Meridian’s active speakers combine simplicity, style and high performance

We have recently put our first pair of Meridians DSP5200SE digital/active floor-standing speakers on the floor. These are an impressive speaker – in every sense of the word. The build quality is impeccable, and they would visually suit almost any environment (the fact that you can choose from 270 colour options helps). Each speaker houses two 160mm bass drivers, one 1” beryllium dome tweeter, three 75-watt amplifiers and three high-performance DACs. They are Roon-enabled with MQA decoding.

Meridian also manufacture a smaller bookshelf active speaker – the DSP3200 (pictured right), which is also now on display. These are a two-way system utilising two 75-watt amplifiers and two DACs in each speaker.

Of course, it all comes down to performance, and Meridian active speakers do not disappoint. There is a lot to like about active speakers, and Meridian does the category better than anyone. These are great-sounding loudspeakers, they look fabulous, they are easy to use and require very little ancillary equipment. They would be absolutely ideal for anyone looking for very high performance with low visual impact.

Meridian have also released a new streamer, the 210 (below), a highperformance audio source which allows streaming services used on smartphones, tablets and other devices to be played on your audio system. Featuring both wired and dual-band Wi-Fi network connections alongside Bluetooth wireless technology, it offers great flexibility for installation and product location. With the 210 Streamer, music can be accessed through Spotify Connect, Bluetooth wireless technology and UPnP. It is also a Roon Ready device. The USB input allows it to become a UPnP server.

We have mentioned the trend towards high-performance minimalistic systems; a Meridian 210 and a pair of DSP5200s, the DSP3200s or their lower-priced M6 speakers is an ideal solution – particularly if like an increasing number of people your music source of choice is streaming. All you need is the 210, the speakers, an internet connection and a smart device and you have very high quality, inobtrusive system giving access to almost all the recorded music in the world. • DSP5200SE active speakers: $25,000 • DSP3200 active speakers: $8,000 • 210 Streamer: $2,099.