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Meridian Ellipse: two-minute review
The Meridian Ellipse is a seriously capable single-unit wireless speaker. It can handle incredibly detailed hi-res audio, whether via Wi-FI or wired inputs like USB-C or optical, and is crammed with seriously clever features. But it’s also one of the most expensive wireless speakers I’ve ever tested. So does it justify that high price tag?
On the one hand, the Meridian Ellipse is capable of impressive clarity and detail. When listening to the relatively spacious mix of Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes by Paul Simon, I was impressed with how much room various elements were given to breathe. The vocals of Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo in particular projected forward into the room, while the slap of the percussion was keen and clear.
However, if you feed the Ellipse something much sonically denser like electronic or dance music, some of the shortcuts it takes become more apparent. Listening to Expander by Bonobo, dynamic elements like the punchy kick and shuffly hats were well-communicated, as was its gorgeous vocal line, but there was a lack of cohesion lower down to help glue the mix together. The sub and low mids felt brighter and chillier than the glowing warmth I’ve come to expect from the best wireless speakers. And while you can tweak both treble and bass levels in the Meridian app, I definitely felt like I was ameliorating these imbalances rather than entirely reversing them.
It compensates, in part, for this with its suite of smart features, some of which are truly fantastic. For example, Image Focus does an exceedingly deft job of reorientating the stereo field when you’re sat at an off angle, while Image Elevation is a piece of psycho-acoustic wizardry that throws its voice higher to make TV audio seem like it’s coming from your TV screen. Its position-optimization settings are decent, although they aren’t algorithmic like on some devices, merely offering Free, Wall, Shelf and Corner options. Sadly, I was pretty underwhelmed by its frequency-balancing tech for different volumes: the speaker sounds great at higher volumes, but somewhat neutered at lower ones.
The connectivity options on offer are also decent, although maybe not as extensive as with speakers like the Ruark Audio R410 or Cambridge Audio Evo One. It goes without saying that it can utilize Wi-Fi streaming solutions like TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and Roon connectivity, as well as Bluetooth. But it’s also able to support sampling rates of 192kHz / 24-bit over USB-C, 96kHz / 24-bit via mini-TOSLINK optical, plus 88kHz / 24-bit via its stereo analog input and built-in DAC. However, it doesn’t offer more exotic options like eARC or phono in, so you won’t be using this as your all-in-one home audio hub.
As its name suggests, the shape of the Ellipse is… anyone? Yep, it’s elliptical. I’m sure I’m not the only person to notice this but it gives me distinct vibes of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro, both having an undeniably similar Hindenburgian silhouette when viewed front on. Oh, the humanity. However, the metal grille on the face of Meridian’s speaker is much flatter, giving the device a footprint more like a slightly gibbous moon. It also features blue-lit, touch-sensitive controls on its top surface, allowing you to play and pause, skip tracks, adjust volume and initiate Bluetooth pairing mode.
All told, the Meridian Ellipse is a hi-res, feature-packed speaker with some major strengths and a few significant caveats. It’s undeniably detailed and, when its smart functionality delivers, it really delivers. It deftly reproduces trebles and dynamic details, while managing satisfactory, if not exactly stellar, frequency reproduction elsewhere. Were it not for the price tag, I’d be tempted to give it a pass on some of the weaker elements but, at the savings-siphoning price of $3,000 / £1,900 / AU$4,999, I feel its sound needs to be beyond reproach. For that reason, I’d suggest you at least consider cheaper options like the $1,799.95 / £1,299 / AU$2,599 Ruark Audio R410 or $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,495 Cambridge Audio Evo One before you commit here.
Meridian Ellipse review: price and availability
- Released August 24, 2024
- MSRP of $3,000 / £1,900 / AU$4,999
Launched on August 24, 2024, the Meridian Ellipse is available to buy now. It goes for an MSRP of $3,000 / £1,900 / AU$4,999, which is no small change for a single speaker. By way of context, TechRadar’s current pick for best premium wireless speaker, the KEF LS50 Wireless II, costs $2,499.99 / £1,999 / AU$4,000. Even our pick of best wireless speaker if money’s no object, the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8, is a similar $2,749 / £2,199 / AU$4,499, which shows you the kind of company this speaker keeps.
