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40th Anniversary System
Special Limited Edition 808 & DSP8000
System highlights
Celebrating 40 years since Bob Stuart
and Allen Boothroyd first worked
together.
Forty special Limited Edition systems
consisting of Meridian’s ultimate 808
CD and Meridian Sooloos Player,
with a pair of flagship DSP8000
loudspeakers.
Ruby Red (RAL3005) cabinetry and
dark ruby glass panels.
Hand selected components
throughout and special grade power
supplies.
Special audio enhancements available
only in this edition.
Forty years ago, Bob Stuart and Allen
Boothroyd worked together for the
very first time and began to design
their first products: the distinctive
Lecson AC1 control unit and AP1
power amplifier (pictured below),
which went on sale the following year,
in 1972.
These ground-breaking products won Bob
and Allen their first British Design Council
Award in 1974, and remain on permanent
display in the New York Museum of Modern
Art.
To celebrate the Ruby Anniversary of Allen
and Bob’s creative partnership, Meridian is
releasing a special limited 40th Anniversary
Edition of Meridian’s most advanced audio
replay system, consisting of a special
version of the 808 CD and Meridian
Sooloos Player with a pair of DSP8000
loudspeakers.
Special SpeakerLink cabling included.
Etched serial number plaque on
all units includes Limited Edition
number out of 40 with Allen & Bob’s
signatures.
Each system is individually auditioned
and approved.
Senior Meridian engineer available
on request to tune the system after
installation.
Hardbound Meridian history and
philosophy book and system user
guide, personally signed by Bob &
Allen.
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40th Anniversary System
Special Limited Edition 808 & DSP8000
For this edition, each component is given
a unique, distinctive and never-to-berepeated Ruby Red (RAL3005) finish and
contrasting driver bezels. All the units are
built from hand-picked components and
include numerous special individuallyadjusted performance enhancements that
make this stunning system sound even
better.
The system is unique in other ways too.
Only 40 systems in total will be available.
Each is supplied with a special hardback
book that gives a brief history of the
company and its philosophy, personally
signed by Allen and Bob. Following
installation, a senior Meridian engineer will
be available to fine-tune the system in situ.
Meridian 808 CD and Meridian
Sooloos Player
As part of the Reference 800 Series, the
808 is the highest performance CD Player
manufactured by Meridian. It also offers the
finest network playback too, with built-in
access to a Meridian Sooloos digital media
system.
At the heart of Meridian’s 40th Anniversary
system, this version of the 808 includes
a number of unique features. In addition
to the Ruby Red painted front moulding,
door and buttons, dark ruby glass top
and a special signature inlay panel, the
unit features a specially-modified Comm
card and an enhanced power supply. All
the components are hand-selected and
the unit includes a complete kit of special
Speakerlink cables with ferrite filters for
maximum performance.
century ago. MCD sounded radically better
than anything else available, and still stands
comparison with many so-called audiophile
designs of today.
Since then, Meridian has relentlessly
pursued the path of making better and
better CD players, introducing over two
dozen models. Every model has received
critical acclaim, and we have gathered more
than 50 awards for our CD players.
Over the years we have researched,
pioneered and ultimately mastered the
art of refinement of every aspect of CD
playback. We showed how jitter was a
major challenge to audio quality – indeed,
Meridian was the first company to isolate
jitter, as far back as 1984.
Our technologies include advanced servo
implementations, unique power supply
designs, significant innovations in the
digital arena and, of course, peerless
analogue sections. Meridian included
digital outputs early on, and pioneered
the idea that special disc navigation could
improve the playback quality on difficult
discs (such as those with fingerprints,
scratches or manufacturing defects).
Meridian was also the first company to
offer a 2-box solution (utilising an outboard
DAC), and has developed special phaselocked loops and FIFO buffers to produce
the very best result in such systems –
including of course our preferred system,
a CD player directly connected to a pair of
Meridian DSP loudspeakers.
Meridian has offered its technologies
for the mastering of Compact Discs.
Several top mastering facilities to use a
Meridian player for checking, and over the
years a Meridian CD player has become
synonymous with the best sound, and ‘a
reference’. This is a reputation we cherish,
and one which we aim to defend by making
each player better than the one before.
