Digital Active Center Channel Debuts From Meridian
DSP Center Design Sets New Standard For Multichannelís Most Critical Speaker
British manufacturer Meridian Audio Limited, an accepted leader in advanced digital audio for music and home theatre systems, has redefined the standard of reproduction for a high-end multichannel home theatre systemís single most important speaker. The new DSP5500HC applies Meridianís unique Digital Active Loudspeaker technologies to a no-holds-barred center channel speaker specifically designed for maximum performance from a horizontal-format unit. The result is beyond question the most sophisticated and capable center-channel solution ever conceived. The DSP5500HC concept begins with exceptional electro-mechanical performance from four drivers: dual 8-inch woofers, a 6 1/2-inch midrange, and a one-inch aluminum-dome tweeter constructed with pure-silver wire. This array permits impressive deep-bass output while avoiding the off-axis response ""lobing"" suffered by all conventional horizontal-center designs. Each individual DSP5500HC driver is amplified by a dedicated on-board power-amp channel of 75 watts; these employ a unique, high-precision localized-correction feedback topology that ensures analog-domain performance equal to the Meridianís digital quality. And this is impressive indeed. The DSP5500HC features four individual 96kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters working downstream from its highly sophisticated digital crossovers to produce independent, ultra-accurate conversions for bass, midrange, and tweeter signals. Two independent S/PDIF-format digital inputs permit the design to be driven by two different digital sources or components without re-patching, feeding the proprietary digital input receiver with ""FIFO"" bit-buffering for virtually total elimination of jitter-induced distortions. The DSP5500HC is fully capable of utilizing Meridian High resolution (upsampled) signals from Meridianís latest preamp/processors. Like all Meridianís Digital Active speakers, the DSP5500HC performs its crossover functions in the digital domain, permitting idealized filter characteristics and literally perfect time-domain behavior. Digital crossovers also permit unprecedented flexibility and precision: The DSP5500HC employs a pure-digital 6th-order Linkwitz-Riley bass/midrange section (a topology virtually impossible to obtain via an analog filter), and a 3rd-order linear-phase mid/tweeter section. Valuable though it is, a digital-domain crossover is only one of the virtues of Meridianís Digital Active concept. The DSP5500HCís twin Motorola signal-processing engines (DSP56001s running at 32MHz) also work to manipulate a long list of setup and user-adjustable parameters. Key among these is room-position correction that utilizes phase-benign digital-domain tonal compensation to deliver identical sonic performance from real-world location, including free-standing, wall-mounting, or corner or cabinet placement. Digital processing also delivers extensive user-selectable tonal shaping, including a specially calculated ""tilt offset"" to correct response. The result is performance that is unmatched by any other dedicated center-channel speaker, active or passive, at any price. The DSP5500HC delivers typical in-room response to 30Hz or below (-3dB), making it eminently capable of working with a ""large"" center-channel setup as preferred by some dedicated multichannel buffs for more natural and accurate vocal and instrumental spatial and timbral reproduction. And it can produce levels well in excess of 110dB (at 1 meter) - this from a single, unassisted speaker - with vanishingly low distortion at all frequencies. The DSP5500HC measures 43 x 11 x 18 inches (approx.), and weighs 179lbs. The Meridian DSP5500HC Digital Active Center Channel is designed and manufactured entirely by Meridian at its Cambridgeshire, England facilities. Its enclosure is crafted from high-density MDF, with unique, user-replaceable, acoustic-dampening side panels. Four- and six-layer PCB layouts and the use of carefully selected components throughout including Van den Hul wiring help to ensure the best possible performance. Manufacturerís suggested retail price: USD $6,895.