Meridian Audio is a true pioneer in British audio, emerging first as Boothroyd-Stuart in the halcyon days of 1970s hifi… when life was so much simpler!
Perhaps best known for its innovations – world’s first domestic active loudspeaker, first digital surround controller, UK’s first CD player and MQA (proprietary digital audio format) - Meridian has never been afraid to do things differently.
Doing Things Differently
That’s an ethos echoed with new Ellipse - Meridian’s first all-in-one streaming speaker. And a first for Peter Tyson too, our debut Meridian product. We think we’ve picked a winner.
Ellipse is a high-performance, wireless, complete music system in a speaker; rigorously engineered, meticulously crafted and hand-built in Britain to the same exacting standards as Merdian’s revered DSP loudspeakers.
It ticks all the streaming and connectivity boxes: wired/wireless, Bluetooth, AirPlay2, Google Cast, TIDAL and Spotify Connect, Roon Ready, UPnP renderer; and can be controlled via the Meridian app, touch panel, remote control or your streaming service app.
Understated Elegance
Ellipse has an understated, simple elegance. The compact, elliptical (obvs!) cabinet is crafted from rigid, inert materials to avoid impacting audio quality, and sports a smooth, pebble-like finish that you just want to stroke! The precision-engineered enclosure houses three acoustically isolated drive-units – stereo left/right and a ‘Racetrack’ driver in the middle, effectively your subwoofer.
A harmonious blend of form and function. Like another famous first, you can have any colour you like, as long as its black.
Ellipse is £1900, on the expensive side in an extremely competitive market, so what sets it apart?
Two things: Presence and Tinker-ability
The sheer scale of sound Ellipse can produce from such a diminutive form (it’s barely 40cm wide) is staggering.
And thanks to Meridian’s exceedingly clever innovations, you can achieve exactly the sound you want, where you want it.
Ellipse features twelve unique Meridian technologies; eight work in the background, continuously improving sound quality, four are user-adjustable to optimise performance, suit your own musical preferences and Ellipse’s position in the room:
- Bass and Space – adjusts perceived width of soundstage
- Image Elevation - matches sound image to listening height
- Free-Q – compensates for bass reflection from walls and other flat surfaces
- Image Focus – compensates for off-centre listening positions
This ‘tinkering’ can be done while listening, so you can immediately hear the effect. We won't go into full explanations, but suffice to say you’ll have loads of fun playing around with these. And when Bass and Space is maximised, prepare to be blown away! Pop in for a play, or watch our YouTube video for more details.
Out of the Box
Ellipse sounds great straight from the box. It’s super-easy to use, you’ll be Bluetooth streaming in seconds. It’s not a flagship stereo speaker pair, but Ellipse delivers Meridian’s signature performance - resolution, timing, bass cohesion and dynamic range - in style.
Our friend and Meridian CEO, John Buchanan, perhaps sums it up best:
“In a market cluttered with compromise, Ellipse dares consumers to demand more. Dare to be better – Ellipse is not just another streaming speaker.”
Stop in to either store to discover if Ellipse is the speaker for you or shop online.
Peter Tyson Carlise – 01224 546756
Peter Tyson Newcastle – 0191 285 7179