Why the 808?
Interest in our CD players continues to
increase. This tells us that there is a strong
demand for premium CD playback systems
amongst music lovers, audiophiles, and
others who wish to take advantage of the
extensive selection that is still available on
no medium, to date, other than Compact
Disc.
At the same time, this 808 provides a
bridge to a server-based future, with the
inclusion of the ID40 Sooloos Card. This
dedicated card allows the 808 to replay
music stored losslessly on a Meridian
Sooloos digital media system – for
example, your existing CD library – at the
highest possible quality, with control of the
Play Queue from the MSR+ remote. And
808 also offers additional inputs to make it
truly the hub of the ultimate music system.
808 offers CD playback from an
internal ROM-based drive which allows for
data recovery and error correction many
times better than that employed in standard
CD systems.
The 808 makes Compact Disc – still the
most popular music medium by far – sound
the very best it can. 808 inherits Meridian’s
tradition of over a quarter-century of awardwinning players, yet sets a whole new
benchmark.
Meridian: CD Innovator
Of all manufacturers, Meridian has the
longest history of high-performance CD
players. Meridian’s first CD player, MCD,
was introduced almost a quarter of a
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40th Anniversary System
Special Limited Edition 808 & DSP8000
Thus 808 is an exquisite CD and network
player/pre-amplifier, embodying the very
best of our art and technology.
Meridian’s 808 is the latest in a series of
optical disc players that use a new CDROM drive for reading. This drive allows
multiple passes to be made, ensuring that
the correct data are recovered from the
disc and improving Compact Disc’s errorcorrection a hundredfold. It also allows
complete buffering of the recovered data.
To ensure the lowest possible jitter, 808
incorporates an entirely new clocking
regime and employs three buffers, two of
which are used as FIFOs in a completely
redesigned buffering environment.
By the time the data is passed to the DACs
or the digital outputs, the jitter is incredibly
low – in fact this special version 808 has
the lowest jitter we have ever measured on
a CD player.
Above and beyond
The signal path includes proprietary error
correction and concealment, and Meridian’s
acclaimed ‘Resolution Enhancement’ DSP,
in which the original 44.1kHz, 16-bit audio
is upsampled to 176.4kHz, 24-bit in a
150MIPS processor operating with 48-bit
internal precision. This upsampling allows
conversion-related filtering to take place far
above the limits of human hearing, so there
are no artefacts added to the sound – you
hear simply the pure music.
However, 808 goes further still. Upsampling alone cannot improve on one
aspect of CD: the original sampling rate
of the recording. A digital system can only
capture sounds up to half the sample rate:
anything above that must be filtered out. In
the case of CD, half the sample rate is only
just above the limit of human hearing, so
the filters must be very steep. In the past,
these filters have audibly degraded the
sound. The earliest analogue filters caused
enormous phase shifts at high frequencies,
and with digital linear-phase filters a big
issue was the introduction of pre-echoes.
Meridian’s solution was to invent a
technology that stripped away this
fundamental limitation in the making of the
CD, taking the listener right back to the
original higher-resolution sound – no mean
ambition, nor a trivial task. But Meridian’s
founder, Bob Stuart, was sure that highdefinition sound could be achieved without
excessive sample rates – if the filters were
right.
Bob authored an Audio Engineering
Society paper on high definition audio in
which he recommended the development
of ‘apodising’ filters – filters that were
minimum phase, with no ripple, causing no
pre-echo: and thus offering perfect timing.
He predicted they would even be able to
fix problems in the origination process
itself. Meridian’s research team designed
an exquisite, proprietary new upsampling
filter based on this research – a filter
with ‘apodising-style’ qualities. It needs
significant DSP to deliver, using much of
the power of the 808’s 150MIPS main
processor. This filter system is so effective
that it can even correct errors made in the
recording or mastering stage – CDs played
back on the 808 can sound even better
than they did in the studio!
Finally, at the end of the audio chain,
the 808 employs the latest multi-bit
oversampled delta-sigma D/A converters,
combined with a matching proprietary
analogue output stage of the highest
quality.