Meridian Ellipse review: specs
|
Speaker drivers |
2 x 90mm polypropylene wide-range drivers; 1 x 150mm x 100mm polypropylene long-throw “racetrack” subwoofer driver |
|
Amplification |
2 x 25W for full-range drivers; 1 x 30W for subwoofer driver |
|
Dimensions |
16.2 x 8.8 x 6.7 inch (412 x 223 x 171mm) |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, mini-TOSLINK, analog in, Ethernet |
|
Streaming support |
Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Roon Ready, AirPlay, Google Cast, UPnP renderer |
|
Other features |
Bass & Space stereo enhancing, E3 Bass, Q-Sync jitter minimization, Image Focus balance correction, Free-Q room compensation, True Time, Perfect Balance, Bespoke Signal Mapping, Pro-Active Bass, Pro-Active Thermal control, Digital Precision, Image Elevation |
Meridian Ellipse review: features
- Crammed with smart features
- Good range of connectivity options
- Lower wattage than some rivals
For a comparatively compact speaker, the Meridian Ellipse certainly squeezes in a lot of features. When it comes to drivers, it focuses on quality over quantity. It only contains three drivers but they’re substantial: it has two 3.5-inch (90mm) polypropylene wide-range drivers and one 5.9 x 3.9-inch (150 x 100mm) racetrack sub. There’s not quite as much oomph behind these drivers as you’d hope, though. The Ellipse only offers 25W for those full-range drivers and 30W for the sub, while the cheaper Cambridge Audio Evo One packs a whopping 50W of amplification per driver.
Naturally, as a wireless speaker, the Ellipse focuses much of its energy on cable-free connectivity. It can stream over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, offering both native streaming from Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect, as well as AirPlay, Google Cast, and Roon connectivity. This doesn’t mean that wireless connectivity is the only connection to its bow however: it also possesses a USB-C that supports sampling rates up to 192kHz / 24 bit, a mini-TOSLINK optical port capable of 96kHz / 24 bit and an analog input with a built-in DAC that can hit rates of 88kHz / 24 bit.
None of this is unusual for a premium wireless speaker. However, what does set Meridian’s speaker apart is the range of smart features they’ve crammed into the Ellipse’s brain.
Some focus more on clarity: for example, Q-Sync exists to minimize jitter and increase clarity, while Digital Precision boosts the signal-to-noise ratio of the digital audio. Others aim to smooth out the Ellipse’s acoustics, with Perfect Balance ensuring low and high frequencies are perceived the same at low and high volumes and Free-Q offering the now-obligatory tech for sonically compensating for the device’s placement.
Perhaps the most unique smart features are those that tweak the speaker’s soundstage. Bass & Space offers stereo-enhancing tech to increase the sense of soundstage width, while Image Focus helps ‘correct for off-center listening’. Finally, Image Elevation is a piece of pseudo-Dolby-Atmos-style trickery that promises to raise the sound image so you can raise it from the speaker below to the middle of your TV screen – although with no actual height channels, it’s worth moderating your expectations on this front, as it won’t position sound as well as one of the best soundbars.
There are admittedly a few things the Meridian Ellipse is lacking. You won’t find a remote control here, which some rival premium wireless speakers supply and it doesn’t offer fancier inputs like eARC or phono in. All told, though, the Meridian Ellipse has an excellent range of features and a lot of the core functionality you’d expect.
Meridian Ellipse review: sound quality
- Crisp, accurate presentation
- Sounds great at higher volumes
- Bass and lower mids a bit flat
Given its not-inconsiderable price and the hype around the Meridian Ellipse, I was really hoping to be able to give it an unequivocal thumbs up. But in reality, things aren’t so clear-cut. While a lot of the coverage of its sound quality during its release and early demos was gushing in its praise, I think part of this is down to the protean nature of the device itself, where it sounds wonderfully crisp in some situations and displays distinct flaws in others.
Undeniably, the Meridian Ellipse is capable of some impressive, high-resolution detail. When playing Chemtrails Over the Country Club by Lana Del Rey, it could achieve skillful separation of each instrument. Not only that, but it really brought out the rich, smokey timbre of her voice, giving it real, palpable presence in the room.
High-end detail is also unflinchingly precise. Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac has exposed many a speaker’s weakness with its bright, trebly mix but the Ellipse holds the line. It never becomes overly sharp and yet still has plenty of definition – you can almost hear the scrape of the plectrum as it rings off those taut guitar strings, while the toms punch right through the mix.
