DAC Meridian Explorer

Digital media form an increasingly popular source of entertainment, with superb ease of access. Now there’s no need to compromise quality to achieve that convenience. Explorer is the size of a USB stick, yet embodies the same style and performance as any other Meridian product.

SIMPLY LISTEN
Explorer replaces your computer’s sound card with a USB-powered DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) featuring Meridian’s high quality audio circuitry and design derived from Meridian’s award-winning Reference Series components, along with a powerful headphone amplifier with on-board analogue volume control. Whatever your choice of content – iTunes, Spotify®, YouTube® or a High Resolution downloaded file, Explorer makes it sound its best. Simply by plugging it in and listening with it, you’ll experience significantly higher sound quality.

Explorer is designed and built in Britain to the same exacting standards as any Meridian product. Its smooth lines and metal body typify Meridian design. And inside, the very highest quality audiophile-standard components and the latest technology as used in our flagship 800 Reference Series products ensures that whatever you listen to – iTunes, an internet radio station or a high-resolution downloaded file – you'll hear the very best sound quality of which the source is capable.

The fundamental part of the Explorer experience is listening. We're sure you'll gain more enjoyment from your computer music sources with Explorer. And if you like what you hear, perhaps you'd like to look at some of our in-home entertainment systems too - with the same combination of elegant design and extreme performance.

Hand assembled at Meridian’s UK headquarters

Compact, elegant and rugged metal enclosure

Lights to indicate incoming sample rate

Soft convenient USB cable provided for ease of placement to protect computer mother board from mechanical stress

As with all Meridian products, our goal in developing the Explorer is to help you enjoy the music you love with the very highest quality playback, without compromise, using innovative engineering and technology.

INSIDE THE EXPLORER
Audiophile music-grade electrolytic capacitors decouple the analogue audio stages, significantly improving the quality. Indeed, an enormous amount of careful design work has gone into the analogue circuitry of the Explorer, of which those capacitors are just a part. A significant proportion of the 6-layer circuit board is given over to analogue, not digital, circuitry.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Explorer comes with a short USB cable instead of plugging straight into the computer like a dongle: there’s no danger of damaging the computer motherboard if you accidentally walk off with your headphones on. Instead of a plastic box, Explorer has a sturdy aluminium enclosure, reducing noise and interference as well as allowing it to withstand life on the move.

ANALOGUE VOLUME CONTROL
Most DACs simply alter the digital signal going into them, so the quieter you listen, the lower the quality. Explorer uses an analogue volume control, driven from the operating system, so you always enjoy the full digital resolution.

ADDITIONAL OUTPUTS
As well as headphones, Explorer includes analogue and S/PDIF digital optical outputs. Connect Explorer to your home audio system and enjoy the ultimate in replay quality from your computer. It provides a fixed-level output so you can use your system’s volume control – for the very highest quality at any listening level.

TRUE CLASS 2 USB AUDIO DEVICE
Explorer has extended digital bandwidth, playing audio up to 192kHz sampling. You can plug it anywhere in your system – into a USB hub for example – not only direct into the computer.

FULLY ASYNCHRONOUS
Explorer includes dual high-quality oscillators, based on those found in Meridian’s top-of-the-line Reference Series components, so it can handle any standard sample rate up to 192kHz with minimal jitter and thus improved clarity and stereo imaging.

POWER
Explorer is a true Class 2 audio device and is powered entirely from the interface, with no additional power supply required. Simply plug it in to any USB port.

INPUTS
USB mini type B.
OUTPUTS
3.5mm combination analogue/digital jack with mini Toslink digital optical <96 kHz output and 2-ch analogue line out, fixed 2v RMS.
3.5mm jack with variable-level headphone output, 130mW into 16Ω.
CONSTRUCTION
Extruded Aluminium shell with moulded plastic endcaps and rubber foot.
POWER
USB, nominal 5V at <500mA.
INDICATORS
Three white LEDs show connected state and audio stream rate.
IMPLEMENTATION
USB audio class compliant 2.0 HS 480Mb/s bandwidth.
Asynchronous: device is the clock source for high quality.
Firmware upgrade via USB.
Windows drivers provided, no drivers required for Macintosh OS X or Linux.
Analogue volume control for headphone output, controlled from PC, control law modified to match connected OS.
S/PDIF output downsamples 4x (192/176.4kHz) to 2x (96/88.2kHz).
OS REQUIREMENTS
Macintosh OS X 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard) or later
Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8
Linux kernel 2.6.37 or later and ALSA version 1.0.32 or greater