News

Meridian Installation Speakers Offer Free-Standing Sound (2/2/2007)

Integrated Systems Europe 2007

New series offers in-wall, flush mount and on-wall, active and passive options

Meridian Audio Limited (Stand M108) has been known for many years as an innovator in the loudspeaker field, introducing active designs to the consumer audio industry and developing the first digital and DSP-based loudspeakers. Today, Meridian systems are renowned for their superb sound and elegant design.

Having dipped its feet into the waters of installation loudspeakers with the highly regarded and popular DSP420 and M420 in-wall designs, Meridian has take a major step forward with the introduction of the 200 Series in-ceiling speakers and the extensive 300 Series of in/on-walls.

The goal of Meridian's new in/on-wall loudspeakers was to offer comparable audio power and quality to Meridian's freestanding speakers in a compact, easy-to-install form.

The new 200 Series in-ceiling designs and the 300 Series of in-wall/flush-mount and on-wall systems allow exceptional flexibility of configuration. They can be supplied as passive speakers to be driven by conventional external amplification, or as a 'remote active' analogue system driven by a C51 Powered Crossover/Amplifier, including 10 x 100W power amplifier and modular plug-in electronic crossovers, which can handle up to five channels of audio. Revised firmware for the G68 surround processor integrates the new speakers directly via Meridian's configuration application, for superior performance.

The 200 Series of in-ceiling speakers are 2-way designs with an 8in (200mm) bass driver, pivoting tweeter and optional crossover, for either surface grille or flush mounting.

The 300 Series consists of three ultra-slimline systems for in-wall (surface grille), flush-mount (completely hidden, e.g. behind wall coverings) and on-wall applications, featuring 6.5in (165mm) bass drivers, and a wide-dispersion ribbon tweeter for superb performance in any location. Enclosures are extremely rigid and sturdy, minimising cavity excitation, ensuring that you hear the sound of the loudspeakers and not wall resonances. A white paintable grille and frame is included, and rough-in boxes are available.

The 320 includes a single bass driver and tweeter; the 330 adds an 8in (200mm) Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR); and the 350 features two bass drivers and two ABRs. A subwoofer, the SW320, is also available. The enclosure in each case is extremely slim and narrow, fitting into the depth of a partition and between studs in in-wall configurations - the width is only 300mm at the widest point - and extending only a short distance into the room in the case of on-wall applications. The on-wall variants feature natural wood or painted finish with white grilles.

The 300 Series is available in conventional passive configuration, with a built-in high-quality crossover and terminals for bi-wire/bi-amped operation. It is also available in a 'Remote Active' configuration, where units are instead supplied with an active crossover card for the C51 Powered Crossover/Amplifier (see C Series release).

The 300 Series offers unparalleled performance from an installed loudspeaker system, rivalling the sound of Meridian's standalone designs but with the flexibility of invisible/semi-visible in-wall or slimline on-wall mounting capability - and with awesome power and sound quality.

The 200 and 300 Series are now available. Prices dependent on configuration.

www.meridian-audio.com