Meridian Audio manual Meridian DSP8000 loudspeaker system, Digital Signal Processing

INTRODUCTION

Meridian DSP8000 loudspeaker system

The Meridian DSP8000 loudspeaker system represents the fruits of more than 25 years of continuous development of loudspeakers as musical instruments. The finest materials and state-of-the-art design are combined to create what we believe is the ultimate home loudspeaker.

Digital Signal Processing

Digital Signal Processing, or DSP, is a technique pioneered by Meridian in hi-fi products for achieving extremely accurate reproduction of audio signals using high-precision mathematical processing.

DSP allows sophisticated processing to be performed without any of the cumulative noise or degradation that inevitably occurs, even with high- quality analogue circuitry. In addition, the signal improvement techniques incorporated in the Meridian DSP loudspeakers would be virtually impossible to implement in analogue circuitry.

The Meridian DSP loudspeakers take advantage of DSP for several different functions:

•To remove timing variations from the incoming digital signals (de-jittering).

•To upsample 44.1kHz and 48kHz signals to 88.2kHz and 96kHz.

•To split the frequency band between bass, mid-range, and treble drivers (crossover).

•To perform filtering or adjustment of the frequency response; eg treble or bass.

•To provide volume control to 48-bit precision.

•To provide digital protection of the loudspeakers against high-level low- frequency transients.

•To perform electronic equalisation.

If you are using the Meridian DSP loudspeakers with a digital source, such as CD or DVD, the signals remain in digital form until the last possible stage.

DSP loudspeaker drivers

Each DSP8000 loudspeaker uses six multiple high-efficiency long-throw custom bass drive units. The bass units are mounted symmetrically in pairs on the sides of the bass cabinet, cancelling vibration in order to minimise interference with the mid-range and treble units.

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