[HiFiGuy528]

  Do you have some evidence that USB cable makes a difference?
 
http://archimago.blogspot.de/2013/04/measurements-usb-cables-for-dacs.html

 
garbage against garbage is still garbage.  

 

[plonter]

  Can someone please confirm for me if both of the outputs can be used simultaneously or not?
 
Thanks.

I think I read somewhere that when using one output it cancells the other to maximize sound quality, but I'm not sure.
 
The explorer2 should be much better than the original version, at least on paper:
 

 
I think this will be my next toy as an upgrade to the DragonFly 1.2 which I still very appreciate.     I can't resist the explorer2..Upsampling OH BOY !
And I already have a Kimber USB cable waiting for it

 

[Click]

Just got the Explorer² today. Initial reaction after ~6 hours of listening to FLAC files on my HD700: Holy crap it sounds good!
 
I did roughly 10 AB comparisons of different tracks from different genres hooked up to Vali using E² as DAC and also using only E² as a DAC/amp combo. There is definitely a difference. I prefer using E² as a DAC and Vali as the amp, but would not mind at all using E² as my portable DAC/amp, since there's no wall wart to worry about and it's small enough to carry in my pocket or backpack if need be. When used as a DAC/amp combo, there is no sound floor / hiss like there is when using the Vali as the amp. The sound is slightly colored as a DAC/amp and also slightly less smooth than when using Vali with it, but still incredibly detailed and resolving. I have to listen to it more and do some more tests with my IEMs.
 
There should be a new thread made just for the Explorer²; it deserves one. I think Meridian built a very high quality portable DAC/amp combo. This is probably what Meridian wanted the first Explorer to be. 
 
By the way, I bought Explorer² from a guy on eBay who has a decent amount of stock on hand. I'm not going to say what I paid for mine, but let's just say it's below the $300 retail price. It was factory sealed and in perfect condition when it arrived.
 

 

 

 

[kawaivpc1]

Just got the Explorer² today. Initial reaction after ~6 hours of listening to FLAC files on my HD700: Holy crap it sounds good!

I did roughly 10 AB comparisons of different tracks from different genres hooked up to Vali using E² as DAC and also using only E² as a DAC/amp combo. There is definitely a difference. I prefer using E² as a DAC and Vali as the amp, but would not mind at all using E² as my portable DAC/amp, since there's no wall wart to worry about and it's small enough to carry in my pocket or backpack if need be. When used as a DAC/amp combo, there is no sound floor / hiss like there is when using the Vali as the amp. The sound is slightly colored as a DAC/amp and also slightly less smooth than when using Vali with it, but still incredibly detailed and resolving. I have to listen to it more and do some more tests with my IEMs.

There should be a new thread made just for the Explorer²; it deserves one. I think Meridian built a very high quality portable DAC/amp combo. This is probably what Meridian wanted the first Explorer to be. 

By the way, I bought Explorer² from a guy on eBay who has a decent amount of stock on hand. I'm not going to say what I paid for mine, but let's just say it's below the $300 retail price. It was factory sealed and in perfect condition when it arrived.

So, does it have a wide sound stage??
Is it better than DX100 and Geek Out?

 

[Click]

So, does it have a wide sound stage??
Is it better than DX100 and Geek Out?

Don't have those to compare, but it does have very good soundstage (more than hooked up to Vali). Then again, I'm using HD700 which has incredible soundstage capabilities. I have to test it with my other headphones and IEMs to give more details.
 
Another pic: 
 

 

[Kramertc]

  Can someone please confirm for me if both of the outputs can be used simultaneously or not?
 
Thanks.

Hi,
I just received the Meridian Explorer and have been playing around with it.  Out of curiosity I tried it and both outputs are active at the same time.
I am using both outputs at the moment.  Driving a K712 off the Meridian's headphone output and a K7XX off the line output to a Topping NX1 portable amp.
Bought from Amazon and after installing the drivers I can see in the Meridian USB Control Panel that it came with the latest firmware installed already so I thought that was a very good sign.

 

[XERO1]

 
Hi,
I just received the Meridian Explorer and have been playing around with it.  Out of curiosity I tried it and both outputs are active at the same time.
I am using both outputs at the moment.  Driving a K712 off the Meridian's headphone output and a K7XX off the line output to a Topping NX1 portable amp.

