[sheldaze]

  ANyone knows what's difference og E and E2?

Meridian still has available some reference material on the original Explorer:
 
https://www.meridian-audio.com/support/personal-audio-support/explorer/
 
Here's the main link to the current Explorer2:
 
https://www.meridian-audio.com/products/personal-audio/explorer2/
 
In summary, the new Explorer2 has lower output impedance and more of the Meridian proprietary processing capabilities built-in. You'll likely note a smoother sound with a larger soundstage on the newer Explorer2. The original Explorer had an optical digital output for pass-thru conversion from USB digital audio to a standard Toslink connection, which can be used by an external DAC.

 

[yangian]

 
Meridian still has available some reference material on the original Explorer:
 
https://www.meridian-audio.com/support/personal-audio-support/explorer/
 
Here's the main link to the current Explorer2:
 
https://www.meridian-audio.com/products/personal-audio/explorer2/
 
In summary, the new Explorer2 has lower output impedance and more of the Meridian proprietary processing capabilities built-in. You'll likely note a smoother sound with a larger soundstage on the newer Explorer2. The original Explorer had an optical digital output for pass-thru conversion from USB digital audio to a standard Toslink connection, which can be used by an external DAC.

Thank you! Cool!

 

[yangian]

Sorry, have another question. Is Medirian Director DAC even better than Explorer2? 
Is there anyone have idea of Director/Exploere2 vs Schiit Bifrost, which have similar price?
Thanks!

 

[sheldaze]

  Sorry, have another question. Is Medirian Director DAC even better than Explorer2? 
Is there anyone have idea of Director/Exploere2 vs Schiit Bifrost, which have similar price?
Thanks!

You get a lot for your money in the Explorer2 - DAC with dedicated line-out and headphone amplifier. You also get their proprietary streaming technology, MQA, if that ever becomes mainstream - the Director does not have MQA. There's a lot of stuff "stuffed" into the small Explorer2 package. The Director is only a DAC, in a much larger package. And the MSRP was originally $700, so they had money to buy some better parts.
 
In my opinion, the Director sounds just a little bit better than the Explorer2. For those people who already own a pre-amp/amp or headphone amplifier, and are planning to use the DAC only at home, it makes sense to pay the extra $50 for the Director. It was a much harder sell when it was $700. Compared with the Schiit, well - at that point, I think you have to listen to it with your own ears. I have done back-to-back listening (I own both) and found there were more micro-details on the Schiit Bifrost Uber and more soundstage on the Meridian Director.
 
To put DACs in perspective, I recently did a comparison between 4 different headphone amplifiers, using the same headphone and the Explorer2 as my DAC. The Explorer2 has such a huge soundstage, I felt it made the comparisons between the amplifiers simpler. At the end of the comparison, I put the "winner" amplifier on my desk and plugged it into my Schiit Bifrost Uber. While I was blown away by the sound of my new favorite amplifier, during the comparison and while using the Explorer2, the difference now back on my desk with the Bifrost wasn't that much.
 
Explorer2 is a good DAC with other features. Director is a better DAC, but only a DAC. Schiit Bifrost Uber just sounds different, but I would not classify it as better. And I would recommend giving them all a listen - reading through other threads, there are some people who say the Schiit Modi 2 Uber sounds very close to the Schiit Bifrost Uber

 

[yangian]

 
You get a lot for your money in the Explorer2 - DAC with dedicated line-out and headphone amplifier. You also get their proprietary streaming technology, MQA, if that ever becomes mainstream - the Director does not have MQA. There's a lot of stuff "stuffed" into the small Explorer2 package. The Director is only a DAC, in a much larger package. And the MSRP was originally $700, so they had money to buy some better parts.
 
In my opinion, the Director sounds just a little bit better than the Explorer2. For those people who already own a pre-amp/amp or headphone amplifier, and are planning to use the DAC only at home, it makes sense to pay the extra $50 for the Director. It was a much harder sell when it was $700. Compared with the Schiit, well - at that point, I think you have to listen to it with your own ears. I have done back-to-back listening (I own both) and found there were more micro-details on the Schiit Bifrost Uber and more soundstage on the Meridian Director.
 
To put DACs in perspective, I recently did a comparison between 4 different headphone amplifiers, using the same headphone and the Explorer2 as my DAC. The Explorer2 has such a huge soundstage, I felt it made the comparisons between the amplifiers simpler. At the end of the comparison, I put the "winner" amplifier on my desk and plugged it into my Schiit Bifrost Uber. While I was blown away by the sound of my new favorite amplifier, during the comparison and while using the Explorer2, the difference now back on my desk with the Bifrost wasn't that much.
 
Explorer2 is a good DAC with other features. Director is a better DAC, but only a DAC. Schiit Bifrost Uber just sounds different, but I would not classify it as better. And I would recommend giving them all a listen - reading through other threads, there are some people who say the Schiit Modi 2 Uber sounds very close to the Schiit Bifrost Uber

Seems the most impression of explorer 2 for you is soundstage, right? THat's what I care most for DAC. How about soundstage of Director compared to E2?
BTW, thank you so much for such detailed explanation!

