Meridian Bows Upgraded, Extended G Series

Slot-Load Drives, USB Connections Augment British Firm's Most Popular Range [The following is a release from Meridian Audio Limited]

January 9, 2008

Meridian Audio Limited, the British firm recognized the world around as a leader in digital audio and video technologies for music and home-theater systems, will take advantage of the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV to showcase a newly extended range G Series components. The updated G Series, which comprises Meridian's most widely adopted family of music and home-theater system components, has established itself as a world standard of performance and quality for audio and video playback. "The new G Series family is both broader and deeper," says Meridian co-founder and lead designer Bob Stuart, "offering out customers more individualized routes to arriving at fully Meridian-level music- and home-theater system performance. At the same time, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to introduce advancements such as the series' new slot-load drive, and USB audio connectivity, that enhance both quality and versatility." At CES 2008, an extensively reworked G Series will be prominently displayed among the full range of Meridian innovations. G Series components to be featured include: * G68 AXD Surround Processor: The popular G68 digital/analog preamp/processor is extended into two versions, the G68 AXD and the G 68 XXD (below). The G 68 AXD includes full analog and digital I/O, with 4 channels of professional-grade balanced analog output plus 10-channel unbalanced outputs, Meridian's powerful proprietary DSP engine, which implements Meridian Room Correction as well as the firm's renowned surround and ambience-recovery processes, and incorporates USB audio input for the last word in system extensibility and configurability. Designed for US market and maximum performance. MSRP: $10,995, Available: Now * G68 XXD Surround Processor: The G68XXD is identical to the AXD (above)—including USB digital connectivity—but supplies fully balanced analog connections with 8-channel pro-grade balanced output to complement Meridian's uniquely capable digital I/O. MSRP: $10,995, Available: Now * G61R Surround Processor: The G61R expands upon the highly successful original G61, a compact, more accessibly priced but full-performance derivative of the G68 family, by implementing Meridian's acclaimed Room Correction processing and adding USB audio connectivity to the model's flexible analog and digital I/O facilities. MSRP: $7,495, Available: Now * G92 DVD Player/Controller/Tuner: The world's only legitimately high-end "system in a box," The G92 combines much of the functionality of the G61R with a fully integrated optical disc drive—the same superb-performing slot-load mechanism found in Meridian's astonishing G95 high-power DVD Receiver system—and with Faroudja video processing offering HD 1080p output. The net result is truly state-of-the-art 5.1-channel home theater from a single, sleek, marvelously usable component. HDMI output and onboard FM/AM tuner facilities complete the package, which requires only power amplifiers and speakers—or better still, Meridian Digital Loudspeakers—to complete a superb multichannel system. MSRP: $8,495, Available: Now * G96 DVD Transport: A new slot-loading optical disc drive (the same as found in the award-winning G95 DVD system) highlights Meridian's latest DVD design. The G96 plays DVD-Video and Compact Discs, and features HDMI video output that exploits Meridian and Faroudja digital video processing, for HD 1080p results that have again and again been judged the industry's finest consumer-video playback. MSRP: $6,995, Available: February * G06.2 Compact Disc Player: The G06.2 is one of two newly refined G Series CD players. It, too, adopts Meridian's slot-load disc-drive mechanism, and incorporates audiophile-grade circuits and topology developed from the award-winning G08, including fully Class A analog stereo outputs, alongside Meridian's exclusively versatile digital outputs. MSRP: $3,495, Available: February * Compact Disc Player G08.2: Evolved from the acclaimed Meridian 800 design, the new G08.2 delivers state-of-the-art music playback by way of fully balanced, professional-grade Class A analog outputs (unbalanced analog outs are also present), or via Meridian's refined digital-output connectivity. The same superb slot-load optical drive found throughout the new G Series components is on board the G08.2, whose performance is further enriched by Meridian's exclusive digital audio upsampling/reformatting, to 176.4kHz/24-bit, for unmatched musicality, transparency, and precision. MSRP: $4,995, Available: February

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