos)
1x stereo line input (3.5mm jack socket)
1x USB input (mini-B USB connector)  

OUTPUTS
1x stereo line output (2x gold-plated RCA phonos)
2x 1/4in TRS A-type jack sockets (tip=left)
1x 3.5mm stereo jack socket (tip=left)
Relay-controlled power up/down muting on  all outputs  

USB INPUT
<192kHz/24-bit sampling Meridian Resolution Enhancement  technologies including upsampling and  Apodising
Interface-powered: disconnecting USB  powers-down all digital subsystems  

ANALOGUE SPACIAL PROCESSING
Audio processing circuits provide “outside the head” headphone listening resembling listening on loudspeakers
Two different modes plus bypass
Analogue switching.
Short audio path  

CONTROLS
Alps analogue volume potentiometer with flexible shaft coupling from the front panel controls all outputs
Input selector button: push to select between line level, 3.5mm jack and USB
Analogue Signal Processing selector: i, ii or Bypass  

INDICATORS
1x, 2x, 4x digital sample rate indicators
A/B/Bypass Analogue Signal Processing  indicators
RCA/mini-jack/USB input selector  indicators
Power button illuminates blue in standby,  white with all outputs active, green when preamp output disabled (hold button down to toggle)  

POWER
Plug-in PSU provided; may also be powered by Prime Power Supply for superior performance  

CONSTRUCTION
Silver metal finish uniform with G Series  

DIMENSIONS
Width: 160mm (6.3in); Depth: 150mm (5.9in) plus connectors; Height: 50mm (2.0in)  

WEIGHT
0.9 kg ( 2.0 lbs)

Informasjon om bl.a. asynkron USB, hodetelefonutgangenes utgangsimpedans, crossfeed og (kabling for) balansert hodetelfonutgang:

Technology

Analogue signal path throughout

6-layer PC board for maximum signal isolation and enhanced performance

Analogue Spatial Processing offers dual-mode loudspeaker-like listening on headphones – with bypass

Audio components mounted near rear- panel sockets for ultra-short signal path

Analogue logic switching

USB 2.0 asynchronous playback at up to 192kHz/24-bit with upsampling and resolution enhancement

Externally-powered USB input: disconnecting deactivates all digital electronics

Dual 1/4in stereo headphone sockets with separate-wire grounding (may be used with separately-wired headphones) plus 3.5mm stereo jack

High-quality gold-plated sockets

Headphone-only mode powers down preamp output

Relay muting on power-up and power- down for thump-free operation.

Meridian Prime will appeal to even to most demanding users with its range of input connectivity, performance, unique features, and build quality.

Three front-panel headphone sockets are provided, optimised for purpose. One is a 3.5mm stereo socket for the connection of earbuds and similar devices, which presents an output impedance of 2Ω to suit these devices. The other two sockets offer an exceptionally low impedance (around 3mΩ) and are standard 1/4in stereo (tip-ring-sleeve) types, carrying both channels. They can be used to connect two pairs of headphones, or to attach a single pair of headphones wired with separate cords for left and right drivers, thus offering the opportunity to reduce headphone crosstalk.

In addition to simply replaying stereo audio at the highest possible quality via headphones, the outputs also include two “Analogue Spatial Processing” modes, i and ii, which replace the typical “in the head” experience of headphone listening with a smooth, natural feeling of spatiality that is much more like listening on a pair of loudspeakers in front of the listener.

The USB conversion system is powered from the interface, meaning that when it is disconnected, all digital circuitry in the unit is deactivated. The fully asynchronous USB 2.0 interface supports signals at up to 192kHz/24-bit sampling and includes Meridian resolution enhancement techniques such as oversampling and Meridian’s unique Apodising filter.

Utdrag fra "2013 Head-Fi Winter Gift Guide (Desktop Amps & DACs)" "Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier":

DAK
The Prime's DAC is 24-bit / 192kHz capable, including 88.2 and 176.4, with its dual oscillators (based on those found in Meridian's flagship Reference Series components). The Prime's USB input (its only digital input) is async, and upsamples 44.1/48kHz sources to 88.2/96kHz prior to the DAC. The Prime also uses Meridian's Apodising filter, which, among other things, is designed to eliminate digital pre-ringing, for more natural sound. Their Apodising filter was first introduced in what was then their flagship 808.2, and is thought by many to be one of the key reasons for the many plaudits hurled in the direction of Meridian's flagship players.

Hodetelefonforsterker inkl. utgangsimpedans
The headphone outputs on the front panel consist of two 1/4" stereo outputs and one 3.5mm (mini plug) jack. Each of the 1/4" stereo jacks is rated for maximum output of 3V RMS off load, THD below 0.002%, power output 250mW up to 42Ω, with output impedance <100mΩ (or less than 0.1Ω). The 3.5mm jack is rated for maximum output of 3V RMS off load, THD below 0.002%, with output impedance of 2.2Ω. The 3.5mm jack is intended for use with in-ears and other sensitive headphones.

228452d1385052111-nyheter-meridian-prime-power-supply.jpg

228456d1385052418-nyheter-meridian-prime-power-supply-rear.jpg

CDWMcInSpots · 26.11.2013

Meridian Explorer

Meridian Explorer USB-DAK, hodetelefonforsterker og USB -> mini-Toslink-konverter.

INPUTS
USB mini type B.

OUTPUTS
3.5mm combination analogue/digital jack with mini Toslink digital optical <96 kHz output and 2-ch analogue line out, fixed 2v RMS.
3.5mm jack with variable-level headphone output, 130mW into 16Ω.

CONSTRUCTION
Extruded Aluminium shell with moulded plastic endcaps and rubber foot.
POWER
USB, nominal 5V at <500mA.

INDICATORS
Three white LEDs show connected state and audio stream rate.

IMPLEMENTATION
USB audio class compliant 2.0 HS 480Mb/s bandwidth.
Asynchronous: device is the clock source for high quality.
Firmware upgrade via USB.
Windows drivers provided, no drivers required for Macintosh OS X or Linux.
Analogue volume control for headphone output, controlled from PC, control law modified to match connected OS.
S/PDIF output downsamples 4x (192/176.4kHz) to 2x (96/88.2kHz).

OS REQUIREMENTS
Macintosh OS X 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard) or later
Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8
Linux kernel 2.6.37 or later and ALSA version 1.0.23 or greater