[MoonUnit]

I ended up opening my Meridian Explorer up to listen to after all

 
I'm not sure if I have the version with the hardware changes. Mine has a serial number which ends in "R", which is different than the serial number someone else posted.
 
Here are my brief comments:

1. As a DAC, through the fixed level output, it's astonishingly good. I was really surprised. It's a little on the warm side of neutral, and there is a hint of grain in the highs, but the bass is remarkable and the overall dynamics are impressive. For the price, it's a good value.
2. As a DAC through the variable level output, it's still quite good. There is a hint more grain in the highs though.
3. As a headphone amp it's very poor (except on my HD-650s). The worst headphones I've tried with it are my Apple Earpods... with those, Purrin is right, it's easy to tell that it's worse than a laptop headphone out (even my crusty old IBM T61). Granted they're overly bassy to begin with, but that just makes the bass control issue easier to spot.
4. One of my computers (a 2012 Mac Mini) develops an incompatibility with it after a certain period of time. It either starts to stutter or just stops playing audio. I'd imagine this is a firmware bug in Meridian's asynch implementation. Perhaps it can be fixed with a firmware upgrade. My Mac laptop doesn't seem to have the same issue.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

 
Pretty soon they might even start embedding them into the source themselves! Like, could you imagine how convenient it would be to have a DAC built directly into your laptop or iPod?

 
 
OK - I'm assuming there was more than a little mild sarcasm in that, but I wouldnt object to Meridian being selected as the 'sonic consultant' on a high-end laptop from the likes of Sony or HP. God knows we've all had to endure years of Harmon or their ilk being splashed all over the marketing courtesy of a tinny pair of speakers and some sort of whizbang 'UltraBass' processing or other. Always struck me as odd that B&W have a readymade product in the MM-1 - literally a plug-and-play solution - but not one of the big laptop manufacturers got together to offer a deal on the combination of a nice laptop and their speakers.
 
The iPod DAC, otoh, probably isnt as bad as many would have you believe - its the amp that let's it down, IMO. In any case, Voldemort ran measurements on a 4th Gen Touch some time back that were surprisingly positive compared to his personal preference, the Clip+.

 

[netdog]

Okay.  I've called my dealer here in the UK.  They are a pretty large outfit and were not aware of the problem, but they are going to call Meridian about a replacement.
 
I'll let you all know what happens.

 

[bobeau]

I called my dealer in NYC and they haven't heard anything either.  
 
Anyone who inquired with Meridian get a note back on this?

 

[teofilrocks]

Quote:

I called my dealer in NYC and they haven't heard anything either.  
 
Anyone who inquired with Meridian get a note back on this?

 
I emailed them towards the end of last week. I haven't heard back yet.

 

[Carlsan]

Checked out the amp out with a pair of T-Peos  h-100's, they sound really good.   
Guess I shouldn't be surprised, since they are 32 Ohm earphones.
 
 
 
Spec's on the H-100'S
 
 
Driver Unit: Balanced Armature and Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Power: 100 mW

 

[crooner]

Got my Explorer from Todd on Saturday. It's from the latest batch. I don't know for sure if the impedance issue has been fixed on my unit or not, but the sound quality is superb on the thing. Very relaxed, non fatiguing sound. I can confirm the headphone output can be used as a variable line level output into a conventional preamp or power amp with no problems. Plenty of output for the best S/N ratio.
 
I also noticed the Meridian USB 2 driver is very stable and less prone to dropouts or stutter with PC lattency issues.
 
In all, very satisfied with it thus far...

 

[mikemercer]

Quote:

With those two low impedance headphones you won´t be listening to their original voicing at all on the Meridian Explorer due to the high output impedance. The HRT on the other hand has an output impedance of 0,5 so frequency response is left as originally designed.

YUP, which is why I only bothered trying my Audeze LCD3's with the Explorer once for giggles!!
 
I can drive my LCD3's all day with the HRT microStreamer!
 

 
 
 
So, needless to say - I'm sticking to the microStreamer - but the Explorer could be fine as a DAC.
 
Actually, perhaps this is why MANY reviewers haven't even mentioned the Explorers headphone amp in their reviews!

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Checked out the amp out with a pair of T-Peos  h-100's, they sound really good.   
Guess I shouldn't be surprised, since they are 32 Ohm earphones.
 
 
 
Spec's on the H-100'S
 
 
Driver Unit: Balanced Armature and Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Power: 100 mW

 
 
Based on the rule of eights, 8 x 50 = 400ohms. Your 32-ohm BA phones might be better equipped to handle high output impedance than a pair of 16-ohm cans, but they are a long way from the  400+ ohm Senns/Beyers/whatever  (or lower impedance orthos, which could care less about output impedance courtesy of their low sensitivity). As others have pointed out, the damping factor is of equal concern to any possible frequency response issues. but if you aren't hearing woolly bass the life is good. Pass the pretzels and party on 

 

[estreeter]

Seems WHF are jumping the microStreamer bandwagon :
 
The DAC shootout in this months What Hi-Fi put the HRT microStreamer up against the following DACs:
 

• Arcam rDAC
• Arcam rPAC
• AudioQuest DragonFly
• Furutech ADL Stride
• Lindy LDAC-Pro
• Meridian Explorer DAC
• Micromega MyDAC
• Musical Fidelity V-DAC II

 
They were surprised that the all conquering AudioQuest DragonFly was beaten by both the Meridian Explorer and the HRT microStreamer, both of which exhibited better dynamics and detail. But their closing remarks say it all:
 

Those two contenders easily merited five stars, but of the two it was the unassuming HRT microStreamer that truly captivated us with a stunningly agile-paced performance that reveals layers of subtlety hitherto unheard of with just a pair of headphones and a laptop. Factor in it's £180 price tag and it was a no-brainer: the microStreamer is the perfect sub £200 option for a brilliant portable system that'll keep your music sounding superb.

 

Stuff it- hype train or no, I'm sold - my MSII has served me well over the last 2-3 years and its clear that Kevin knows how to build a DAC. Ordering now.

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

 

Stuff it- hype train or no, I'm sold - my MSII has served me well over the last 2-3 years and its clear that Kevin knows how to build a DAC. Ordering now.

 
Alright... I'm picking one up, curiosity is getting the best of me.  If I like it then I can sell my ME and come out ahead with a smaller device that saps less power from my laptop.  If not then it should be an easy resell for minimal loss.
 
Are there any other devices like this coming out soon?  

 

[estreeter]

Of course there are more devices 'like this' coming out soon - the question is whether they will be as good as the current crop. When the SABRE became all the rage, every man and his brother seemed to be releasing a SABRE-equipped DAC - history has shown that there were hits and misses. Your crystal ball is as good as mine. 

 

[Aerocraft67]

All you lose with Microstreamer vs. Explorer is playback of sampling rates greater than 96 kHz and the optical out. Headphone output power looks to be the same, although odd that the otherwise thoroughly-specified Microstreamer does not give an impedance reference for the headphone ouptput power, even though the voltage spec is probably apt. The Microstreamer form factor looks more practical than Explorer's, if not as aesthetically creative. Of course there's the handsome price, not to mention that you can order it on Amazon, which is a big plus. Assuming the sound is comparable, Microstreamer looks like the better value at 40% less, shipped. New FOTM!

 

[Aerocraft67]

Odd WHF did not include compatriot iFi iDAC in the comparo.

 

[telecaster]

The microstreamer has no digital out so it's no use for those who want a USB asynchronous to use with their high end system which is the primary purpose of the explorer