Meridian Audio

Meridian Audio is an English manufacturer of high-performance, high-fidelity audio and video components and systems founded in 1977 by Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd.

Meridian Audio
Limited company
IndustryAudio/Visual Consumer electronics equipment manufacturing and distribution
Founded1977 (1977)
FounderBob Stuart, Allen Boothroyd
HeadquartersHuntingdon, England
ProductsHigh-end loudspeakers, home theatre equipment
Websitewww.meridian-audio.com

History
Meridian Audio founders Allen Boothroyd and Bob Stuart

Based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, Meridian Audio was founded by John Robert (Bob) Stuart and Allen Boothroyd in 1977. Since the company's inception, all Meridian products have been built in the UK.[1]

The company was the among the first to introduce active loudspeakers (loudspeakers with power amplifiers inside the cabinet) designed for the domestic market and was the first British company to manufacture a CD player in 1983. The Meridian MCD, launched in 1985, was the first audiophile CD player.[2] In his review of the MCD, audio engineer and Stereophile founder J. Gordon Holt wrote, "For the first time, the sound of the best CDs (Telarcs, RealTimes and Sheffields) is truly liquid and transparent, with an effortlessness that I have not previously heard except from the better analog sources... To date, then, this is the best-sounding CD player I've encountered."[3] Meridian also created the first digital surround-sound processor, the 565 in 1994 as well as the first DSP-based digital active loudspeakers.

Today, the company's two largest markets are the United States[4] and the UK.

Products
Meridian Audio's flagship DSP8000 speakers
  • Loudspeakers
  • Architectural Loudspeakers
  • Custom Installation and Solutions
  • Surround Sound Processors
  • Digital to Analog Converters
  • Pre-Amplifiers and Power Amplifiers

Awards and recognition

Meridian products have received several awards, including:

  • 2011 Robb Report Best of the Best, Audio: Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System[5]
  • 2010 CEA Human Interface Product of the Year: Meridian Sooloos[6]
  • 2009 Robb Report Best of the Best, Home Video: Meridian 810 Reference Video System[7]
  • 2009 CEA Innovations Design and Engineering Award in the Integrated Home Systems: Meridian Sooloos[8]
  • 1988 British Design Council Award: Meridian 200 Series[9]
  • 1982 British Design Council Award: Meridian Modular Amplifier System[10]


References
  1. "The Meridian Story". Meridian Audio.
  2. "Time warp: Meridian's MCD, the first audiophile CD player". Gadget Guy. 15 June 2009.
  3. J. Gordon Holt (4 February 1985). "Meridian MCD & MCD Pro CD players". Stereophile.
  4. "Electronics That Enhance an Image (Yours)". The New York Times. 22 March 2004.
  5. "Best of the Best 2011: Audio: Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System". Robb Report. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013.
  6. "CEA Announces Winners of 2010 Mark of Excellence Awards". Business Wire. 29 March 2010.
  7. "Meridian 810 Reference Video System". Robb Report. 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  8. "Innovation 2009: Design and Engineering Awards". CE.org. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  9. "Meridian". Gramophone. May 1999. p. 193.
  10. "Design award for Meridian". Gramophone. July 1982. p. 90.
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