Meridian Ultra DAC
Setting the standardPacked full of ground-breaking technologies and world firsts, the Meridian Ultra Digital to Analogue Converter brings our renowned expertise to the analogue realm.
With countless connectivity options and supported formats, including DSD, DXD and MQA, the Meridian Ultra Digital to Analogue Converter boasts an extensive list of user features and performance enhancing innovations. The result is a level of performance that is, quite simply, unachievable with normal DACs.
The Meridian Ultra DAC is the pinnacle of technological audio innovation and, most importantly, designed and engineered to provide you with the most rewarding personal listening experience possible.
Key Features
The Meridian Ultra DAC is the only Meridian product that has a dedicated clock card to ensure the lowest possible jitter. Alongside FIFO buffering, all jitter is folded down below 0.5Hz. As well as reducing jitter, this dedicated high current clock design also reduces low phase noise.
The Ultra DAC is the first Meridian product to feature Dual Mono DAC cards. This provides absolute stability for each of the two DACs so that each one can perform optimally. There is no interference between the two as their power supplies are isolated from one another. This is also complimented by complete isolation on the back end.
The first product to include Hierarchical Converter Technology by MQA.
A Linear Power Supply ensures superb performance on both analogue and digital systems.
Meridian Sooloos ALL MUSIC. ALL THE TIME.
Technologies and Features
With its extensive Research and Development programme Meridian has pioneered the development of a host of innovative audio technologies many of which feature in today’s Meridian products.
Meridian Sooloos
Meridian Sooloos, the user-friendly music management platform embodies everything you value about music. Your collection becomes easy to manage, with intuitive simplicity and exceptional speed. It’s designed with a deep understanding of music, and delivers an experience that reflects the unique value your music library holds for you.
Digital Dither Shaping
Many sources of music are enjoyed through digital audio systems such as radio, USB and Bluetooth audio streaming. To maintain the quality of these musical recordings, they are converted into a common format. Meridian Digital Dither Shaping ensures that digital signal changes are made smooth and seamless, preserving the finest details of the performance. The result is authentic, engaging musical enjoyment, evoking the emotions of the original recording.
Digital Signal Processing
As pioneers and leaders in the field of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology, Meridian is able to deliver your music authentically to recreate the passion and involvement of your musical moments. Power-efficient, active DSP crossovers are individually tailored to distribute music to each speaker, bringing your music to life.
SpeakerLink
Traditional audio systems often require large, expensive cables to maintain their performance. Meridian's SpeakerLink uses an “Ethernet style” cable that delivers pristine digital sound and control down a single cable between Meridian components. The result is simple, unobtrusive, and cost-effective cables that are easy to install.
Meridian Apodising Filter
Filters are critical in digital audio. Commonly they introduce distortion and harshness because of "pre-ringing". Early digital recordings suffer from harshness too, due to primitive filters. After painstaking research, Meridian developed a special filter that avoids pre-ringing, so it can be steeper, cleaning up the effects of early filters. The result: a better, cleaner sound from recordings old and new.
FIFO Buffering
Each sample of a digital recording must remain evenly spaced in time. Unfortunately, timing can vary, especially when reading discs. This is “jitter”, degrading music's sense of space and diminishing realism. Meridian's multiple “First In, First Out” buffering system minimises jitter, ensuring perfect timing and improved clarity. You enjoy a clearer feeling of the instruments and their interrelationship.
Dedicated Clock Card
The Meridian Ultra DAC is the only Meridian product that has a dedicated clock card to ensure the lowest possible jitter. Alongside FIFO buffering, all jitter is folded down below 0.5Hz. As well as reducing jitter, this dedicated high current clock design also reduces low phase noise.
Dual Mono DAC Card Construction
The Ultra DAC is the first Meridian product to feature Dual Mono DAC cards. This provides absolute stability for each of the two DACs so that each one can perform optimally. There is no interference between the two as their power supplies are isolated from one another. This is also complimented by complete isolation on the back end.
WE ARE THE PIONEERS OF HI-RES AUDIO
MQA [MASTER QUALITY AUTHENTICATED]
MQA is a technology that captures the full magic of an original studio performance. Using pioneering scientific research into how people hear, MQA delivers master quality audio in a file that’s small enough to stream or download – the days of sacrificing quality for convenience are over.
UPSAMPLING
Uses a complex digital filter to double the rate of samples from the source to improve resolution of the finer details in the record. This means that even with a standard source such as CD using our upsampling technology we are able to significantly enhance the listening experience.
MHR [MERIDIAN HIGH RESOLUTION]
A patented Meridian audio format that combines high bandwidth, security and low jitter. MHR gets the highest possible sound quality in playback systems that use Meridian and enables the encoded transmission of PCM, MQA and DSD.
Technical Details
AUDIO OUTPUTS
2-channel balanced audio output
2-channel unbalanced audio output
Outputs driven by four 192 kHz digital to analogue converters
The output stage incorporates Hierarchical Converter technology [by MQA]
AUDIO INPUTS
One USB 2.0 input for connection to a computer. Up to 384 kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
Two 2-channel balanced AES3 XLR inputs. 44.1kHz to 192kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
Two 2-channel 750 Ohm BNC coaxial inputs. 44.1kHz to 192kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
Two 2-channel digital coaxial S/PDIF inputs. 44.1kHz to 192kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
AUDIO INPUTS
One 2-channel Meridian Speakerlink input. 44.1kHz to 192kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
Two 2-channel digital optical TOSLINK inputs. 44.1kHz to 96kHz sampling and up to 24-bit precision
One network input (Ethernet) for connection to a Meridian Sooloos System
All inputs provide re-nameable legends
CONTROL SIGNALS
Two Meridian Comms 5-pin 240° DIN sockets • RS232 interface for maintenance
Three 12VDC/100mA trigger outputs configurable by source
CONTROLS
FRONT-PANEL: Source, DSP, Display, Mute, Off, Volume +/-, Setup, and Menu keys
REMOTE CONTROL: Via MSR+ (Supplied) and RS232
DISPLAY
20-character dot-matrix display with adjustable brightness and contrast
Indicators for Emphasis and Phase
DIMENSIONS
HEIGHT: 175mm [6.9in]
WIDTH: 480mm [18.9in]
DEPTH: 411mm [16.2in]
WEIGHT: 16kg [35.2lbs]
CONSTRUCTION
Black finish in metal and glass
Custom Meridian Select colours also available
POWER
Advanced linear power supply: 100V ac 50/60 Hz | 110-120V ac 50/60Hz | 220-240V ac 50/60Hz
Max power consumption: 40 Watts