 

[thaimusic]

Thanks sheldaze,
 
Agreed, should not be an issue, but not sure why Meridian would hold back. If I had a voltage meter I could check the resistance myself--anyone out there able? So nothing secret about it. I've just not seen the spec posted anywhere. And always a bit suspect when manufactures don't post them. And when dealing with line stages it's a good thing to know. Didn't Meridian go from like 5Ω on the original Explorer down to .47Ω on the headphone out of the E2, so seems like anything's possible. And they post that spec! Just not the fixed output impedence. The Director is indeed a bargain at the moment. Trust the D2 will be out soon and include MQA, which was one of the reasons I chose the E2 over its competitors. I want to try out MQA once Meridian starts putting it into the wild.   

 

[Cha Cha Cha]

Hey guys, about this up-sampling business
Have a Macbook and Amarra HiFi. Can up-sampling be defeated with this setup + Eplorer2?
 
I actually no longer play content above CD resolution on the go. Would prefer the Explorer2, but will probably go for the Micro Streamer if this one always up-samples.

 

[sheldaze]

  Hey guys, about this up-sampling business
Have a Macbook and Amarra HiFi. Can up-sampling be defeated with this setup + Eplorer2?
 
I actually no longer play content above CD resolution on the go. Would prefer the Explorer2, but will probably go for the Micro Streamer if this one always up-samples.

You can defeat up-sampling with…up-sampling! I don't have Amarra HiFi, but I do have plain Amarra. If I up-sample through the Amarra software, it will bypass some of the Meridian processing, including its up-sampling. It definitely makes for a different sound versus the CD resolution full-processed by Meridian sound.
 
In short though, the answer is no.

 

[Cha Cha Cha]

  You can defeat up-sampling with…up-sampling! I don't have Amarra HiFi, but I do have plain Amarra. If I up-sample through the Amarra software, it will bypass some of the Meridian processing, including its up-sampling. It definitely makes for a different sound versus the CD resolution full-processed by Meridian sound.
 
In short though, the answer is no.

Got it, thanks

 

[Click]

Frontpage review of Explorer²:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/meridian-explorer-2/reviews/13982

 

[elitico]

Hi
 
I have almost decided to buy a Explorer 2. I just wonder how the DAC is as a standalone DAC in it's price range and what cable you guys are using to connect it to the 2-channel amplifier. What would be a nice level to start with? I do not want to give that much money out, but at the same time not hold the DAC back because of a crappy cable.
 
Cheers

 

[sheldaze]

  Hi
 
I have almost decided to buy a Explorer 2. I just wonder how the DAC is as a standalone DAC in it's price range and what cable you guys are using to connect it to the 2-channel amplifier. What would be a nice level to start with? I do not want to give that much money out, but at the same time not hold the DAC back because of a crappy cable.
 
Cheers

True a crappy cable can degrade the sound. But I wouldn't go overboard either:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-109300-6-Feet-Stereo-Plated/dp/B00847Q64A/ref=sr_1_2
 
The above was significant upgrade over what I had lying around the house (no idea where my original cable was from). The link may take you to the 6-foot model in white, but I bought the shortest cable and in black. See - you have color options

 
Oh, and I really like the Explorer2 as just a DAC. When feeding my JDS Labs Element into HD650 headphones, there really was not much of a sonic gain to be had by plugging into my Bifrost Uber. The sound of the Explorer2 is that good.

 

[elitico]

Nice, the performance sounds very promising.
 
At first I was planning on buying this cable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/KabelDirekt-Adapter-Cable-3-5mm-Male/dp/B00FQK4QCM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1442277764&sr=8-9&keywords=kabeldirekt+3.5
 
Then I read this: http://www.stereophile.com/content/entry-level-34-page-2#7ZxKhhgsMTPQAdVr.97
 
Then I naturally started to wonder if I shouldn't atleast buy Audioquests Golden Gates.

Or is it just crazy money? Read somewhere that they even recommend Audioquests Big Sur for the Explorer 2, it cost almost half of the Explorer though...

 

[sheldaze]

I'm going to venture a little (perhaps a long ways) off topic. But I feel there's nothing that wrong with going with upgraded cables. The thing is this - you don't want to be listening to your headphone rig, and thinking to yourself, did you make a mistake with your cables. We all know there's a point of diminishing returns, such that a cable costing $1000 (if it is truly better) is not going to sound any better than a cable costing $100 - our ears simply have limits. But the point at which you a no longer hear the change is a very personal decision.
 
Some of the upgrades are real (perceptible in double-blind tests), which is why I like picking a baseline like Monoprice. But the upgrades beyond basic good construction, real or imagined, are all up to personal taste. Go for it, but don't go broke going for it 

 

 

[dafos58]

After reading the review and "Googling" bought the Explorer 2. I got an Audio Quest cable (forest) for free with it. Just tried it for today, and like it a lot. The sound is very open, clean and clear. With the Oppo PM1,  it's a wonderful couple.  Instrument separation is great, so let the cold months begin, this will keep me warm!