Its powerful, attractive, and very, very expensive.
A pair of speakers, hooked up to power and each other, and thenno amp in the middle.
But its not cheap.
I tested it, so allow me to walk you through Meridians Ellipse powered speaker unit.
Buyers in Meridians homeland of the U.K. get the best deal, where it costs 1,999.
Whether its worth it or not is going to be down to the potential purchaser.
This is a lot to pay foranything,let alone a WiFi-connected speaker system.
But then you wouldnt get the compact size and clever audio innovations packed into the Ellipse.
The Ellipse is an excellent purchase that will serve them for many, many years.
I think youll be going home with the Ellipse in the end though.
Youll notice that, as the name suggests, everything is done with ellipses.
I also think the Ellipse is reasonably understated when compared to its closest rivals.
I certainly love the way that it looks.
The Ellipse could easily fit into any living room, dining room, or kitchen.
Or drawing room, library, or games room.
Whatever suits your needs (and mansion).
Meridian Ellipse review: Controls
On-unit, youve got some simple controls.
There are volume up and down, play/pause, skip and rewind, and a Bluetooth connection button.
The Meridian logo turns the speaker on and off.
What would make them better is something like the extremely elegant touch controls on the Naim Mu-So.
These turn off when not in use, but illuminate when you bring your hand closer to use them.
Id have liked to see something similar on the Ellipse, but what weve got works well enough.
You wont be wanting for controls, lets put it that way.
There are the standard treble and bass controls, but then theres the image focus slider.
It works super well, and makes placing the speaker much easier.
you’ve got the option to really fill any room with music.
The following bass and space prefs increase the low end and aim to widen the soundstage.
Finally, image elevation aims to make music sound bigger in your space adjust accordingly.
Bass & Space increases the warmth, and makes the sound much bigger than the speaker would first suggest.
These are so-called DSP options, or digital signal processing.
In a word: Yes.
Bass & Space increases the warmth, and makes the sound much bigger than the speaker would first suggest.
Its a great way of mitigating the stature of the Ellipse.
The other configs work very well in making the speaker sound its best no matter where it finds itself.
Theyre fun to play with too, and youll quickly dial in the sound to your liking.
Other features include internet connectivity in the form of AirPlay and Chromecast.
Its well-implemented and very easy to use the Ellipse has not let me down throughout my testing.
Wi-Fi haters can plug into the internet directly with the Ethernet port.
Its not boomy, especially if you use the excellent Bass & Space and Free-Q configs.
That doesnt mean theres no bass at all far from it.
Its warm; its welcoming; and it goes all the way down.
But it doesnt overstay its welcome, adding to the performance rather than dominating it.
Cymbals are well-defined, and soaring guitar solos are given plenty of presence and scream.
The high range avoids being fatiguing, and, much like the low end, feels effortless.
Ichiko Aobas hauntingAurorasurrounds and envelops the listener as the softly pronounced vocal line builds on the plucked acoustic guitar.
Kirisute Gomenfrom Trivium brings the heavy, distorted guitars, and the low-end kick drum makes the room shake.
Matt Heafys screams are easily discernable as well an impressive feat for any sound system.
Finally, NewJeansOMGbrought the bass and the dance in spades.
Its the speaker that will widen the eyes of people who see it in your house.
The music is coming fromthat?Thats cool.
Its easily worth the high asking price, with a spectacular build and incredible audio quality.
But that price must be taken into consideration, along with the lack of voice control.
If you might afford the Ellipse, though, youll be very well served by Meridians streaming all-in-one.