Elsewhere, the picture gets a lot more mixed. For example, the Ellipse did a reasonable job with I Want You by Moloko: the funky keys and glockenspiel both had plenty of bite and presence, though I couldn’t help but feel this came at the expense of more nuance in the lower mid frequencies. With electronic music like Chimes by Otherliine, this became much more pronounced: the sound felt very forward without necessarily having the depth to back it up, leaving everything feeling a bit compressed and overdriven.
Again, the Meridian’s bass sometimes felt like it was all bite and no bark – which is particularly disappointing in light of its supposed E3 Bass, which is meant to ‘Expand, Extend, Enhance’ the low end. It’s undeniably punchy and dynamic, with kick drums giving a sizable thump, but the Ellipse can’t always back this up with substance – emphasis on the sub. The gargantuan bass of Tectonic by Technimatic sounded a lot weedier than I’m used to and there was noticeable ducking of the bassline every time the kick sounded, making me question whether its racetrack can really deliver the goods where sub is concerned.
Thanks in no small part to the Perfect Balance feature mentioned above, the Ellipse can hold its own at much higher volumes than many wireless speakers. In fact, I would argue it sounds much better when you crank it up. While Black Eye by Allie X sounded a bit hollow in the lower mids at average volumes, turning it up to 60% gave its saw-toothed synth line much more presence without causing those urgent string slams to distort. While this does give it some much-needed punch, if you’re not going to be listening to the speaker at earwax-melting volumes, it’s worth asking whether its weaker sound profile at lower volumes is a compromise you’re willing to make.
To test the speaker’s soundstage, I popped on Tighten Up, Pt. 1 by Archie Bell & The Drells. Despite the hard panning typical of 1960s soul, on the Ellipse there was barely a sliver of daylight between the bass and horns, with much of the sound feeling like it came from a single point.
Its Image Focus stereo field correction was much more impressive, however. Positioning the device at a 3/4s angle definitely left Heart of Gold by Bettye LaFayette missing some of its high-end clarity. And when I slipped the Image Focus setting to <7, it really brought the slap of the bongos back into clarity. Admittedly, you could get up and spin the speaker around yourself, but where’s the fun in that?
I was skeptical about how convincing its Image Elevation feature would be, but when I played some classic episodes of The Simpsons and dialed it up to max elevation, it was genuinely compelling. The slight treble boost of the dialogue made it seem like it was issuing directly from the screen. Yes, with some effort I could get my brain to recognize the sound was issuing from the speaker, but it’s a pretty convincing effect.
Impressive though these smarts are, though, I’m not sure they totally compensate for some of the speaker’s sonic weaknesses. It might seem like I’m being overly harsh – the Ellipse doesn’t sound bad by any means and fed the right genres and sources, it sounds impressively clear and expressive for a speaker of its size. But it’s also inconsistent: in some frequency ranges it focuses on cut-glass definition at the cost of more balanced expression and there’s a lack of ballast to ground it in both the mids and bass. As a result, its sound quality is a qualified success, which would definitely give me reservations about spending this kind of money.
Meridian Ellipse review: design
- Well built and attractive
- Decent touch controls
- Not the most original shape
For anyone who has spent some time following the wireless speaker space, the design of the Meridian Ellipse looks… eerily familiar. There’s no getting around it: there’s something undeniably Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin-esque about the Meridian Ellipse. It’s not quite as rounded as B&W’s audio dirigible, with a front grille that’s slightly convex rather than actively bulging, but it’s still a similar elongated ellipse shape that will be familiar to that device’s many fans.
Build quality is very decent, even if it’s not as luxe as some audio products in this category. Its matt black surface is smooth to the touch but doesn’t seem to pick up fingerprints, while a sturdy metal mesh protects its fabric covering and drivers. Its size is right in the middle of a Goldilocks zone between ‘big enough to make its presence known’ and ‘so large it’ll dominate your living room setup’. It’s also pretty light and easy to move, should you want to: at 8.6lbs (3.9kg), you won’t need to wear a back brace just to relocate it to another shelf.
Controlling the Ellipse falls to a series of blue-lit touch-capacitative buttons on the top surface of the device. These are clearly marked and easy to activate, covering most of the basic functions you’d expect, including play / pause, skipping forward and back, adjusting the volume, and triggering Bluetooth-pairing mode. There are no presets here, though, which is a shame. Being able to quickly switch to various inputs or playlists is something a lot of wireless speakers offer these days and, while it’s not a must-have feature, it would be nice all the same.
