Meridian G95 Surround Receiver

Meridian G95 Surround Receiver Meridianís G95 CD/DVD Surround Receiver System is the most powerful and versatile member of the companyís award-winning G Series family. Its design was based on extensive research into exactly what customers required of a product of this type, and therefore includes desired features while specifically omitting those regarded as superfluous or no longer necessary in the modern consumer electronics environment. The G95 is a full 5.1 DVD Surround Receiver with both stereo and surround modes, a robust slot-loading DVD drive and five gutsy built-in digital power amplifiers to drive your choice of passive loudspeakers, plus an active subwoofer output. It plays audio CDs, MP3 CDs, Video CDs, DVD-Video, and the DVD side of DualDisc hybrids. It can decode Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG, and MP3 data streams to PCM for stereo and multichannel playback. Stereo and multichannel digital audio outputs are also available via HDMI. The G95 also includes comprehensive preamplifier functionality with multiple analogue and digital inputs including two coax digital inputs, two optical digital inputs, and three analogue input pairs. Digital signal processing is included to upsample stereo decoded streams, or decode surround bitstreams from external sources. A high-quality FM/AM tuner with RDS/RDBS (G95 model), or a DAB/FM tuner (G95-DAB) is also included. The G95 includes five channels of powerful, compact and innovative new Class D digital power amplifiers, which offer exceptional power output ñ 100W per channel into 8Ÿ ñ while remaining cool even at full output. The G95 is the first Meridian product to include digital power amplifiers, and the design was chosen following extensive research to ensure that the quality and performance matched that typically delivered by Meridianís conventional audio amplifier designs. The power amplifier has been specially optimised for cool running and maximum audio quality, including the use of audiophile capacitors and other components. Complete surround system in a box ñ just add speakers 5 x 100W power amplifiers to drive the speakers of your choice 5.1 analogue line-level outputs Plays CD and DVD format discs Multiple analogue and digital inputs Powerful video processor; HDMI out at up to 1080p Digital upsampling and buffering delivers spectacular quality ROM drive improves error-correction over ten times AM/FM RDS tuner or DAB Digital Radio with FM The G95ís analogue outputs and power amplifiers are driven by 24-bit DACs that are upsampled for maximum fidelity. The output level is controlled by the front panel knob or via remote. The amplifiers are powered by a linear power supply including a beefy, overspecified true toroidal transformer to provide the high levels of clean power required for powerful multichannel performance. In addition to five pairs of heavy-duty gold-plated power output terminals, a complete set of six analogue line-level outputs is included to drive external power amplifiers and speakers and an active subwoofer such as the Meridian SW1600 or SW5500. Thus the G95 is truly a complete stereo or surround system in a box: just add the conventional passive loudspeakers (and optionally amplifiers) of your choice! At the heart of the player side of the G95 is a robust, high-speed, slot-loading DVD-ROM drive ñ the best type of drive to use to ensure accurate data recovery from all types of disc. The drive normally operates at standard speed; however, it is capable of recovering data a great deal faster when required, enabling it to make more attempts to recover accurate data from a problem disc. Because of this, the drive can perfectly recover the data from almost any compatible disc. In addition, the drive has a special on-board anti-vibration buffer and is especially robust for durability and reliability in constant service. Unlike other players that use a mechanical approach to attempt to lower jitter by minimising drive vibration, the G95 employs a triple buffering system to minimise jitter, maximizing HF transparency, sound stage precision and stability. The result of this sophisticated approach is that the player delivers ultra-low jitter, with sound and picture quality second only to that of Meridianís 800 Reference DVD/CD Player. The G95 supports almost any kind of video display device, whether composite, S-Video, Component (progressive or interlaced) or even the latest interfaces such as HDMI or DVI. Different video inputs are converted to all formats, so there is only need for one display connection. The digital electronics as a whole are driven by a new design of high-stability clocking system which further reduces jitter and ensures that the highest level of detail is recovered from a disc. All digital data are accurately re-clocked, and multiple power supplies ensure that digital and