CEDIA 2017

UK-based Meridian, known for its high-end, DSP-driven self-powered loudspeakers, has created a component interface that, for the first time, allows any surround processor or preamp to drive its digital speaker line.

The model 271 Digital Theatre Controller accepts a variety of multichannel analog inputs available from traditional surround processors, performs high quality digital-to-analog conversion and upsampling, and outputs the appropriate digital signals to drive the company's DSP speakers.

Until now, driving Meridian's DSP speakers required use of one of the company's own surround processors. But these don't yet offer Atmos, DTS:X, or Auro-3D processing, and company officials said that its dealers' desires to provide immersive audio with Meridian speakers was a factor in opening up its DSP ecosystem to 3rd-party processors.

An impressive Meridian theater demo proved the point by using Meridian speakers driven by a current-gen Marantz prepro through the 271.

The Model 271 is priced at $3,000 U.S.