Meridian Audio unveils the 818V3 Reference Audio Core, the latest version of its top-end home audio system hub. This third generation machine adds significant upgrades to its forebear’s audio arsenal and  offers an upgrade path to existing 818 owners. Ranged as standard in Black the £8,000.00 model also embraces Meridian’s Select Programme bespoke colour service, opening-up a choice of 270 colours for a £500.00 premium.

The 818V3 is a reference preamplifier featuring Meridian technologies, such as triple FIFO buffering, DSP unsampling and apodising filters, and this model also incorporates an advanced linear power supply and a new master oscillator with 40% lower jitter. The extensive connectivity counts Meridian SpeakerLink, enabling ultimate quality and convenience when driving Meridian DSP loudspeakers, as well as balanced and single-ended pre-amplifier outputs. 

A key addition to the 818V3 is its new analogue output card featuring an upgraded circuit with filtering that “broadens the bandwidth and maximises the potential of hig- resolution music”. This latest model fully supports decoding of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) sources and its new chip also brings lip- sync control and DSD (DoP) playback. 

Added to its Sooloos capabilities – Sooloos, manufactured by Meridian, enables a multi-zone audio system.

Specifications 

Stereo Outputs

• Analogue:

  1x unbalanced on phono

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  1x balanced on XLR-3M

  Rendering of decoded MQA streams

  Digital:

  Coaxial S/PDIF ≤96kHz/24-bit

  Twin SpeakerLink, RJ45 balanced (AES/EBU) digital interface for single-cable connection to other Meridian equipment, ≤96kHz/24-bit with MHR, and MQA signals for rendering by Meridian DSP loudspeakers

Stereo Inputs

• Analogue:

  6x unbalanced on phono

  Digital:

  

  2x Coaxial S/PDIF ≤192kHz/24-bit, DoP

  2x Toslink optical ≤96kHz/24-bit

  1x SpeakerLink ≤192kHz/24-bit

  1x Asynchronous USB ≤192kHz/24-bit, DoP

  MQA source decoding

818V3: RRP £8,000.00