analogue circuitry are kept separate. The G95 features a comprehensive front-panel user interface which allows access to all the features of the unit. The player can be set to a standard ëTypeí which configures all the required settings as required for a particular application, stereo or surround. In addition, an on-screen display (OSD) allows you to configure specific settings individually. The player employs Flash ROM memory for the operating system, so software updates can be downloaded from the Internet and installed via a PC connected to the serial port on the rear panel. This port also allows full remote control and configuration of the unit. The output level of the system can be controlled remotely or via the front-panel knob which controls a proprietary hybrid digital/analogue volume control ñ a design similar to that used in the 800 Series and DSP 8000. Two tuner options are available: AM/FM and DAB/FM. The former provides AM (LF/MF) and FM (VHF stereo Band II) reception with RDS/RDBS, and is fitted with its own 96kHz, 24-bit A/D stage. Digital signal processing provides a sophisticated FM stereo blend/width control which allows you to minimise noise on a received signal. There is also a DSP-based low-pass filter and a whistle filter for improved AM reception. Alternatively, a version is available with DAB Digital Radio (UHF L-Band and/or VHF Band III) and FM. A separate data sheet is available that describes available G Series DAB options. The G95 includes upsampling in stereo mode, which allows digital filters to be placed far beyond the range of human hearing, as well as offering other audible benefits right across the audio band, including improved transient response. All processing is at 48-bit precision. This results in a more open, transparent sound, tighter bass, and a generally more ëmusicalí sound overall. To drive the power amplifier modules and the six-channel analogue line-level outputs, signals are upsampled to 24-bit, 176.4/192kHz for digital to analogue conversion ñ DACs can offer better performance at higher sampling rates; up to 88.2/96kHz multichannel or 192kHz in stereo is delivered as the digital audio component of the HDMI output, at 24-bit word length. Advanced digital processing features are handled by a powerful DSP engine delivering an impressive 150MIPS (million instructions per second). In addition, the G95 incorporates digital surround decoding to allow full 5.1 surround performance. The built-in surround processing system decodes Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks from discs, and Dolby Digital or DTS data streams fed into the external digital inputs. It will also synthesise a full surround image from 2-channel soundtracks on audio CDs or DVDs, or from the external two-channel digital or analogue inputs, by extracting latent surround information in the recording. Several DSP presets are provided to allow you to choose the type of surround processing used for different sources. For 5.1 audio formats a Discrete or Cinema DSP preset is selected automatically, depending on whether the source is music or a movie. For two-channel audio formats the DSP preset can usually be switched between Trifield (recommended for music), Stereo (uses just the main left and right speakers and subwoofer), or PLII (recommended for movies), using the DSP key on the front panel or the supplied MSR+ infrared learning remote. On the video side, advanced video circuit designs, matched-phase video filters, and a broadcast-quality video encoder are employed to deliver low-noise images of outstanding colour depth up to full-specification High Definition 1080p resolution. Separate ultra-low jitter master video and audio oscillators allow picture and sound to be independently optimized, ensuring that the G95 DVD Receiver System delivers breathtakingly clear pictures. The G95 includes a unique broadcast-quality, high-resolution video processor/scaler which combines both Meridian and Faroudja DCDiÆ technology, delivering the most advanced, high-quality video available today. The processor can simultaneously provide composite and S-video outputs, plus progressive component video and up to 1080p full-spec High Definition on an HDMI output. The processor can receive two composite, three S-video, and interlaced component video inputs, and convert between the formats, or to the HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) standard, to provide a single video output for all the video sources in your system. The video processor includes picture adjustment controls, available via the MSR+ and front-panel display. These include Contrast, Black Level (Brightness) and Saturation. For the internal DVD and external video inputs you can adjust the horizontal/vertical picture position. In addition, the black level, contrast, colour, and hue (NTSC) are adjustable on the video inputs. Full Data Sheet