Meridian to offer Sooloos card option for 800 series products
Meridian has announced that the 800 series of components will receive a Sooloos card option.
Here are the full details…
For over 10 years, Meridian’s 800 Series products have offered the highest quality in audio and video reproduction. At the same time, their unique modular architecture offers a truly custom experience—individually specified and manufactured for its owner. The unique architecture also protects the customer’s investment, allowing simple upgrade paths as technology standards advance and new features are developed.
Meridian continues its path to seamlessly integrate the Sooloos Media System with the power of the impressive Reference Class 800 Series electronics. The ID40 Sooloos Card is available in the latest generation of 800 Series products, offered as a standard feature in the 808.3 Signature Reference CD Player, and as an option in the 861 V6 Reference Digital Surround Controller. The Sooloos card connects the host product directly to a Sooloos system enabling it to render audio streamed across the network and provide control of an active Play Queue. Now, with the ID40 Sooloos Card, Meridian’s 800 Series offers the highest quality audio delivery from a Sooloos Digital Media System.
The card offers simple connection to the same network as a Sooloos system through its RJ45 style Ethernet port, eliminating the need for unsightly cables and extra boxes. Once connected, the ID40 Sooloos Card renders audio streamed across the network. The host 800 Series product is then able to use its own powerful DSP capabilities to perform advanced audio enhancement processing, using triple FIFO buffering and upsampling lower sample rate audio streams to 88.2 or 96kHz using Meridian’s world renowned ‘apodising’ upsampling technology, and in the case of 861 apply other processing, such as Trifield, for improved presentation on a multi-channel system.
The same network connection also allows the host 800 Series product to easily send basic control commands back to the Sooloos Digital Media System. Using the supplied MSR+ remote handset (or Meridian Comms or Serial connection to the host
Product), the user has instant control over the active Play Queue.
The ID40 Sooloos Card allows for the highest audio quality integration of Sooloos in to a Meridian Digital Theatre system through simple yet elegant connection type, while delivering the level of reference performance Meridian customers have come to expect.
The ID40 Sooloos Card can be specified as an option when ordering a new 861 V6. Alternatively, it can be retrofitted to existing 861 V6 products. Upgrades that are more comprehensive are available for older 861 and 808 models, which enable both to host the ID40 Sooloos Card, please contact Meridian directly for details.
The Meridian ID40 Sooloos Card is expected to be available in the UK from early 2010 at a suggested retail price of £1000.00.
