Working together
The MHR Smart Link has profound ramifications for the system. By passing the signals at full resolution between 800 and 861, the system can provide perfect and unified bass management for all sources where it belongs – in the surround controller.
861 receives the full bandwidth and resolution of the original recording allowing it to offer the highest possible sound quality on both its exquisite studio-grade analogue outputs (for conventional, analogue-domain amplifiers and speakers), or on individual MHR-capable digital outputs (for the multiple DSP speakers of a Meridian Digital Theater).
The MHR Smart Link also passes information about the disc content, whether it be high resolution multichannel or stereo from DVD-Audio, CD, Dolby Digital or DTS on a movie or PCM from a music video.
This means that with no intervention from the user, the 861 can automatically select the optimum DSP modes and speaker settings for movies, for music, for stereo and multichannel sources – a welcome feature at a time when the ever-expanding offerings of source formats holds the potential for considerable confusion.
Multichannel system architecture
Meridian’s 800 Series now has comprehensive DVD-Audio capability with full multichannel support for high resolution sources throughout the entire system.
Meridian have re-defined optimum movie playback in this latest series. 800 now has the option to decode movies inside the player, and there are a number of benefits to this approach. By taking the Dolby Digital decoding task from the 861, it is freed up to apply its considerable signal processing power to optimize resolution – typically working at 48-bit internal precision. Meanwhile the extensive DSP power in 800 is used to provide upsampling and resolution enhancement for all sources including CD and DVD-Video. Until you have experienced movies in 96kHz/24-bit resolution you might find it hard to anticipate this huge improvement to movie sound. Important low-level details and a much clearer sense of space bring intimacy to Dolby Digital sound tracks. A lasting impression of this new 800 Series is greater and more natural dynamic contrasts.
The 800 Player can optionally upscale the audio from any disc (including DVD-Audio) and send it, via MHR Smart Link, to the 861 for further processing – which may include upsampling, bass management and upscaling for playback with as many as eight channels and ten speakers.
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio offers up to 6 channels of 96kHz/24-bit audio direct from the recording studio, using the disc’s large capacity to deliver vivid, life-like surround recordings. DVD-Audio also offers the same ultra-high quality in stereo and many discs provide additional content, such as menus, pictures and video clips.
Meridian was an important contributor to the DVD-Audio standard, which mandates MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) as the format for the highest quality sound. We are in a unique position to understand all the nuances of this exciting new format.
Without question, DVD-Audio offers the highest sound quality option for music in the home and the 800 gives simple access to all the content. In the 800 we have control over all aspects of the playback process and have developed a user-friendly interface for all media – including DVD-Audio – as well as providing the highest possible sound and picture quality.
Now, with the 800 Series, we offer a playback system where the original audio can be passed without degradation all the way from the recording studio to the loudspeaker.
High resolution multichannel pushes the boundaries of technology, and we are proud of our achievement in the 800 Series: the sound is exquisite.
