Meridian Audio: British Sound Pioneers Pushing Boundaries
Meridian Sound System Company, founded in 1977 by Allen Boothroyd and Bob Stuart in Cambridgeshire, England, began as a high-end audio equipment manufacturer. Initially, Meridian focused on producing premium home audio systems, amplifiers, and digital speakers, quickly earning a reputation for innovation and superior sound quality. The company was among the first to adopt digital audio technology, pioneering advancements such as the world’s first high-resolution digital active loudspeakers in the 1990s.
Meridian’s expertise in digital signal processing and acoustic engineering eventually led to collaborations with the automotive industry. One of its most notable partnerships over the years has been with Land Rover, beginning in the mid-2000s. In 2008, Meridian became the official audio partner for Land Rover and its sister brand, Jaguar, marking a significant expansion into automotive sound systems.
Meridian’s work with Land Rover has been groundbreaking, delivering bespoke audio systems tailored to the unique acoustics of each vehicle. The Range Rover Velar, for instance, boasts a Meridian 3D Surround Sound system with up to 23 speakers, providing an immersive listening experience. The company’s innovations in automotive audio have earned multiple awards, including What Hi-Fi? accolades for its systems in the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
If you have followed our stories on Range Rover House Whistler, you will no doubt have noticed the limited edition Range Rover Sport SV Gaea. This incorporates the latest sound technology from Meridian, and ordering one of the ten sleek, matte green special edition Range Rovers will also net you a set of bespoke Meridian speakers in signature Range Rover green, designed specifically for the Gaea edition.
Beyond Land Rover, Meridian works closely with a select group of luxury automakers, including McLaren, cementing its reputation as a leader in premium in-car audio. The company’s commitment to innovation, from home audio to automotive sound systems, has made it a benchmark for high-fidelity sound across industries, and Meridian remains a key player in luxury audio, pushing the boundaries of acoustic engineering beyond the four-wheeled scene.
To get a taste of the immersive soundscape of Meridian without investing in a Range Rover Gaea, have a closer look at the award-winning Ellipse streaming speaker. With a new design, this is Meridian’s first high-performance all-in-one streaming speaker, offering a compact entry ticket to immersive Meridian sound. The oval Ellipse is the third loudspeaker to emerge from the Extreme Engineering programme, offering a natural sound which is immersive and room-filling. Don’t be fooled by its compact width of 16.2”x8.8” in depth.
With its unobtrusive 6.7” height, its pebble-smooth shape will surprise you with a bass response usually associated with much larger speakers. The Ellipse takes the bespoke technological, engineering, and manufacturing innovations of the Meridian DSP8000 XE and DSP9 and distils them into a compact yet extremely powerful package. The slender Ellipse has complete control over the sound it plays, so your music is projected into the room with clarity and authority, underlining the evolved quality that Meridian offers. The Ellipse is a complete Meridian system in a compact form factor. It is a distillation of everything the brand does best, enabling you to experience Meridian’s renowned sound quality in any room. Made in Britain using premium craftsmanship, its design is undeniably Meridian.
Photos courtesy of Meridian Audio.
