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Price comparison:
Meridian F80 home entertainment system
More info: Meridian
System: CD & DVD player inc internal 2.1 channel speaker system with alarm function, DAB Band III/FM/AM radio,
Weight: 6.5kg
Size: 408(w) x 230(h) x 185(d) mm
Finishes: Available in black with trim strip in choice of dark red, yellow, bright silver, black, off-white
Power: 80 watts (L+R+sub)
Connections: 3.5mm headphone socket, 3.5mm aux in (aux 1), 3.5mm digital optical in (aux 2), iPod dock/Airport Express connector. S-Video & composite video out.
Remote control: Yes, magnetic
Disc types: CD-DA, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, DVD-Video, DVD+/-R/RW
Plus points:
Compact, ground-breaking ergonomics, flexible, excellent sound quality, sufficient power even for medium/large rooms
Minus points:
Expensive, transportable rather than portable
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Here is a test of a rather unusual product, a one-box CD/DVD player with radio. It is mains powered and has its own internal speakers in a 2.1 (stereo L/R + subwoofer) configuration. The preset radio covers DAB Band III, FM, MW and LW stations using an internal aerial for strong transmissions, which can be supplemented by an external rod or DAB-style rabbits ear's antenna, both of which are supplied.
It's a semicircle shape when viewed from the front or back, illuminated by a hoop of colour in a choice of Ferrari colours, and a perfect ellipse in cross section, which gives the unit a strongly art deco appearance, yet which is simultaneously completely contemporary, justifying the timeless description that Meridian applies. There's a slot loading mechanism for your discs near the player's base, and a carrying handle is built into the carcass at 12 o'clock. Mindful that the unit may end up being used in a kitchen, the slim remote control can also be used as a fridge magnet - a clever touch that's also surprisingly useful. A range of in and outputs allows the unit to be integrated with a generic or Meridian-made iPod dock, a set-top box, or an Airport Express for wireless use around the house.
Technology highlights include the use of a barium-loaded composite chassis internally, technology acquired from Ferrari, which supports the three drive units with the right combination of weight, rigidity and damping. The electronics are Meridian's own, and equally mould breaking. Even the display is unusual: an organic electroluminescent readout which provides beautifully formed high contrast readouts of unusually high resolution. The three amplifiers for the three drive units are digital, but for performance reasons powered by a large analogue power supply based on a toroidal transformer.
There is a most delicious irony here. The F80 is not the only collaboration between a car maker - a Formula 1 car maker no less - and a hi-fi company. It happened a few years ago with Tag McLaren Audio, which was a co-development between TAG McLaren, the motor company, and Audiolab, a specialist hi-fi company, which was based at an impressive design/factory complex in Huntingdon. As you probably already know, that company eventually came off the rails, but what you may not know is that the factory was eventually sold - to Meridian as it happens - and the F80 wears both the Ferrari Cavallino Rampante - the famous prancing horse - and Meridian badges. And where is the F80 made? Where else but in the same Meridian factory that TAG McLaren audio built years earlier.
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