Meridian’s Ellipse wireless speaker packs hi-fi tech into a suitably named box
The company has taken a break from making audiophile-pleasing loudspeakers to craft the nifty all-in-one Ellipse
When you look at it from the front, it’s not hard to see why Meridian called its first wireless speaker the Ellipse. Get even closer and you’ll see just how far the high-end hi-fi company has taken it, with elliptical perforations in the metal grille, and three identically shaped anti-resonance feet for it to stand on.
While the shape of the Meridian Ellipse might not come as a surprise, then, its audio capabilities might. Despite only being about the size of a shoebox, Meridian has found space inside for a pair of 90mm wide-range drivers and a suitably oval-shaped subwoofer, each with a dedicated chunk of the 80W total amplification.
There’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth onboard, with support for AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify and Tidal Connect, but unusually for a wireless speaker of this size there’s also plenty of ports positioned neatly on the back, including ethernet, USB-C (which enables playback of hi-res tunes at up to 24-bit/192kHz), 3.5mm and, with a little help from a dongle, digital optical. You also get a set of illuminated touch controls on the top, which allow you to stop, start and skip tracks, and adjust the volume, plus there’s a hidden NFC chip for easily pairing your phone.
It all runs on Meridian’s R2 platform, which includes the same signal enhancements found inside its £60,000 DSP9 active floorstanding speakers. If you buy a pair of those you can choose any colour of the rainbow (and pick between matt, satin and gloss finishes), but the Ellipse only comes in black.
Just make sure you don’t look at it from the top, because then you’ll realise it’s actually the shape of a purple Quality Street and Meridian will have to come up with a new name.
The Meridian Ellipse is available to buy now and will set you back a pretty hefty £1900.
Tom Wiggins
Contributor 
