Meridian DSP8000 XE Active Floorstanding Speaker The DSP8000 XE is the first loudspeaker to emerge from Meridian's Extreme Engineering Programme — the research initiative that exists not to push the boundaries of loudspeaker design but to redefine where those boundaries should be. It is Meridian's flagship, built without constraint, and the result of years of investment at the extreme edge of what active loudspeaker technology can achieve. At £80,000 per pair and 110.5kg per cabinet, the DSP8000 XE is not a product that needs to compromise. Six 200mm long-throw bass drivers, a 160mm Evo mid-range driver, a 25mm beryllium dome tweeter, six bridged pairs of Class-D bass amplifiers plus two Class-AB stages for mid-range and tweeter — over 1,250 watts of matched, dedicated amplification per loudspeaker. The frequency response runs from 18Hz to 40kHz in room. Peak SPL is 120dB at one metre. The DSP9 is the second product from the same programme. Both represent the state of the art in active loudspeaker design. To see the full range, visit the Meridian collection. Precision Sonic Transport The DSP8000 XE introduces Meridian's Precision Sonic Transport — an engineering framework built around the principle that every stage of the audio signal's journey through the loudspeaker must maintain maximum sonic fidelity. The Atlas Software Core provides Meridian's most powerful DSP engine. The R1 Electronics Platform implements PST in hardware: a Command Board as the processing centre, Sync-Link precision re-clocked digital audio transport via shielded RJ45 connections, and dedicated high-performance DAC and amplifier boards with short balanced connections between them. The result, in Meridian's own words, is "a holistic sound experience so immersive that it's as if the loudspeakers are not in the room." Drive Units and Amplification The DSP8000 XE's driver complement is engineered specifically for this loudspeaker: Ultrasonic Tweeter — 25mm beryllium dome with silver voice-coil and custom steel faceplate and waveguide. Beryllium's combination of stiffness and low mass produces a tweeter that operates well beyond the audible range with vanishingly low distortion. Fed by a Class-AB amplifier capable of over 150W into 4Ω, THD below 0.005%. Evo Mid-Range Driver — 160mm long-throw driver with a non-conductive voice-coil former and anti-resonance clamp-ring mounting system. The non-conductive former eliminates eddy currents; the clamp-ring system eliminates resonance transmission into the cabinet. Fed by a second Class-AB stage, identical specification. Subsonic Bass Drivers — Six 200mm polypropylene long-throw drivers with up to 24mm of excursion, mounted in force-balanced configuration to cancel mechanical vibration. Each fed by a bridged pair of Class-D amplifiers capable of over 240W into 4Ω — twelve amplifier channels for the bass section alone. The separate head-unit isolates the tweeter and mid-range driver from the main bass enclosure, eliminating mechanical interference between the bass system and the higher-frequency drivers. The curved, ellipse-based cabinet uses layered birch plywood, aluminium, and resin with substantial internal bracing, designed using finite element analysis. DSP Technologies The DSP8000 XE implements Meridian's full reference DSP suite: Full Frequency Alignment (FFA) corrects group delay so all frequencies arrive at the listener's ear simultaneously — the technology that defines Meridian's reference timing performance. Bespoke Signal Mapping applies crossover filters designed specifically for this eight-driver configuration, ensuring all drive units work together as a coherent acoustic whole. E3 Bass (Expand, Extend, Enhance) extracts the maximum low-frequency performance from the six bass drivers. The DSP8000 XE reaches 18Hz in room. Q-Sync minimises jitter through Meridian's FIFO buffering system, preserving timing integrity throughout the digital path. True Time — Meridian's apodising filter — eliminates pre-ringing from digital filters for cleaner transients and more natural musical decay. True Link provides encrypted high-definition audio transfer over SpeakerLink connections, maintaining MQA authentication through the signal path. Free-Q compensates for acoustic effects introduced by room placement and boundary conditions. MQA Renderer — the DSP8000 XE includes full MQA Renderer technology, completing the final MQA unfold when connected to an MQA Core signal. Pro-Active Bass and Pro-Active Thermal protect the drive units from over-excursion and thermal stress at peak output levels. Connectivity The DSP8000 XE connects natively via SpeakerLink (RJ45) within a Meridian system. Additional inputs include co-axial RCA digital (up to 192kHz/24-bit), optical Toslink (up to 96kHz/24-bit), USB-C digital (up to 384kHz/24-bit), and Bluetooth via the supplied B-Link adapter. Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue inputs are available via the optional IA21 Analogue Input Module. Incoming signals at 44.1kHz or 48kHz are upsampled internally to 176.4kHz and 192kHz respectively. Available in Gloss Black, Satin White, Volcano Red, and Dark Sapphire Blue. Technical Specifications Tweeter 25mm beryllium dome, silver voice-coil, custom steel waveguide Mid-range 160mm Evo driver, non-conductive VC former, anti-resonance mounting Bass drivers 6 × 200mm polypropylene long-throw, up to 24mm excursion Tweeter amplifier Class-AB, >150W into 4Ω, THD 150W into 4Ω, THD 240W each into 4Ω Total amplification Over 1,250W per loudspeaker Peak SPL 120dB @ 1m Frequency response 18Hz – 40kHz (±3dB in room) Digital inputs USB-C (384kHz/24-bit); Co-axial RCA (192kHz/24-bit); Optical (96kHz/24-bit) System input SpeakerLink RJ45 Analogue XLR + RCA via optional IA21 module Wireless Bluetooth via B-Link (supplied) Max power 1,250W per loudspeaker Dimensions (W × D × H) 400mm tapering to 158mm × 528mm tapering to 210mm × 1350mm Weight 110.5 kg per loudspeaker Finishes Gloss Black; Satin White; Volcano Red; Dark Sapphire Blue Who Is It For? The DSP8000 XE is for those who want the absolute reference in active loudspeaker performance — a listening room investment at the highest level, where the question of whether it is worth it has already been answered by the quality of everything else in the system. It is for the serious music listener who has heard what the DSP7200SE and DSP9 do and wants to go further; and for the home cinema installer who needs a front channel loudspeaker that can anchor a reference theatre system without compromise. It is available to special order. See the full Meridian range we stock. Buying from Martins Hi-Fi The DSP8000 XE is a special order product. Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. Meridian Audio was founded in 1977 in Cambridgeshire by Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd, and we have had a long-standing relationship with Meridian and the experience to guide every aspect of specifying, demonstrating, delivering, and installing a pair in your listening room. At this level, everything matters — room dimensions, placement, SpeakerLink configuration, system matching, and ongoing calibration as the room and your preferences evolve. We provide comprehensive consultation from initial enquiry through to post-installation follow-up. Call ahead to arrange a demonstration in our Norwich showroom, or contact Dave, Chris and Tim directly to discuss your requirements. Contact us at [email protected], call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martin's page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.
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