British audio manufacturer Meridian has launched a wireless speaker called Ellipse that is intended for stationary use. After all, the Ellipse requires a power cable and is therefore not intended for mobile use. It looks a bit like the B&W Zeppelin, but the Ellipse is much more expensive.
Features
The new Ellipse from Meridian features twelve unique proprietary DSP technologies, including the first implementation of “Meridian Bass & Space” in a home audio product. According to the company, Ellipse creates a massive, spacious soundstage that far exceeds its size, while delivering Meridian’s signature performance such as resolution, timing, bass cohesion and dynamic range for lifelike and natural sound in any room.
“Ellipse represents a luxury lifestyle product that seamlessly combines aesthetics with performance,” said Natalie Reynolds, Head of Product at Meridian. “The graceful curves and smooth, pebble-like finish ensure effortless integration into any interior and provide an engaging and tactile experience. This distinctive elliptical design can be found across the entire Meridian product range, including the floorstanding flagship DSP8000 XE and the critically acclaimed DSP9 . Elliptical motifs continue in this new product, such as the intricate spiral pattern of the elliptical perforations of the metal grille. The Ellipse stands elegantly on arched feet and embodies a harmonious blend of form and function. Nothing is strange, it just looks good.”
According to the manufacturer, the Meridian Ellipse is easy to use straight out of the box via the Meridian Control app or a common streaming music app. With support for Bluetooth, WiFi and Ethernet, there are multiple ways to stream music via AirPlay, built-in Chromecast, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect. Moreover, the Ellipse is also Roon Ready and can be used as a UPnP renderer. Finally, thanks to the playback features on top of the device, the phone doesn’t necessarily need to be nearby to play music.
The Ellipse is Meridian’s first speaker with the new R2 electronics platform. R2, a compact version of the R1 electronics platform, has been specially developed for Ellipse. It features the same advanced, signal-enhancing developments as the DSP8000XE and DSP9 , and includes Meridian’s brand new and updateable high-end streaming platform.
At the heart of this feature-rich streaming speaker is Meridian’s Atlas Software Core, which enables the implementation of new enhancement technologies and features, including many of the advanced signal-boosting technologies found in its larger family members.
Technical specifications
Behind the grille are two full-range drivers with a polypropylene cone with a diameter of 90 millimeters and a central woofer for the bass, which measures 150 x 100 millimeters and also has a polypropylene cone. An amplifier with 25 Watts of power is available for each full-range driver and the woofer is driven by a 30 Watt amplifier. The specified frequency range is 40 Hz to 40 kHz at level -3 dB and the volume at level 65.
The dimensions of the Ellipse are 163 x 410 x 219 millimeters (H x W x D) and it weighs almost four kilograms.
Price and delivery information
Delivery is said to begin soon, but price and official delivery information have yet to be announced.
