Meridian DSP9 Active Floorstanding Speaker
Meridian DSP9 Active Floorstanding Speaker The DSP9 is Meridian's reference statement loudspeaker — the product that defines what the company is capable of when cost and size are n ot the constraints. It is the second loudspeaker to emerge from Meridian's Extreme Engineering Programme, the research initiative that exists to advance active loudspeaker design to its absolute limit. The result is a speaker that reaches 20Hz at the low end, 40kHz at the top, delivers 119dB peak SPL from a single cabinet, and does so with the timing, coherence, and low-level resolution that comes from a fully active, fully digital system engineered from the ground up as a single unit. At £60,000 per pair, the DSP9 is not a product for most rooms or most budgets. But for those it is for, it is among the finest loudspeakers made anywhere in the world. The Extreme Engineering Programme The Extreme Engineering Programme is Meridian's internal research initiative, created to push active loudspeaker technology beyond what is commercially practical and into what is technically possible. The DSP8000 XE was the first product to emerge from it; the DSP9 is the second. Both represent years of engineering investment that has no parallel in the industry. The DSP9's cabinet is the most visible expression of that programme. The sculptured exterior is not a design exercise — the curvature of every surface minimises diffraction from the drive units, and the three-dimensional internal geometry creates acoustically isolated chambers that control resonance and standing waves. The cabinet is not a box. It is a precisely engineered acoustic structure. Drive Units and Amplification Inside each DSP9 are six drive units, each with its own dedicated amplifier channel: Tweeter: 25mm beryllium dome with silver voice-coil and a custom steel waveguide. Beryllium is the material of choice for reference tweeters — it is stiffer and lighter than titanium or aluminium, producing a driver that operates with vanishingly low distortion through the treble range. Amplified by a Class-AB stage capable of over 150W into 4Ω. Mid-range: 160mm driver with a non-conductive voice-coil former and an anti-resonance clamp-ring mounting system — the same mounting system used on the bass drivers to eliminate resonance transmission into the cabinet. Amplified by a second Class-AB stage, also over 150W into 4Ω, with THD below 0.005% at 1kHz. Bass: Four 200mm polypropylene long-throw drivers, each capable of up to 24mm of excursion. They are mounted in the lower section of the cabinet with the anti-resonance clamp-ring system. Each driver is fed by a bridged pair of Class-D amplifiers capable of over 240W into 4Ω — eight amplifier channels in total for the bass section alone. The Extreme Engineering Programme's Precision Sonic Transport ensures that the entire signal path — from input to each drive unit — maintains maximum sonic fidelity at every stage. This is not a conventional signal path. Every process the signal undergoes is engineered specifically for its effect on the final acoustic output. DSP Technologies The DSP9 implements Meridian's full suite of reference signal processing technologies: Full Frequency Alignment (FFA) is specific to the DSP9 and DSP8000 XE and represents the highest expression of Meridian's timing work. It uses digital filters and delays to correct group delay across the entire frequency range — ensuring that every frequency arrives at the listener's ear simultaneously. The effect on transient accuracy and imaging is profound. Bespoke Signal Mapping divides the audio into frequency bands and routes each to the appropriate drive unit with an optimal response, ensuring the crossover between bass, mid-range, and tweeter is acoustically seamless. E3 Bass (Expand, Extend, Enhance) applies three stages of bass processing to extract maximum low-frequency extension from the drive units without compression or distortion. The DSP9 reaches 20Hz — the limit of human hearing — in a sealed enclosure with no port colouration. Q-Sync minimises jitter through Meridian's buffering system, preserving the timing integrity that defines the Meridian sound character. True Time — Meridian's apodising filter — eliminates pre-ringing from digital filters, converting pre-echo to post-echo for cleaner transients and more natural decay. True Link provides encrypted high-definition audio transfer over SpeakerLink connections, maintaining authentication through the signal path for MQA