[Roy Munson]

I think this DAC is starting to open up a bit. I plugged the Bifrost back in for a comparison and had to hook the Director back up after 2 songs. It's presentation is so damn smooth. The bass quality is on a different level of refinement on the director. I love how revealing the TH600 is - but this dac opened up my HD600 a bit too. The more I'm listening the more I like it.

 

[sheldaze]

Smooth is definitely a word I would use to describe it - that and non-fatiguing, if I may use that word? It definitely allows you, the listener, to approach, rather than the other way around. It never forces itself onto the listener. It doesn't try to razor blade every sound at every moment. Rather it allows the listener to pick and choose which sounds to focus on, when and how the listener chooses.
 
I wonder, if I may add, that my combination of HD650 headphones with the smoothness of the Director DAC is why I find the combination inappropriate. The headphones are smooth themselves, which makes for my ears a lackluster combination? I heard the HD600 at a recent headphone meet in my metro area. The guy at my table had the identical setup - same headphone AMP and DAC, though he was using HD600. Late in the meet, I got a chance to compare. The HD600 are definitely a shaper sounding headphone.

 

[huberd]

I have the Meridian Explorer2 and the Schiit Gungnir. The Explorer 2 sounds quite bit better. It is smoother and has a lager sound stage. The tonal aspect is much better too. I am looking to try the Director to see if its better then the Explorer2. We are talking about audio Nirvana here. Meridian makes the best DAC's hands down. I am going to give the Gungnir to my kids. 
 
My Equipment: Schiit Asgard2, Vallhalla, Audio Quest Columbia interconnects, Nordost Red Dawn Power Cable, IFI Power supply, Audio Quest USB and Sennheiser HD 700. 

 

[obsidyen]

I'm a proud Explorer2 owner and I just love the Meridian sound. So smooth and musical. Director dac is also great if you have a separate amp. I'm going to upgrade to Prime soon myself.

 

[huberd]

I am not sure you have a optimal setup because I have the Gunginr and the Meridian 2 sounds much better. I mean you are using interconnects that cost 2 dollars with a DAC that costs $699. Do yourself a favor and get some real cable and power cords and power supply you will hear a huge difference in sound quality. 

 

[huberd]

The headphone output on the Explorer 2 is not very good. It sound 10 times better with an amplifier. The DAC portion is top notch and the best out there. 

 

[huberd]

You can use a USB power supply like IFI. It cleans up the computer noise quite a bit. USB power is very noisy. 

 

[asdfg]

I don't actually own one but I have tried it before. It sounds somewhat mediocre for it's price. I was expecting something a little tad more.

 

[huberd]

I am wondering if there is an improvement in sound quality vs the Explorer?

 

[sheldaze]

I think that what you're getting, by moving from the Explorer to the Explorer2, is access to some of the Meridian proprietary processing. While high-end Meridian amplifiers (I've read) are quite good, I don't think you're getting much of that high-end in the Explorer. So to my ears, yes, the Explorer2 is considerably better than the Explorer due to the new processing.
 
And I hope MQA becomes a mainstream codec for audio streaming - then you might get to hear MQA decoded too!

 

[Lan647]

  I am wondering if there is an improvement in sound quality vs the Explorer?

Minimal, if any. I got it because it feels nice to have a dedicated, DAC-only unit with more of a desktop-class feel than the explorer. 

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Looks like the Direct DAC is now discontinued with a reduced price of $349.

 

[pearljam50000]

Has anyone compared Explorer 2 to Director?!

 

[sheldaze]

Has anyone compared Explorer 2 to Director?!

They are similar, but there is simply more space for better components in the Director. The sound is noticeably improved versus the Explorer². Understand though that the Director is a dedicated DAC. You'll need to have a separate AMP and pre-AMP with volume control to use it. I use mine exclusively in a high end stereo speaker system.
 
With the recent price drop, the cost difference is only $50. If you're considering the Director versus the Explorer², and have the means to use it, go for it!

 

[flyngdtchman]

Has anybody compared the Meridian side by side with the Hifiberry DAC? Basic question is whether the 10x value translates intro significantly better performance (I realize this is all a question of diminishing returns... )
 
I am running a Yaqin mc100b with Chane A5rx-c speakers.