Innovation is the keynote
The system includes many other features,
including twin RJ45-based SpeakerLink
interfacing, allowing a direct “home run”
single-cable link from the 808 to each
DSP8000 loudspeaker via the special,
ferrite-filtered SpeakerLink cables supplied
with the system.
On the input side, the 808 includes a
comprehensive set of analogue and
digital inputs – including SpeakerLink for
convenient interfacing with other Meridian
components. The analogue input stage
features enhanced high-performance
analogue to digital conversion.
The 40th Anniversary Edition 808 also
features an enhanced power supply,
built around a true toroidal transformer
design for minimum noise and maximum
signal integrity. The result is, quite simply,
the most impeccable-sounding CD and
network player available today.
Meridian DSP8000
DSP Digital Active Loudspeaker
The Meridian DSP8000 is the ultimate
expression of the art and science of
loudspeaker design, and the 40th
Anniversary Limited Edition version doubly
so. Meridian’s flagship digital active
loudspeaker sets new standards for clarity,
dynamics, imaging and realism. It is one
of few loudspeakers in the world that can
accurately reproduce both the power and
subtlety of a concert grand piano.
All DSP8000 loudspeakers are designed to
reproduce sounds at up to full natural level
while providing all the resolution required
by high-definition audio sources up to 24bit. Such demanding dynamics require a
novel approach to cabinet construction and
selection of advanced drive units.
DSP loudspeaker drivers
Each DSP8000 loudspeaker uses six
high-efficiency long-throw custom bass
drive units. The bass units are mounted
symmetrically in pairs on the sides of the
bass cabinet, cancelling vibration in order
to minimise interference with the mid-range
and treble units. The treble and mid-range
drivers are mounted in a separate sealed
head assembly.
The treble unit is a semi-horn-loaded
composite dome design with a silver voice
coil. The mid-range unit incorporates
a cone made from a uniquely light and
stiff combination of polymers to give
unparalleled transparency.
Power amplifiers
The drivers are fed by five independent
high-power low-feedback power amplifiers
mounted on a multi-finned extruded
heatsink. 150W amplifiers are used to
drive each of the three pairs of horizontallyopposed bass units, while separate 150W
amplifiers drive midrange and tweeter.
The combination of idealised magnetic
design, careful star earthing, and very
fast output devices gives the amplifiers
extremely low noise, high detail, and fast
bass.
The whole electronic assembly is supplied
from two substantial toroidal transformers
feeding high-quality audiophile-grade
capacitors.
Advanced digital processing
DSP8000 also features Meridian’s
proprietary ‘apodising’ digital upsampling
filter system. In addition, the sophisticated
buffering system further works to minimise
jitter in the system as a whole.
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Overall the result is superb imaging and
transparency.
40th Anniversary System
Special Limited Edition 808 & DSP8000
Outline Specifications
The cabinet
Each DSP8000 loudspeaker is built
around a precision manufactured cabinet,
which uses innovative design techniques
to give exceptionally low coloration and
amazing mid-range transparency. The head
assembly is a sealed enclosure fabricated
from curved pressure-laminated panels,
each using multiple layers of selected
woods and metal to provide high stiffness
and damping. Its narrow tapered shape
offers optimum dispersion across a wide
listening area. It is supported on the bass
enclosure by three machined feet that
fit into cups designed especially for this
edition.
Like the head unit, the bass cabinet is
constructed from interlaminated panels with
extensive bracing. The front panel is 6mm
dark ruby glass and incorporates a window
for the matrix display and infrared remote
control sensor.
The cabinet stands on triangulated
adjustable machined foot assemblies with
provision for floor spikes or skids.
The 40th Anniversary DSP8000 is
constructed from the finest materials and
all electronic parts are hand-selected
for sound quality, while the loudspeaker
system as a whole is individually fine-tuned
by Bob Stuart. It includes a new, more
sensitive tweeter with a new moulded
surround, while special calibration allows
the loudspeaker system to operate at even
higher sound pressure levels than the
standard model.
Driver surrounds feature exclusive silver
detail, while the front glass is a special
‘dark ruby’ colour. Special spike-cups are
used to mount the head unit and a special
plaque signed by Allen Boothroyd and Bob
Stuart on the rear of the head units carries
the Limited Edition number.
