Our trade-focused reviewer Richard Stevenson takes a listen to the Meridian Ellipse stand-alone music system.
In a world full of affordable one-box streaming speakers, Meridian’s unique Ellipse stands out. Not least because, compared to models like the Sonos 5 or Bluesound Pulse 2i, it’s neither a box nor relatively affordable. It is, however, rather special.
Aesthetically, the Ellipse frontage is a 41cm wide ellipse (…see what they did with the name there?) with a curvy and well-rounded rear (stop tittering at the back…). The price is a formidable £1,900.
That is a punchy price point, yet this is Meridian; a brand famed for unique design, wizard-level digital engineering, and acoustic performance that can make even gnarly old audio reviewers reach for the cheque book. See our DSP9 review for the proof of that pudding. Like the DSP9 the Ellipse concept comes straight out of Meridian’s Extreme Engineering Programme, an ongoing R&D initiative at the forefront of the brand’s design philosophy.
The Ellipse’s new R2 Electronics Platform and all-encompassing Precision Sonic Transport concept have been trickled down from the brand’s full-size DSP-equipped speakers and optimised for this small speaker’s shape, driver complement and unique cabinet construction and materials. That construction and the not-insignificant weight make the Ellipse feel like the best-built small speaker on the market.
The industrial design is far from merely aesthetic, though. The shape minimises internal standing waves, reduces distortion and contributes to a cleaner audio output. The metal grille with elliptical holes is a nice touch and the three legs have tripod stability and non-slip rubber feet. There are boldly illuminated touch controls on top, should your phone have slipped down the back of the sofa. A choice of two optional Meridian remotes are available for terminally button-centric customers. They will still need the Meridian app for set-up and twiddles like the DSP controls.
Seriously connected
While the Ellipse offers Bluetooth, analogue, optical digital and USB-C inputs, the real magic happens when streaming over Wi- Fi or Ethernet cable. On the LAN, it has direct integration with AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect in full, glorious hi-resness (with the right material). Should you have put in a Roon-based audio system for the main installation, the Ellipse is Roon Ready or can be used as a UPNP device directly from a PC or similar.
Out of the box, the Ellipse has a solid suite of third-party control drivers written and supported. These include integration with control systems from Crestron Home, Control 4, RTI and Elan. There is also a concealed IR input for use with either of Meridian’s optional remote controls or for alternative IR emitter control systems like Demopad.
The Meridian App has a familiar feel, with features much like the DSP speakers, including many of its bigger sibling’s processing features such as Image Focus, giving you very precise positioning of the central image even if you are slightly off-axis. The effect is not quite as mind-boggling as with Meridian’s stereo speakers (where the imaging literally sounds like someone has shifted both speakers to the left or right) but it still works.
There is also a new Bass & Space feature that applies Ellipse-specific frequency and signal tweaking. This aims to widen the stereo image beyond the confines of its dimensions and does so exceptionally well. It’s a bit of a TARDIS in that respect, delivering a big sound that no speaker of its compact dimensions and internal volume has any right to manage.
Leveraging the Free-Q placement setting (free in our case, but wall, shelf, and corner are also available) and using a Hi-Fi quality feed from Tidal Connect, the Ellipse is stunning for its size. Bass and imaging are its most jaw-dropping facets, punching hard and creating a soundstage that many similarly priced stereo amp/streamer/speaker combinations would be proud of.
Playing a full gamut of music genres doesn’t faze the Ellipse. From Choral to Rap, this small speaker continues to deliver the goods with thoroughly engaging drive, rhythm and spectacular imaging for a single-box 2.1 speaker. Dig into the DSP features and the Ellipse has even more to offer if you avoid metaphorically winding some of the settings up to 11.
Big sound
Bass & Space is a gem that makes the Ellipse sound bigger still, and has a Goldilocks Mid setting. The Min setting has an extremely subtle effect, while the Max uses some rather obvious psycho-acoustic processing. The Image Elevation (again, Min/Med/Max) is designed to lift the image vertically, should you place it on a low table. From our tests, this setting is best kept to Min, which delivers a little height lift and little change in balance. The Med and Max settings get progressively brighter at the top-end frequencies, yet it is still amazing to track the image focus height by switching between the three options.
Not a brand to follow the herd, the Ellipse is delightfully different, delivering a stunning big-scale sound. The punchy cost puts it up against some seriously good packages combining an amplified streamer and a pair of speakers – such as our current favourite de jour, the Marantz M1 and Q-Acoustic 5040 for example. Yet the Ellipse is in a class of one when it comes to delivering, large, audiophile sound from a discreet box you could simply drop on a coffee table.
It’s not designed to be a soundbar, of course, but I can’t help thinking that for many second-room installations, it could be the perfect soundbar/audio system rolled into one quirky-shaped box. It’s not wall-mountable, and there is no HDMI input, but an IKEA shelf and an optical cable could make a damn fine workaround!
The Ellipse is a premium product that leverages advanced audio engineering and striking design to deliver something quite unique in the market. It’s not a budget solution, but for customers looking for large-scale, high-fidelity sound from a svelte, single-box speaker for that second room – it’s perfect.