 
Sweet!  Thanks!

 

[Click]

After being very impressed with Explorer² hooked up to HD700, I'm now testing it with my IEMs. Even more impressed. This thing brings out the full potential of my music collection and modest stock of IEMs and headphones. 
 
There seriously needs to be more hype for the E². Not many people have posted feedback on it yet, which is surprising.

 

[adg4]

I'd love to pick up an Explorer 2, but the price point is too high for me. I feel like $150 is a great price for a portable DAC. If I were to spend much more, I feel like I would be better off putting the money towards higher end headphones than my M50x's, Grado SR80's, or SE 535's.
 
Also, I read that Retina MacBook Pro's (I use one daily) and newer Apple computers have respectable DACs. They won't do 192k or anything like that, but I don't have that demanding of a music collection yet, and it seems like my three pairs of headphones are doing fine without an amp.
 
I am intrigued by the original Explorer, but I'm concerned I won't notice enough of a difference by using one. That said, I read that the Explorer 2 is noticeably better, so maybe it would be a worthwhile upgrade. 
 
Hopefully there will be new offerings at CES (I'm guessing there are DACs at CES, but I have no clue) at lower price points, or maybe some competition will drive the price of the Explorer 2 down.

 

[Click]

Yes, the retail price of Explorer² is pretty steep but in my opinion, it's worth it for the sound quality you get out of the device. 
 
If you're looking for just a DAC around $150, there are many choices. I've listed some in my post HERE.
 
However, a high quality, portable DAC + amp combo is more difficult to come by, especially at $150. 
 
Anyway, I made a new thread for Explorer². I hope new owners of the E² will post their impressions there...

 

[sm4rt1]

Comment also moved the Meridian Explorer 2 impressions thread

http://www.head-fi.org/t/747327/meridian-explorer-impressions-thread

 

[obsidyen]

  I'd love to pick up an Explorer 2, but the price point is too high for me. I feel like $150 is a great price for a portable DAC. If I were to spend much more, I feel like I would be better off putting the money towards higher end headphones than my M50x's, Grado SR80's, or SE 535's.
 
Also, I read that Retina MacBook Pro's (I use one daily) and newer Apple computers have respectable DACs. They won't do 192k or anything like that, but I don't have that demanding of a music collection yet, and it seems like my three pairs of headphones are doing fine without an amp.
 
I am intrigued by the original Explorer, but I'm concerned I won't notice enough of a difference by using one. That said, I read that the Explorer 2 is noticeably better, so maybe it would be a worthwhile upgrade. 
 
Hopefully there will be new offerings at CES (I'm guessing there are DACs at CES, but I have no clue) at lower price points, or maybe some competition will drive the price of the Explorer 2 down.

 
Retina Macbook Pros have good dacs, the problem is in some models output impedance of the headphone jack is too high (about 20 ohms) which can cause low impedance headphones to perform below the optimal level.This high output impedance problem exists in many sound cards/headphone jacks various brands. 

 

[plonter]

I moved this comment to a more appropriate thread (Explorer2 impressions)

 

[kawaivpc1]

Have you guys tried to play DXD (32bit 382kHz) files DSD 128 files through Explorer 2?
I hope they work. Someone told me that he could play DSD on foobar2000 through Explorer 2. I'm not sure if I can play DXD files.
 
Thanks.

 

[yorktronic]

Hi guys, 
 
I have a Meridian Explorer and I can confirm that it sounds great - very accurate to my ears and it powers Grado SR-125i's well. That said, I can only seem to get it to work with my MacBook Pro, and I'm having a lot of issues getting it to work with my Nexus 6 running Android Lolipop. This may be a post for the Nexus6 forums on reddit but I figured I'd try here as well.
 
The Explorer doesn't receive power through a standard USB OTG cable. It does receive power if I use a USB OTG cable that has a separate power cable, but only the 176K/192K audio and 88K/96K audio lights light up (the "operating" light does not). Android does not detect it at all no matter what player I use. I've tried Tidal, N7player, PowerAmp, USB Audio Player Pro, Google Play, and Beats to no avail. 
 
I've tested both cables with other devices and they both work. Any help would be appreciated.