material and ensuring the SPDIF clock signal transmits with minimum degradation. Free-Q compensates for acoustic problems introduced by room placement. At this level, placement optimisation is not optional — it is part of the engineering. Pro-Active Bass and Pro-Active Thermal protect the bass drivers from over-excursion and thermal stress at high output levels, allowing the DSP9 to operate at its performance limits without risk of damage. Sound The consequence of a fully active, fully digital system with no passive crossover, no shared power supply between driver channels, and no mismatch between amplifier and driver characteristics. The DSP9 does not approximate the performance of its drive units — it controls them completely. The result is a speaker that resolves low-level detail, maintains dynamic contrast, and images with a precision that passive loudspeakers at any price cannot match. Connectivity The DSP9 operates natively within a Meridian system via SpeakerLink — the proprietary RJ45 connection that carries digital audio, control signals, and power communication between Meridian components. In a full Meridian system, no additional configuration is required. For use with non-Meridian sources, the DSP9 accepts: Co-axial digital audio (RCA) — up to 192kHz/24-bit Optical digital audio (Toslink) — up to 96kHz/24-bit USB-C digital audio — up to 384kHz/24-bit Bluetooth via the supplied Meridian B-Link adapter Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue inputs via the optional IA21 Analogue Input Module The B-Link adapter also enables control via the Meridian Control app for volume, input selection, and full configuration access. The DSP9 renders MQA material when fed from a Meridian MQA decoder, with True Link maintaining authentication throughout. Design The tapering cabinet — 392mm wide at its widest point, reducing to 158mm — stands 1101mm tall and weighs 68kg per speaker. Finishing options include complementary neutral tones and bold vibrant colours in matte or gloss, making the DSP9 adaptable to any interior. Technical Specifications Tweeter 25mm beryllium dome, silver voice-coil, custom steel waveguide Mid-range 1 × 160mm, non-conductive voice-coil former, anti-resonance mounting Bass drivers 4 × 200mm polypropylene long-throw, up to 24mm excursion Tweeter amplifier Class-AB, >150W into 4Ω, THD 150W into 4Ω, THD 240W into 4Ω each Max power consumption 800W per loudspeaker Peak SPL 119dB @ 1m Frequency response 20Hz – 40kHz (±3dB in room) Digital inputs USB-C (384kHz/24-bit); Co-axial RCA (192kHz/24-bit); Optical Toslink (96kHz/24-bit) System input SpeakerLink (RJ45) Analogue inputs XLR balanced + RCA unbalanced via optional IA21 module Wireless Bluetooth via supplied B-Link adapter Control Meridian Control app; IR receiver; RS232 via SpeakerLink Dimensions (W × D × H) 392mm tapering to 158mm × 511mm tapering to 187mm × 1101mm Weight 68 kg per loudspeaker Finishes Matte or gloss; multiple colour options Who Is It For? The DSP9 is for the listener who has exhausted what passive loudspeakers can offer and wants to understand what a reference active system genuinely sounds like. It suits a dedicated listening room or a large open-plan space; its output headroom — 119dB at 1m — means it will fill any domestic environment without strain. It is also the natural choice for a serious Meridian system owner who already has Meridian electronics and wants loudspeakers that are native to that ecosystem. In a SpeakerLink system, the DSP9 operates without configuration and without compromise. Those stepping into the Meridian active range for the first time may also want to consider the DSP8000 XE. Both deserve a listening session before any decision is made. See the full Meridian range we stock. Buying from Martin's Hi-Fi Martin's 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. We have stocked and demonstrated Meridian since long before the DSP9 existed — we have heard every significant Meridian loudspeaker in depth and understand where the DSP9 sits in the landscape of what is possible. At this level, buying from a dealer who knows the product properly is not a nicety — it is essential. Setup, placement, system matching, and configuration all affect what the DSP9 ultimately does in a room. Dave, Chris and Tim can advise on every aspect of that, and we will not recommend the DSP9 unless it is genuinely the right product for your situation. Contact us at [email protected], call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martin's page.
