Meridian America 861 User Manual
Version 3
800/861
Version 3
800 Series DVD-Audio Update
Sales Information
1
st
January 2002
800 Features
• DVD-Audio from the inventors of
MLP
• Movies in 96kHz/24-bit resolution
• Ultimate sound and picture quality
• Encrypted digital output
• MHR Smart Link
• Enhanced CD playback
861 Features
• New powerful DSP engine for high
resolution audio
• Full support for DVD-Audio
• Automatic mode and speaker
management
• Unified bass management for all
formats
• Up to 10 outputs at 96kHz/24bit
• Updated I/O options including:
• 192kHz/24bit analogue output
• 96kHz/24bit multichannel
analogue input
• Discrete digital multichannel
input
Meridian Audio Limited
Stonehill, Stukeley Meadows
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire PE29 6EX
T +44 (0) 1480 445678
F +44 (0) 1480 445686
Meridian America Inc.
Suite 122, Building 2400
3800 Camp Creek Parkway
Atlanta GA 30331
T (404) 344 7111
F (404) 346 7111
Background
Meridian’s 800 Series has firmly established the ultimate benchmark for performance and
architecture of top-class surround AV systems. The 800 CD/DVD Player and 861 Reference
Surround Controller have both received numerous major industry awards for aspects of their
performance: for surround sound, for stereo, as preamplifiers and as world-class CD and
DVD players.
Important features of the 800 Series are modular hardware, card-based electronics and a
basis of updateable software for all aspects of operation and signal-processing. Meridian has
pioneered this approach in the 800 Series to allow owners to upgrade as technology and
formats evolve. Over the three years since their debut, the 800 Series has been continually
improved, maintaining its industry-leading position for sound and picture quality, features and
facilities. All these improvements have been made available to existing owners.
Meridian is proud to announce Version 3, a significantly advanced version of both 800 and
861. As before, existing owners can upgrade.
800 Series Version 3
Although presaged by the exciting addition of DVD-Audio, Version 3 significantly raises the
performance of the 800 Series in nearly every area. Both products receive new, more
powerful DSP engines to enable ultra-high precision processing on up to 8 channels running
at 96kHz. This additional computing power is used to add facilities, extreme transparency
and exciting new sound-field options for all media.
In a revolutionary change to the playback system architecture, the Meridian 800 now
provides high-resolution multichannel outputs and a unique way of presenting movie sound.
MHR Smart Link
MHR Smart Link is a proprietary digital multichannel connection that allows the 800 Player to
feed high-resolution audio directly to the 861 Reference Surround Controller or to Meridian’s
DSP loudspeakers. The MHR Smart Link uses proprietary encryption and signaling
technology; the first digital connection to be officially sanctioned for DVD-Audio content.
To obtain the most transparent sound Meridian’s link also features unique low-jitter
technology. For the first time, the full resolution of multichannel audio from DVD-Audio
recordings (as well as those from CD and DVD-Video) can be losslessly transferred in the
digital domain from a player to a surround controller and on to the loudspeakers.