Meridian Ellipse review: value
- Eye-wateringly expensive
- Some cheaper speakers sound better
Ultimately, the Meridian Ellipse is a good – or even potentially great – wireless speaker. But your expectations are inevitably going to be influenced by how much you’ve paid for a device. And for $3,000 / £1,900 / AU$4,999, I expect an audio device to sound unimpeachable. That’s not really been my experience with the Ellipse.
It’s smart, really smart. But instead of taking already rock-solid audio and polishing it up to a truly breathtaking listening experience, I often found myself tweaking the features just to get an aural picture that bested or even matched what I’ve heard from much cheaper speakers. When you can get better audio from the Cambridge Audio Evo One and comfortably buy the £599 / $699 / AU$1,299 Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 out of the change to plug into its inbuilt phono stage, it does make me wonder who this device is for. Because, in reality, I think audiophiles can get more for much less.
Should I buy the Meridian Ellipse?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Crammed with more smarts than a Mensa meeting, the Ellipse has a whole heap of options for tailoring its soundstage or sound profile. The only thing it lacks is a few more connectivity options like eARC or phono in. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Sound quality |
Sounds spacious and detailed, while managing to keep its composure at higher volumes. But a focus on transients at each frequency level means the lower mids and sub feel neglected as a result. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
Feels fairly premium in its build and has easy to use controls, although it’s not quite as luxe-looking as some speakers in this bracket. |
4 / 5 |
|
Value |
For this kind of price, a speaker really should sound unimpeachable. And I’m not convinced the Meridian Ellipse achieves this, with it struggling to outcompete cheaper rivals. |
3 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Meridian Ellipse review: also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Meridian Ellipse |
Cambridge Audio Evo One |
KEF LS50 Wireless II |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Speaker drivers |
2 x 90mm polypropylene wide-range drivers; 1 x 150mm x 100mm polypropylene long-throw “racetrack” subwoofer driver |
4 x 1-inch silk dome tweeters, 4 x 2.25-inch aluminum cone mid-range drivers, 6 x 2.75-inch long-throw woofers |
1 x UniQ driver (combined tweeter and full-sized drama) per speaker |
|
Amplification |
2 x 25W for full-range drivers; 1 x 30W for subwoofer driver |
700W (14 x 50W) |
760W |
|
Dimensions |
16.2 x 8.8 x 6.7 inch (412 x 223 x 171mm) |
26.6 x 5.1 x 11.4 inches (675 x 129 x 290mm) |
2 x 12 x 7.9 x 12.2 inches (305 x 200 x 311mm) |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, mini-TOSLINK, analog in, Ethernet |
Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, eARC, TOSlink, Ethernet, line-in, phono-in |
Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI eARC, USB, TOSLINK Optical, Digital Coaxial, analog 3.5mm, Ethernet |
|
Streaming support |
Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Roon Ready, AirPlay, Google Cast, UPnP renderer |
Internet radio, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz, Deezer, Google Cast, AirPlay 2, Roon Ready |
AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, ROON Ready, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, QQ Music, Internet Radio |
|
Other features |
Bass & Space stereo enhancing, E3 Bass, Q-Sync jitter minimization, Image Focus balance correction, Free-Q room compensation, True Time, Perfect Balance, Bespoke Signal Mapping, Pro-Active Bass, Pro-Active Thermal control, Digital Precision, Image Elevation |
Multi-room streaming, room customization, inbuilt phono stage, 7-band EQ |
Multi-room streaming |
How I tested the Meridian Ellipse
- I tested the Meridian Ellipse for a month
- I used it to stream a wide range of genres and audio resolutions
- I have several decades of experience using and reviewing audio gadgets
I lived with the Meridian Ellipse for a month, testing it with a range of types of music and sources. Not only did I listen to the TechRadar testing playlist but I also tried out plenty of my own go-to tracks to assess its dynamics and frequency balance.
Additionally, I monitored the quality of its output by trying out a variety of sources. This included my iPhone 16 Pro, MacBook Pro, and TV. On top of this, I tried out a variety of different audio resolutions, from Spotify’s most basic tier to Tidal’s 24-bit, 192kHz Max tier.
In terms of experience, I’ve covered tech and reviewed gadgets for over 10 years. Additionally, I’ve been listening to and producing music for several decades, which has given me insight into the balance of different frequencies and sonic performance.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