About the colour
The 40th Anniversary System is supplied in
a special Ruby Red (RAL3005) colour. This
colour will only be available for this edition.
Customers who purchase this special
system only, will be able to purchase
additional loudspeakers in the same colour,
for example to complete a theatre system.
808 40th Anniversary Edition
THD & Noise
• Better than –96dBFS
Mechanism
• Triple-beam laser, multi-speed CD-ROM
transport
Conversion
• 192kHz-capable, 24-bit, Delta Sigma converters
operating at 4 x CD sample rate (176.4kHz)
• Apodising-style upsampling lter system
Stereo Outputs
• Analogue: 1 unbalanced on phono, 1 balanced
on XLR-3M: 2.3V rms xed/variable, Class A,
47Ω impedance
• Digital: twin SpeakerLink RJ45 digital
interface for single-cable connection of other
Meridian equipment; coax unbalanced (S/
PDIF). Operating at up to 2 x CD sample rate
(88.2kHz), 24-bit with MHR option
Stereo Inputs & Sources
• Analogue: 6 unbalanced on phono.
• Digital: S/PDIF (3 coax & 2 Toslink optical);
SpeakerLink RJ45
• Meridian Sooloos digital media system
connectivity via RJ45 Ethernet connection
Formats
• CD Audio (CD-DA), CD-R, CD-R/W
Comms
• Two 5-pin 240° DIN sockets for Meridian
Comms, and RS232 full remote/conguration
interface. Three programmable 12V trigger
outputs. RJ45 SpeakerLink
Construction
• Ruby Red (RAL3005) gloss nish in metal &
glass
Controls
• Front-panel keys for Open/Close, Play, Stop,
Pause, Previous, Next, On/Off. Additional
controls behind hinged front access cover
include Repeat, Fast Forward/Reverse, Display,
Mute, Volume Up/Down, Store/Clear, Source.
Full remote control via MSR+, RS232
Display
• 20-character dot matrix display with adjustable
brightness and contrast. Indicators for Phase,
Repeat and EQ (emphasis)
Dimensions
• 480mm (18.9in) x 175mm (6.9in) x 411mm
(16.2in) (WHD)
Power
• 115 and 220–240VAC versions, 50/60Hz, 25W
DSP8000 40th Anniversary Edition
Performance
• Frequency response in-room 20Hz – >20kHz
±3dB (for inputs at 44.1kHz or 48kHz)
• ‘3’-way crossover system
• Linear-phase mid–top crossover; 6th-order
Linkwitz-Riley bass–mid crossover
• Output >118dB spl @ 1m on music material
• Noise less than 15dB spl
• Overall distortion typically <0.02% at any
frequency or level
Inputs
• SpeakerLink balanced digital (2ch, RJ45)
• S/PDIF unbalanced digital (2ch, phono)
• 32kHz–96kHz sampling rates
Audio Processing
• FIFO memory buffer input for the lowest
possible jitter from almost any source
• Four 24-bit D/A converters
• All upsampling and processing is performed by
a 150MHz digital signal processor (DSP)
Amplification
• 3x150W amps on bass (1 amp per driver pair)
• 2x150W amps on midrange and tweeter
Construction
• Two separate enclosures: mid/top and bass.
• Horizontally opposed and proled bass system
introduces minimal vibration to the mid/top
enclosure
• 6 x 200mm long-throw bass drivers
• 1 x 160mm polypropylene (TPX) mid driver in
separate enclosure
• 1 x 25mm dome tweeter, silver wire, short hornloaded with protective grille
• Ruby Red (RAL3005) gloss nish with glass
front bass cabinet
Dimensions
• 400mm (15.7in) x 1350mm (53.2in) x 528mm
(20.8mm) (WHD)
Weight
• 105kg (231lb) each
Control
• Rear-panel controls for Power On/Off. Full
control via MSR+ and RS232
• SpeakerLink carries Comms, serial and
balanced digital audio via RJ45/CAT 5
Front display
• Multi-character display with system lights
Power
• 20W standby, 920W max.
RED-DS v1.1 • 20110817 REƒwww.meridian-audio.com
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