Meridian DSP3200 Digital Active Bookshelf Speakers

Meridian Audio introduced the DSP3200 digital active bookshelf loudspeaker delivering powerful, room-filling sound with the performance of a conventional speaker many times the size. As is immediately evident from the shape, it mirrors the design of the DSP8000 and other DSP loudspeakers in the Meridian range. It features a 165mm bass driver and 85mm wide-range driver, each driven by their own powerful amplifier, and Meridian's award-winning DSP crossover system.

The DSP3200 is an ideal building block in a smaller Meridian system, for example coupled with an Audio Core 200, or for adding an extra zone to a multi-room system, and the cabinet design provides wide, full-range dispersion allowing a broader listening area.

The DSP3200 is the successor to the DSP3100 as the smallest loudspeaker in the Meridian line and, like its predecessor, can be floor-mounted on stands, or free- standing, for example on a bookshelf. The DSP3200 has also been designed to suit widely available Konig & Meyer 24471 wall brackets that allow the speaker to be mounted either upright or in the inverted position, the latter being ideal for discreet corner-mounting, while DSP control ensures that the speaker delivers its best regardless of position.

The DSP3200 features two drive units, a 165mm bass driver and an 85mm wide- range driver. Both drive units are built around an extremely stiff and stable die-cast aluminium chassis. The bass driver features a specially designed stiff, yet light polypropylene cone piston and dustcap with a low-loss rubber surround. The large, 56mm diameter voice coil employs heavy gauge copper wire in a 4 layer bifilar winding and features an extremely efficient hybrid magnetic motor design, providing extremely linear performance, thus minimising colouration and mechanical distortion.

The wide-range driver includes an aluminium alloy cone piston with low loss rubber surround, and features a 20mm diameter voice coil using heavy copper-clad aluminium wire. It also features an extremely efficient neodymium magnetic motor design.

The DSP3200 is driven via Meridian SpeakerLink, which provides balanced digital audio and control signals from the host Meridian controller. Both input and output are provided, enabling loudspeakers to be “daisy-chained” if this is more practical than the preferred “home run” arrangement. A selector switch allows each DSP3200 to be set up as Left/Centre or Right speaker in a system.

Inside the unit is a powerful DSP crossover. Incoming signals are optimised with multiple FIFO buffering and upsampled using Meridian's proprietary 'apodising'- style filter that is free from pre-echo effects, thus delivering a cleaner, better-defined, more 'high-definition' sound whatever the source material, while at the same time correcting errors introduced by filters earlier in the chain — for example as a result of the original recording system. This system can bring new life especially to older digital recordings, where you can even experience the performance reproduced in higher quality than was possible in the studio at the time. The DSP is followed by individual digital-to-analogue conversion stages with extremely high precision analogue and digital design, delivering maximum dynamic range and overall audio quality. The analog signal is then passed to powerful low output-impedance power amplifiers with exceptional performance and high efficiency, but with very low heat dissipation, coupled directly to the drivers.

Each DSP3200 loudspeaker is built around a precision-manufactured cabinet, which uses innovative design techniques to give exceptionally low colouration and impressive midrange transparency.
The acoustically-sealed enclosure is fabricated from curved, pressure-laminated panels, each using multiple layers of carefully-selected woods to provide high stiffness and damping. Its narrow tapered front baffle offers optimum dispersion across a wide listening area.

The cabinet stands on triangulated adjustable machined feet fitted to the base of the enclosure. Alternatively, Meridian offers a specially-designed floor stand, which provides cable management, allowing power and SpeakerLink cables to be run discreetly between the floor and the loudspeaker. The stand includes floor spikes, and the speaker can be bolted to the stand for maximum stability, minimising colouration. The speaker is mounted on the stand at a slight angle to offer the optimum position for listening. The DSP3200 includes a recessed panel which hides cable entry.

Specifications

• Frequency response in-room within 3dB from 45Hz to over 20kHz.
• Output >105dB spl @ 1m on music material.
• Noise less than 15dB spl.
• 2-way sealed enclosure system.
• Meridian SpeakerLink in and out (RJ45)
• 1 x 165mm polypropylene bass driver.
• 1 x 85mm aluminium cone wide-range driver.
• Two 75W power amplifiers, one for each driver.
• Overall distortion typically <0.02% at any frequency or level.
• Dimensions: Height: 320mm (without feet); width: 244mm at base, tapering to 134mm; depth: 246mm at base, tapering to 179mm.
• Mounting:
  • Floor-mounting on stands
  • Free-standing on shelf, etc
  • Wall mounting via Konig & Meyer 24471 bracket allows upright or inverted orientation.
• Weight: 8.5kg (20lbs) per unit.

Price and Availability
The Meridian DSP3200 Compact Digital Active Loudspeaker are available from January 2011 for $6,000/pair in high-gloss black or white.

See more about: New Speakers, Meridian Speakers, Bookshelf Speakers