MERIDIAN AUDIO AC200, G Series Overview, 800 Series Overview, Sooloos Overview, DSP Loudspeakers data

Hooking Up SpeakerLink

Dealer Information: June 2008

The DSP7200 is the first of a new breed
of Meridian DSP loudspeaker design; the

808.2 Signature Reference Compact Disc
Player includes significant new technical
developments that make CD sound like
high resolution. One common feature
they share – a feature you’ll be seeing on
other Meridian products as time goes by
– is an RJ45 “Ethernet-style” socket on
the rear panel labelled “SpeakerLink”.

What is SpeakerLink?

SpeakerLink allows Meridian products to be
connected with a single CAT5 cable. It carries
both balanced digital audio (with SmartLink)
and Meridian Comms signals (plus RS232
and some other features). In the future,
Comms connections on Meridian products
will either be handled only with SpeakerLink
or with BNC connectors (already in place on
many Meridian components).

Note that although SpeakerLink employs
standard CAT 5/6 cable and RJ45
connectors, the interface is proprietary and
should only be used to interconnect Meridian
products.

Why SpeakerLink?

SpeakerLink allows two Meridian units to
be linked by a single cable. Balanced digital
audio means there is less likelihood of
interference being experienced. However
SpeakerLink is particularly useful simply
for its convenience in custom installation
environments, where CAT5 is common.

What cables do I need?

No cables are supplied with the product
as you can use standard Ethernet cabling
as long as it is STP (Shielded Twisted Pair)
CAT 5 or 6 cable. You may need to meet
additional standards when installing cable in­wall, but as far as SpeakerLink is concerned,
CAT 5/6 STP is all there is to it.

We have been researching and auditioning a
variety of CAT5 cables and have developed
a flat cable that we will introducing in the
near future as a Meridian-branded CAT5
interconnect for critical audio applications.
We have selected this cable for its extremely
high technical specifications and sound
quality.

These Meridian cables will be available for
sale as pairs in a variety of lengths. Full
details, including pricing and availability, will
be announced shortly.

What if I’ve already buried Meridian M
and S leads in walls/under floors?

The simple answer is to cut the existing DIN
connectors off and replace them with BNC
connectors for the Meridian Comms lines.

If this is not possible for some reason, we
can help by supplying DIN-to-BNC adaptors.
Contact Tech Support for assistance.

What are my options wiring up
products that don’t have SpeakerLink?

If you’re an existing Meridian dealer with a
quantity of unused Meridian S leads in stock,
you can recycle them by chopping off the
DINs and soldering on BNCs.

New leads employing BNCs instead of DINs
are available from us. Please contact the
Meridian Sales Office.

You can also use any cables of your choice.

For the digital audio, the requirement is for a
low loss, coaxial cable with an impedance of
75Ω, built to S/PDIF digital audio standards
and with gold-plated phono connectors.

For Meridian Comms, if you don’t have
to hand any BNC-to-BNC cables, use
any inexpensive RCA-to-RCA cable with

inexpensive RCA-to-BNC adaptors on each
end. There’s no need to worry about the
quality of this cable, or impedance issues
regarding the cable or adaptors: this is not
for critical audio – it is merely a hookup for
Comms.

Key Points

SpeakerLink carries balanced
digital audio, Meridian Comms
and RS232.

The cables are standard CAT5/6
cables with RJ45 connectors,
but the interface is proprietary.

You can use any Ethernet cable
as long as it is CAT5/6 and
features STP (Shielded Twisted
Pair)

If you can’t use SpeakerLink
because not all the
components in the system
utilise it, hook up digital audio
with digital phono cables, and
Meridian Comms with almost
any type of cable with a BNC
on each end.

DIN-based Meridian Comms is
being phased out.

Future Developments

In the near future we will be
offering the AC11, a unit that
converts Meridian DIN-based
Comms to SpeakerLink-based
RJ45.

Meridian Audio Limited

Latham Road, Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire PE29 6YE, UK
T [phone]
F [phone]
E [e-mail]

Meridian America Inc.

8055 Troon Circle, Suite C
Austell, GA 30168-7849, USA
T [phone]
F [phone]

www.meridian-audio.com

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