Stunning Meridian DSP9 active speaker heralds a new dawn

Meridian Audio has unveiled the DSP9 digital active loudspeaker at Munich High End, saying it marks a new chapter for the pioneering British audio company.

The new flagship speaker features a fresh cabinet aesthetic, said to deliver outstanding fidelity, dynamics and power for a speaker of its size. Applications include cinemas and listening rooms.

The DSP9 is the second loudspeaker to emerge from Meridian’s Extreme Engineering Programme.

The novel design pushes the boundaries of cabinet design and construction, says the company, using the geometry of the ellipse to create a stunning aesthetic from every angle that significantly also offers acoustic benefits.

The curvature of the exterior also minimises unwanted diffraction of the sound produced by the drive units.

Key development highlights include the use of Meridian’s Atlas software core and R1 electronics platform, next-gen drive units and a force-balanced bass configuration.

Naturally the DSP9 is heavily invested in proprietary Meridian DSP technologies, to ensure optimum performance whatever the environment. The laundry list includes Q-Sync, True Link, True Time, E3 Bass, Image Focus +, Pro-Active Bass, Pro-active Thermal, FFA, Free-Q, Perfect Balance and BSM.

The DSP9 offers setup and control via the Meridian B-Link Bluetooth device, IR, USB, RS232, or with a Meridian Controller product. An IA21 analogue input module changes the functionality of the DSP9 so it can be fed from any non-Meridian product or system which features a balanced or unbalanced line-level analogue output.

The DSP9 features a 25mm beryllium dome with silver voice-coil custom waveguide, 160mm Evo mid-range driver and four 200mm subsonic bass drivers. The tweeter and mid-range each receive 150W (into 4Ω), while 240W goes to each of the four bridged pairs of bass woofers.

“Meridian’s goal is for our products to be as beautiful to look at as they are easy to use and amazing to listen to. A design where you can see no effort - elegant, simple and powerful,” said John Buchanan, CEO of Meridian.

“With the DSP9, we achieve the perfect synthesis of function and form through our holistic system approach. It’s an artful balancing act that allows us to create a beautiful aesthetic whilst pushing the boundaries of world-class audio engineering.”

Meridian’s Select finishing service allows the loudspeaker to either blend into a room or to stand out with a bold, vibrant colour, finished in matte or gloss.

The Meridian DSP9 is priced at £60,000, availability is TBC.